Islam in Serbia

Serbia is a Christian majority country, with Islam being a minority faith representing around 4.2% of the total population (excluding the disputed region of Kosovo, in which Islam is the predominant faith) as per the 2022 census.^[2] Islam spread to Serbia during the three centuries of Ottoman rule. The Muslims in Serbia are mostly ethnic Bosniaks, Albanians and significant part of Muslim Roma as well as members of the smaller groups, like ethnic Muslims, Gorani and Serbs (Čitaci).^[3]

Demographics

According to the 2022 census, there were 278,212 Muslims in Serbia (4.2% of the total population. The largest concentration of Muslims in Serbia could be found in the municipalities of Novi Pazar, Tutin, Sjenica and Prijepolje in the Sandžak region, and in the municipalities of Preševo and Bujanovac in the Preševo Valley.

Muslims in Serbia (excluding Kosovo)
	census 1921^[4]		census 1991		census 2002		census 2011		census 2022
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Muslims	97,672	2.23	224,120	2.89	239,658	3.20	222,828	3.10	278,212	4.20

Ethnic groups

Bosniaks and ethnic Muslims, mostly living in the Sandžak region.
Albanians, mostly living in the Preševo Valley region.
Muslim Roma, including Balkan Romani speaking and Serbian-speaking groups from southern Serbia, as well as Albanian-speaking groups.
Gorani, Slavic ethnic group.

Geographical distribution

The municipality of Novi Pazar is home to Serbia's largest Muslim population, with 82,710 Muslims out of 100,410 inhabitants (82% of its population). The municipality of Tutin has the highest share of Muslims in Serbia, with around 94% of its population being Muslim. The Sjenica Municipality has also a very large Muslim population (79%), followed by the Prijepolje Municipality (45%). Most Albanians, who belong to the Islamic faith, living in Preševo, Bujanovac and Medveđa, boycotted the 2011 census, but statistics from the 2002 census show that Muslims constitute a majority in those municipalities with 89%, 55% and 29% respectively. ^[5]

	Population Census 2011			Population Census 2022
Municipality	Total	Muslims ^[6]	%	Total	Muslims^[7]	%
Novi Pazar	100,410	82,710	82.4%	106,720	88,493	82.9%
Preševo	3,080	593 **	19.3%	33,449	31,505	94,2%
Tutin	31,155	29,220	93.8%	33,053	30,909	93.5%
Bujanovac	18,067	4,137 **	22.9%	41,068	28,254	68.8%
City of Belgrade	1,659,440	31,914	1.9%	1,681,405	28,210	1.7%
Sjenica	26,392	20,906	79.2%	24,083	18,860	78.3%
Prijepolje	37,059	16,562	44.7%	32,214	15,066	46.8%
Priboj	27,133	5,793	21.4%	23,514	5,119	21.8%
Novi Sad	307,760	4,601	1.5%	368,967	4,870	1.3%
Požarevac	75,334	2,817	3.7%	68,648	3,245	4.7%
Subotica	141,554	2,756	1.9%	123,952	3,238	2.6%
City of Niš	260,237	2,486	1.0%	249,501	2,224	0.9%
Smederevo	108,209	1,670	1.5%	97,930	1,773	1.8%
Zrenjanin	123,362	1,391	1.1%	105,722	1,346	1.3%
Beočin	15,726	1,374	8.7%	13,875	1,156	8.3%
Nova Varoš	16,638	1,384	8.3%	13,507	1,069	7.9%
Bor	48,615	1,338	2.8%	40,845	1,052	2.6%
Medveđa	7,438	581 **	7.8%	6,360	932	14,7%
Pančevo	123,414	769	0.6%	111,454	777	0.7%
Kragujevac	179,417	665	0.4%	171,186	710	0.4%
Šabac	115,884	760	0.7%	105,432	669	0.6%
Loznica	79,327	724	0.9%	72,062	630	0.9%
Kraljevo	125,488	532	0.4%	110,196	479	0.4%
Prokuplje	44,419	299	0.7%	38,054	412	1.1%
Mali Zvornik	12,482	472	3.8%	11,290	362	2.9%
Mali Iđoš	12,031	232	1.9%	9,983	361	3.6%
Vršac	52,026	253	0.5%	45,462	334	0.7%
Bečej	37,351	206	0.6%	30,681	314	1.0%
Sremska Mitrovica	79,940	240	0.3%	72,580	291	0.4%
Kruševac	128,752	243	0.2%	111,582	256	0.2%
Krupanj	17,295	229	1.3%	17,295	229	1.3%
Bač	14,405	198	1.4%	11,431	138	1.2%
Sombor	85,903	193	0.2%	70,818	137	0.2%
Serbia (total)	7,186,862	222,828	3.1%	6,647,003	278,212	4.19%

** The 2011 census was boycotted by the Albanian minority

Organization

Adherents of Islam in Serbia are organized into two separate bodies: the Islamic Community in Serbia, a branch of 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.^[8] In 2012, Reis-ul-ulema Mustafa Cerić published a fatwa against Adem Zilkić, the leader of the Islamic Community of Serbia, categorizing his actions as Masjid al-Dirar.^[9]

The Islamic Community of Serbia (Islamska zajednica Srbije), with its seat in Belgrade, is administered by Reis-ul-ulema Sead Nasufović.^[10] It is divided into:

- The Mešihat of Serbia, with its seat in Belgrade
- The Mešihat of Raška, with its seat in Novi Pazar
- The Mešihat of Preševo, with its seat in Preševo

The Islamic Community in Serbia (Islamska zajednica u Srbiji), with its seat in Novi Pazar, is administered by Mufti Mevlud Dudić,^[11] which include:

- The Islamic Community in the Sandžak region or Muftiship of Sandžak, with its seat in Novi Pazar, administered by Mufti Mevlud Dudić.
- The Islamic Community in Vojvodina or Muftiship of Novi Sad, with its seat in Novi Sad, administered by Mufti Fadil Murati.
- Islamic Community in Preševo Valley or Muftiship of Preševo, with its seat in Preševo.
- The Islamic Community in Central Serbia or Muftiship of Belgrade, with its seat in Belgrade.

Gallery

Sketches of ordinary Serbian Muslims.
Ottoman manuscript from Smederevo, 1526
Organization of the Rijaset of the Islamic Community of Serbia (as of 2007)
Organization of the Mešihat of the Islamic Community in Serbia, which is part of the Rijaset of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina (as of 2007)

References

^ "Muslim Population Growth in Europe Pew Research Center". 2024-07-10. Archived from the original on 2024-07-10.
^ "Мother tongue, religion and ethnic affiliation | ABOUT CENSUS".
^ "Čitaci | Hrvatska enciklopedija".
^ "[Projekat Rastko] Svetlana Radovanovic - Demographic Growth and Ethnodemographic Changes in the Republic of Serbia". www.rastko.rs.
^ https://brill.com/previewpdf/book/edcoll/9789004184763/Bej.9789004184756.i-712_040.xml ^{[bare URL PDF]}
^ "Religious composition of Serbia 2011".
^ "Претрага дисеминационе базе". data.stat.gov.rs. Retrieved 2023-06-20.
^ "Zilkić ponovo izabran" (in Serbian). Radio Television of Serbia. 13 February 2010. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
^ "Reakcije na fetvu protiv reisa IZ Srbije" (in Bosnian). Al Jazeera Balkans. 14 November 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
^ "Islamska zajednica Srbije: Sead Nasufović novi reis-l-ulema". www.novosti.rs (in Serbian (Latin script)). Retrieved 2020-05-19.
^ "POSLE OSAM GODINA SUKOBA Zilkić pozvao Dudića da se ujedine u jednu Islamsku zajednicu" (in Serbian). Blic. 22 March 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2017.

External links

[1] "Muslim Population Growth in Europe Pew Research Center". 2024-07-10. Archived from the original on 2024-07-10.

[2] "Мother tongue, religion and ethnic affiliation | ABOUT CENSUS".

[3] "Čitaci | Hrvatska enciklopedija".

[4] "[Projekat Rastko] Svetlana Radovanovic - Demographic Growth and Ethnodemographic Changes in the Republic of Serbia". www.rastko.rs.

[5] ttps://brill.com/previewpdf/book/edcoll/9789004184763/Bej.9789004184756.i-712_040.xml ^{[bare URL PDF]}

[6] "Religious composition of Serbia 2011".

[7] "Претрага дисеминационе базе". data.stat.gov.rs. Retrieved 2023-06-20.

[8] "Zilkić ponovo izabran" (in Serbian). Radio Television of Serbia. 13 February 2010. Retrieved 16 February 2014.

[9] "Reakcije na fetvu protiv reisa IZ Srbije" (in Bosnian). Al Jazeera Balkans. 14 November 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2014.

[10] "Islamska zajednica Srbije: Sead Nasufović novi reis-l-ulema". www.novosti.rs (in Serbian (Latin script)). Retrieved 2020-05-19.

[zilkic-dudic-11] "POSLE OSAM GODINA SUKOBA Zilkić pozvao Dudića da se ujedine u jednu Islamsku zajednicu" (in Serbian). Blic. 22 March 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2017.

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