Serb Islamic Community Reelects Leader

Novi Pazar – The Assembly of the Islamic Community of Serbia has once again elected incumbent reis Adem Zilkic as its supreme leader.

The Assembly unanimously supported Muhamed Jusufspahic, the Serbian mufti, who proposed the re-election of Zilkic.

“During the first year of the Riyaset’s work, Zilkic did well and I think nothing should be changed there,” said Jusufspahic.
 
In his address to believers, Zilkic said that the Islamic Community of Serbia is determined to focus its actions within the internal borders of Serbia and added that there was no cooperation with the Islamic Community of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
 
He emphasised that he wanted all the Muslims in Serbia to be united within a single Islamic community and called on the state bodies to clearly declare “who is for peace, and who is for violence.”
 
Balkan Insight has learnt that the Assembly was supposed to sit in early October but that has not been done because a meeting and reconciliation between Zilkic and main mufti of the rival Islamic Community in Serbia, Muamer Zukorlic was expected.
 
“The meeting should have been held ten days ago, on the initiative of the Turkish ambassador to Belgrade but Zukorlic sent a letter to the ambassador several days before the scheduled meeting saying he is still not prepared to reconcile,” said the Balkan Insight source on condition of anonymity.

Zukorlic believes Serbia’s Muslims should look to Bosnia and Herzegovina for spiritual guidance.

Rivalries between the two over the last year have often erupted into violence