Islam in Serbia


spread to Serbia during the five centuries of Ottoman rule. 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.

Demographics

According to 2011 census, there were 228,658 Muslims in Serbia (3.1% of total population. The census was boycotted by some Bosniaks from the Sandžak region, since Muamer Zukorlic one of the leaders of the Party of Justice and Reconciliation, called upon his followers not to take part in the census. Moreover, the largely Albanian population of Preševo, Bujanovac and Medvedja municipalities boycotted the census, too. Thus, the actual number of Muslims in Serbia is likely to be at least about 50,000 higher. Largest concentration of Muslims in Serbia could be found in the municipalities of Novi Pazar, Tutin and Sjenica in the Sandžak region, and in the municipalities of Preševo and Bujanovac in the Preševo Valley.

Ethnic groups

The municipality of Novi Pazar is home to Serbia's largest Muslim population, with 82,710 Muslims out of 100,410 inhabitants. The municipality of Tutin has the highest share of Muslims in Serbia, with around 94% of its population being Muslim. Sjenica Municipality has also a very large Muslim population, followed by Prijepolje Municipality. Most Albanians, who belong to the Islamic faith, living in Preševo, Bujanovac and Medveđa boycotted the 2011 census, but statistics from the 2002 Census shows that Muslims constitute a majority in those municipalities with 89% and 55%, respectively and in Medveđa they numbered around 29% of the population.
MunicipalityPopulation Number of Muslims%
Novi Pazar100,41082,71082.4%
City of Belgrade1,659,44031,9141.9%
Tutin31,15529,22093.8%
Sjenica26,39220,90679.2%
Prijepolje37,05916,56244.7%
Priboj27,1335,79321.4%
Novi Sad307,7604,6011.5%
Bujanovac 18,0674,13722.9%
Požarevac75,3342,8173.7%
Subotica141,5542,7561.9%
City of Niš260,2372,4861.0%
Smederevo108,2091,6701.5%
Zrenjanin123,3621,3911.1%
Nova Varoš16,6381,3848.3%
Beočin15,7261,3748.7%
Bor48,6151,3382.8%
Pančevo123,4147690.6%
Šabac115,8847600.7%
Loznica79,3277240.9%
Kragujevac179,4176650.4%
Preševo 3,08059319.3%
Medveđa 7,4385817.8%
Kraljevo125,4885320.4%
Mali Zvornik12,4824723.8%
Prokuplje44,4192990.7%
Vršac52,0262530.5%
Kruševac128,7522430.2%
Sremska Mitrovica79,9402400.3%
Mali Iđoš12,0312321.9%
Krupanj17,2952291.3%
Bečej37,3512060.6%
Bač14,4051981.4%
Sombor85,9031930.2%
Serbia 7,186,862222,8283.1%

Organization

Adherents of Islam in Serbia are organized into two separate bodies: the Islamic Community in Serbia 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.
The Islamic Community of Serbia, with seat in Belgrade, is administered by reis-ul-ulema Sead Nasufović. It is divided into:
The Islamic Community in Serbia, with seat in Novi Pazar, is administered by mufti Mevlud Dudić, which include: