Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Islamic Community backs efforts to unify Muslims in Serbia

The Council of Muftis of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina has expressed support for efforts to restore the institutional unity of the Islamic Community in Serbia, calling for Muslims in the country to be brought together under a single religious framework.

In a statement issued following a meeting in Sarajevo, the council stressed the religious importance of institutional unity among Muslim communities in Serbia and called on those that have not yet joined the unification process to return to a common Islamic Community structure.

UNITY DESCRIBED AS A RELIGIOUS RESPONSIBILITY

The Council of Muftis described restoring institutional unity among Muslims in the region as a religious obligation.

“Restoring the institutional unity of Muslims in these areas is, first and foremost, the fulfilment of the religious responsibility to preserve Muslim unity,” the statement said.

The council also presented the initiative as a continuation of the region’s historical tradition of organising Muslim religious life around the office of the Reis-ul-Ulema, the highest religious authority within the relevant Islamic institutional tradition.

CALL FOR COMMUNITIES TO JOIN A COMMON STRUCTURE

The council called on Muslim communities in Serbia that have not yet participated in the unification process to join the common Islamic Community framework.

It also appealed to Serbian authorities to respect the wishes of Muslim citizens and the unity established through the process.

According to the statement, the relevant authorities should refrain from obstructing the implementation of the Islamic Community’s autonomous regulations and should respect the right of Muslims in Serbia to determine their own internal organisational arrangements independently.

The statement did not provide further details about the next steps or a timetable for completing the unification process.