Institutionalization of islamic communities after the desintegration of SFR Yugoslavia

Abstract

In this article basic information about Islamic representative institutions in former Yugoslavia region is presented. After disintegration of SFR Yugoslavia and after some new national countries had been created, unique Islamic community in SFR Yugoslavia has been transformed into several autonomous Islamic communities. In this text, author deals with changes of organizational structures of Islamic communities only, and provides a groundwork for further exploration of those changes, being aware that institutional changes are part of one wider process of Balkanic societies transformation, that is ethnical homogenization, revitalization and politization of religion, religization of politics, demographic development, etc. The most complex situation is in Serbia, where the Muslims are organized in several Islamic communities. Mutual legitimacy questioning of the Islamic communities' representative organs represents a great problem in advocating religious rights and interests of the Muslims, and the absence of a unique religious organization hinders their position, to a large extent.