Macedonian Muslims

The Macedonian Muslims (Macedonian: Македонци-муслимани, Makedonci-muslimani), also known as Muslim Macedonians or Torbeš, (Macedonian: Торбеш) (the latter name is slightly pejorative), and in older sources grouped together with Pomaks, are a minority religious group within the community of ethnic Macedonians who are Muslims (primarily Sunni, although Sufism is widespread among the population). They have been culturally distinct from the majority Orthodox Christian Slavic Macedonian community for centuries, and are linguistically distinct from the larger Muslim ethnic groups in Macedonia: the Albanians and Turks. The Macedonian Muslims are often classed in 5 categories based on their home region. These regions are Gora, Debarska Župa, Drimkol, Golo Brdo and the Reka region.