Islam has seen its rise and fall in areas that now constitute Serbia when the Ottoman Empire ruled here for almost five centuries. However, after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, Muslims weren't treated well by the Christians and of nearly 300 mosques in Belgrade alone, only one managed to avoid total destruction. Muslims left Serbia for friendlier territory to the south and the west. Some chose to stay however, continuing to live in a Serbia that eventually transitioned into the rump of Yugoslavia.
The Ottoman Empire hay days [Map]
According to the last consensus conducted in the country in 2011 there were 228,658 Muslims in Serbia (3.1% of total population. Since many Muslims did not take part in the census, it is estimated that another 50,000 plus Muslims also live in territorial limits of Serbia. The Muslims in Serbia are mostly ethnic Bosniaks, Albanians and minor but significant part of Roma people as well as members of the smaller ethnic groups Muslims by nationality and Gorani.
Muslims are predominant in the Sandžak region that borders Bosnia and Herzegovina. Novi Pazar is the biggest city in the area. The people of Novi Pazar like to claim it to be the youngest city in Europe. Besides, largest concentration of Muslims in Serbia could be found in the municipalities of Tutin and Sjenica in the Sandžak region, and in the municipalities of Preševo and Bujanovac in the Preševo Valley.
The scars of Muslim brutal murder at the hands of Serbs are still afresh and tales of the sorry days are never ending. Twenty-four years ago the Srebrenica Genocide took place. The population was expelled; mosques were blown up to the skies, and the land was converted into parks and parking lots; books and manuscripts were burnt – all traces of Bosnian Muslim presence were erased. There is no happy end to this story. The Bosnian Serbs got what they wanted. Each year on July 11 marks the anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide in which 8,372 Bosnian Muslims were executed in the United Nations ‘Safe Area’ of Srebrenica..
The scars of Muslim brutal murder at the hands of Serbs are still afresh and tales of the sorry days are never ending. Twenty-four years ago the Srebrenica Genocide took place. The population was expelled; mosques were blown up to the skies, and the land was converted into parks and parking lots; books and manuscripts were burnt – all traces of Bosnian Muslim presence were erased. There is no happy end to this story. The Bosnian Serbs got what they wanted. Each year on July 11 marks the anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide in which 8,372 Bosnian Muslims were executed in the United Nations ‘Safe Area’ of Srebrenica..
Muslims in Serbia are subordinate to the Islamic Community of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Islamic Community of Serbia founded in 2007 which traces its origins to the Principality of Serbia. In 2012, the reis-ul-ulema Mustafa Cerić of Bosnia published a fatwa against Adem Zilkić, leader of the Islamic Community of Serbia, categorizing his actions as Masjid al-Dirar.
Although, the Sandžak is majority Muslim area, it is one of the poorest parts of the country, with no acceptable transport network to speak of and next to nothing in the way of financial development. The mixture of poverty and helplessness has seen Islam gain something of a stronghold, as young men and women search for something to feel a part of.
The exterior of the mosque Bajrakli, Belgrade [Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Author: Missty011]
The Muslims in Serbia are not very well off. In fact they live in areas that are least developed or economically sound. Novi Pazar, one of the major Muslim hub, is a city without an airport or train station, served by bad roads and enclosed by mountains, where the poverty rate is 50 percent, according to Serbia's statistics institute, making the Sandzak region the most deprived area of the Balkan country. The economic deprivation certainly adds to the grievances of the Muslims. And when such voices are raised, they are taken to be as negative expression f sentiments by the Serbian government rather than meeting their legitimate demands.
The Islamic community in Serbia says Belgrade authorities have repeatedly ignored requests for new mosques to be built and says the shortage raises questions about the country’s commitment to minority rights, an important gauge of its readiness for membership of the European Union, reports Reuters.
Muslim youth in hijab [photo: Culture Trip / © david djordjevic studio / Shutterstock]
Halal food can be found in Belgrade and other Muslim populated areas. Recently, a new restaurant opened in the city center called Zuwar restaurant, they are on the corner of Adidas in Knez Mehaila (The main walking street in Belgrade. They offer a wide range of Arabian dishes and all main dishes are prepared on charcoal.
As of now, the life for Muslims is not a bed of roses. Serbia's Muslim leader says discrimination is eroding his people's religious freedoms in the capital Belgrade. The local government is accused of pressuring the Muslim community to build its mosques without minarets. The Mufti says it's trying to keep the highly visible towers out of the majority Christian Orthodox city. TRT World's Melinda Nucifora filed this report from the Serbian capital.
Watch the video below wherein Serbian Muslims demand more religious freedom:
To know more about life of Muslims in other non Muslim countries, please visit our page: Islam and Life of Muslims in Non Muslim Countries
Photo | References: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
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