New inter-Muslim incident in Sandžak

What to call the local Islamic community in the Sandzak is the least of it. Beneath the surface, which is all that gets reported, there are more serious underlying issues.

As is the case with most conflicts, to a considerable extent it's about money (the root of all evil) -- a power struggle over who gets to control the extensive funds and properties of the Islamic Community's religious endowments (vakuf) and the large annual collections of charity money; as well as control over the allocation of jobs and patronage.

On a secondary level, the dispute also involves personalities and politics.

From 1945 until the break-up of the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990, all the Islamic religious communities throughout Yugoslavia had been organized into a single federal coordinating body, based in Sarajevo. Its affairs were run by an elected council of Muslim clerics and laymen, headed by the Reis-ul-Ulema (chief Muslim cleric), who was chosen by the council. Like other religious organizations during the Communist period, this federal council for Yugoslavia's Muslim communities was autonomous in name only -- its activities were closely monitored (and covertly controlled) by the regime's state security organs. The last Reis-ul-Ulema under the Yugoslav system was the Macedonian Muslim cleric Jakub-efendija Selimoski.

Following the breakup of the SFRJ and the independence of Bosnia and Macedonia in 1992, the federal body also fell apart, as Islamic communities in various parts of the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia) reformed themselves into independent organizations.

There was a special problem in the Sandzak, where the local Islamic communities decided to organize their own independent regional administrative body (Meshihat) in 1993. The big question was whether they would continue to look for leadership and guidance from Sarajevo (where the Islamic Community had sacked Selimoski and reorganized itself as a specifically Bosnian body).

At the time, a majority of religious Muslims in the Sandzak were leaning towards Sarajevo. But there were also other Sandzak Muslims who looked to Belgrade, where the head of the Belgrade Islamic community, Hamdija-ef. Jusufspahic, had cut off relations with Sarajevo and claimed to speak for Muslim religious communities in all of Serbia.

Belgrade Mufti Jusufspahic (who has since retired) was a somewhat controversial figure. Despite repeated attacks on Belgrade's only mosque during the 1990s, the news of atrocities against Muslims in Bosnia and in the Sandzak (Bukovica, Sjeverin, Strpci), the Belgrade mufti remained publicly loyal to the regime and even spoke in its defense in international forums.

However, the relations of the local Sandzak Islamic communities with the Bosniak religious leadership in Sarajevo also turned out to be problematic in practice and these problems have led to growing resentment.

Since the fall of Milosevic, Muslim community politics in the Sandzak have become more complicated. The heirs to the traditionally pro-Sarajevo faction in the Islamic religious community, led since March 2007 by Muarem Zukorlic and politically aligned with Rasim Ljajic and Boris Tadic's Democrats, have come under increasing fire from supporters of the pro-Belgrade faction.

The pro-Belgrade faction in the Islamic community of the Sandzak is led by Adem Zilkic, who is politically aligned with Novi Pazar's mayor Sulejman Ugljanin, a Sandzak politician close to Kostunica.

In a controversial election in October 2007, Zilkic's faction ousted Zukorlic as Reis (head) of the Sandzak Islamic community and has gained control of its headquarters and funds. But supporters of Zukorlic, who call the election illegal, have refused allegiance to the newly elected Reis and tensions have continued to escalate. Now it has even led to bloodshed.

Although supporters of both sides have accused each other of (unspecified) "extremism", in reality religious doctrine plays absolutely no part in this dispute.

The dispute among the Muslims of the Sandzak is mostly a political one, and its political aspects closely reflect the deep political divide in Serbian society at large.

What is specific to this dispute are the personal ambitions, grievances and interests of the factional leaders and their supporters.
And the control of money and property, of course.

Sad to see that people are now being injured and killed for such petty reasons. But it's hardly the first time this has happened... in the Balkans or elsewhere.

Islamic Community of Serbia, Islamic Community in Serbia.

Judean Peoples' Front,
Peoples Front of Judea.

Unbelievable.

Congratulations Jovan on what might be the most informative and thought-provoking post I have ever had the pleasure to read on this forum.

I, for one, and I'm sure I am not alone in this, have been baffled by recent events and their causes in Sandzak. I feel much better informed by your post. Thanks.

Yes Niall, I completely agree. Shades of the IRA and the Real IRA here.

Islamic Community of Serbia, Islamic Community in Serbia.

Judean Peoples' Front,
Peoples Front of Judea.

Unbelievable.

What to call the local Islamic community in the Sandzak is the least of it. Beneath the surface, which is all that gets reported, there are more serious underlying issues.

As is the case with most conflicts, to a considerable extent it's about money (the root of all evil) -- a power struggle over who gets to control the extensive funds and properties of the Islamic Community's religious endowments (vakuf) and the large annual collections of charity money; as well as control over the allocation of jobs and patronage.

On a secondary level, the dispute also involves personalities and politics.

From 1945 until the break-up of the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990, all the Islamic religious communities throughout Yugoslavia had been organized into a single federal coordinating body, based in Sarajevo. Its affairs were run by an elected council of Muslim clerics and laymen, headed by the Reis-ul-Ulema (chief Muslim cleric), who was chosen by the council. Like other religious organizations during the Communist period, this federal council for Yugoslavia's Muslim communities was autonomous in name only -- its activities were closely monitored (and covertly controlled) by the regime's state security organs. The last Reis-ul-Ulema under the Yugoslav system was the Macedonian Muslim cleric Jakub-efendija Selimoski.

Following the breakup of the SFRJ and the independence of Bosnia and Macedonia in 1992, the federal body also fell apart, as Islamic communities in various parts of the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia) reformed themselves into independent organizations.

There was a special problem in the Sandzak, where the local Islamic communities decided to organize their own independent regional administrative body (Meshihat) in 1993. The big question was whether they would continue to look for leadership and guidance from Sarajevo (where the Islamic Community had sacked Selimoski and reorganized itself as a specifically Bosnian body).

At the time, a majority of religious Muslims in the Sandzak were leaning towards Sarajevo. But there were also other Sandzak Muslims who looked to Belgrade, where the head of the Belgrade Islamic community, Hamdija-ef. Jusufspahic, had cut off relations with Sarajevo and claimed to speak for Muslim religious communities in all of Serbia.

Belgrade Mufti Jusufspahic (who has since retired) was a somewhat controversial figure. Despite repeated attacks on Belgrade's only mosque during the 1990s, the news of atrocities against Muslims in Bosnia and in the Sandzak (Bukovica, Sjeverin, Strpci), the Belgrade mufti remained publicly loyal to the regime and even spoke in its defense in international forums.

However, the relations of the local Sandzak Islamic communities with the Bosniak religious leadership in Sarajevo also turned out to be problematic in practice and these problems have led to growing resentment.

Since the fall of Milosevic, Muslim community politics in the Sandzak have become more complicated. The heirs to the traditionally pro-Sarajevo faction in the Islamic religious community, led since March 2007 by Muarem Zukorlic and politically aligned with Rasim Ljajic and Boris Tadic's Democrats, have come under increasing fire from supporters of the pro-Belgrade faction.

The pro-Belgrade faction in the Islamic community of the Sandzak is led by Adem Zilkic, who is politically aligned with Novi Pazar's mayor Sulejman Ugljanin, a Sandzak politician close to Kostunica.

In a controversial election in October 2007, Zilkic's faction ousted Zukorlic as Reis (head) of the Sandzak Islamic community and has gained control of its headquarters and funds. But supporters of Zukorlic, who call the election illegal, have refused allegiance to the newly elected Reis and tensions have continued to escalate. Now it has even led to bloodshed.

Although supporters of both sides have accused each other of (unspecified) "extremism", in reality religious doctrine plays absolutely no part in this dispute.

The dispute among the Muslims of the Sandzak is mostly a political one, and its political aspects closely reflect the deep political divide in Serbian society at large.

What is specific to this dispute are the personal ambitions, grievances and interests of the factional leaders and their supporters.
And the control of money and property, of course.

Sad to see that people are now being injured and killed for such petty reasons. But it's hardly the first time this has happened... in the Balkans or elsewhere.

Congratulations Jovan on what might be the most informative and thought-provoking post I have ever had the pleasure to read on this forum.

I, for one, and I'm sure I am not alone in this, have been baffled by recent events and their causes in Sandzak. I feel much better informed by your post. Thanks.

Yes Niall, I completely agree. Shades of the IRA and the Real IRA here.