THE NEW ISLAMIC COMMUNITY OF B&H

By: Drazzena Peranicc/ AIM-Zagreb

Jan. 5, 1994

The original autonomy of the Islamic Community of B&H established by the "Statute" in 1909, was abolished by a decree of King Alexander in 1930, and the Islamic Community of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was founded. After dissolution of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Second World War, during the long-lasting era of the socialist/communist system and regime and the resulting atheization of the society, an Islamic Community just within the permissible limits of the communist system was conceived. But, with the decline of that regime, and the offering of broader national and religious rights, about three years ago, the leadership of the Islamic Community was inaugurated by the will of the believers and based on the new Constitution of the Islamic Community in the at the time still existing Yugoslavia.

Independence of Bosnia & Herzegovina, the beginning of the war and continuous politicization of all social occurrences, thence of religion too, and its exploitation for daily political purposes, conditioned establishment of a Renewal Assembly of the Islamic Community in Sarajevo on April 28, 1993. Although the organizers of the Assembly insist that the its autonomy dates back to the period preceeding 1939, its basic characteristics are denial of legitimacy of decisions made by all Muslem religious bodies, the Ilmia Association, but primarily, of the status of the superior Jakub Selimovski, but also organization and division of the Islamic Community which will be of a decisive significance for the position of the Muslem people and the future system of the state in this space. The Renewal Assembly and the election of the (temporary) naib reisa Mustafa Ceric, the religious official of the Islamic Community of Croatia, were preceeded by intense criticism of reis Selimovski which lasted for months, because of his long absence from Sarajevo, his allegedly pro-Yugoslav policy, for not having recognized the independence of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and contrary to Moslem religious regulations, for having organized joint prayers with the Serbian Patriarch Pavle and the Pope.

Although reis Selimovski had on several occasions attempted to deny publicly these accusations and to explain his conception for the organization of the Islamic Community after dissolution of Yugoslavia, his conflict with the ideologists of the renewal of the autonomy of the Islamic Community in B&H occurred. Although he was in Sarajevo at the time, he was not invited to the Assembly. Insisting on the separation of the religious communities from the state, reis Selimovski is trying to preserve a unique organization on the territory of former Yugoslavia, introducing even the idea of creating an Islamic Community of the Balkans.

But, that the whole issue has not only broader social implications, but centres of political struggle for power in the (new) religious community of the Muslems, is clearly indicated by the reaction of the President of the Assembly of the Islamic Community in B&H, Dr. Imamovicc, which openly accuses the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) for "participation and support of the putschist session of the self-proclaimed Renewal Assembly". Despite such condemnation and numerous protests and rejections by the Islamic Community Boards from Tuzla, Zenica and Mostar, this new religious community and naibu resi Cericc himself are getting more and more space in Sarajevo media, the support of the authorities and Izetbegovicc himself.

At the time of the most terrible suffering of the Bosnian Muslims, the major nationalistic party, the SDA, has not only failed to offer a consistent national program, but is trying to implement homogeneity of the Muslims by demanding loyalty to the party, and now to the Islamic Religious Community as well. By accepting too often the role of a daily politician, the current naibu reis Ceric is badly jeopardizing the independence of the Islamic Community and its role of the spiritual controller of secular occurrences, and by doing it, opening the road to SDA and its President Izetbegovicc to use it as an instrument in creation of their national statelet, where religion is just a good excuse.