Islam in Serbia - History

History

Islam arrived to the Balkans with the advancement of the Ottoman Empire.

Muslims of Serbia are of various ethnic backgrounds:

• Bosniaks and Muslims by nationality, mostly living in the Sandžak region, are South Slavs who converted to Islam during Ottoman administration.
• Albanians, a major part of the pre-Ottoman Catholic and Orthodox Christian inhabitants of what is now Albania and part of Kosovo were converted into Islam in the 17th and 18th century.
• The Slavic Gorani, who originating from southern Kosovo, were Christians before and were converted in the 18th, and particularly 19th century.
• Albanian speaking Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians who originating from Kosovo are Muslims, some Serbian speaking Roma are also Muslims (often tracing their previous settlement to Macedonia or Bosnia).

Historically, sizable number of Serbs converted to Islam during Ottoman administration.

Serbia has two rival Islamic communities, one based in Belgrade and the other in the mainly Bosniak Muslim southwest Sandžak region. The split between Muslim communities in Serbia dates back to 2007. The Islamic Community in Serbia, based in Novi Pazar, the biggest town in Sandžak, looks to neighbouring Bosnia for spiritual guidance and is led by Muamer Zukorlić. The Islamic Community of Serbia, based in Belgrade, is led by Adem Zilkić.