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Muamer Zukorlić (; 15 February 1970 – 6 November 2021) was a Serbian
politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...
and
Islamic theologian Schools of Islamic theology are various Islamic schools and branches in different schools of thought regarding creed. The main schools of Islamic theology include the extant Mu'tazili, Ash'ari, Maturidi, and Athari schools; the extinct ones i ...
who served as the president and chief
Mufti A mufti (; , ) is an Islamic jurist qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion ('' fatwa'') on a point of Islamic law (''sharia''). The act of issuing fatwas is called ''iftāʾ''. Muftis and their ''fatāwa'' have played an important role thro ...
of the Islamic Community in Serbia. An ethnic Bosniak, he was elected to the
National Assembly of Serbia The National Assembly ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Народна скупштина, Narodna skupština, ), fully the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia (), is the unicameral legislature of Serbia. The assembly is composed of 250 deputies who are ...
in 2016, later serving as one of its vice presidents from 2020 until his death in 2021.


Early life

Zukorlić was born on 15 February 1970 in
Orlje Orlje is a village in the municipality of Tutin, Serbia Tutin ( sr-cyrl, Тутин) is a town and municipality located in the Raška District of southwestern Serbia. According to the 2022 census, the municipality has a population of 33,053 peopl ...
near Tutin,
SFR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...
, where he grew up with his family. He attended primary school in the village of
Ribariće Ribariće ( sr-cyr, Рибариће) is a village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages ...
and the
Gazi Husrev Bey's Madrasa ''JU Gazi Husrev-begova medresa, Sarajevo'' (''Javna ustanova Gazi Husrev-begova medresa u Sarajevu''; ) is a high school and college, a madrasa in Arabic, founded on 8 January 1537 CE and built in Sarajevo as Gazi Husrev-beg's second endowment. I ...
in
Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
. He studied Islamic sciences at the Emir Abdelkader University in
Constantine Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I * Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine g ...
,
Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...
, graduating in 1993. He completed his postgraduate studies in
Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
.


Career


Islamic community

After finishing studies in Algeria, Zukorlić became a professor at the Gazi Isa-beg madrasa in
Novi Pazar Novi Pazar ( sr-cyr, Нови Пазар) is a List of cities in Serbia, city located in the Raška District of southwestern Serbia. As of the 2022 census, the urban area has 71,462 inhabitants, while the city administrative area has 106,720 inha ...
. In October 1993, he was elected as the president of the newly established Islamic Community of Sandžak, a role that he held until early 2016. Zukorlić was later elected in 2007 as the president of the Islamic Community in Serbia and as the chief Mufti. He was also a member of the assembly of the Bosniak National Council and a member of the riyaset of Islamic Community of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was also a lecturer and dean in the Faculty of Islamic Studies in Novi Pazar. Zukorlić was also the founder and editor-in-chief of the first Islamic newspaper in Sandžak, the ''Voice of Islam'', and was one of the initiators to establish the publishing house "El Kelimeh" in Serbia and
Mekteb A kuttab ( ''kuttāb'', plural: ''kataatiib'', ) or maktab () is a type of elementary school in the Muslim world. Though the ''kuttab'' was primarily used for teaching children in reading, writing, grammar, and Islamic studies, such as memorizing ...
for preschool and school age children. During his time as chief Mufti, Zukorlić's bodyguards allegedly included people who illegally carried weapons and those who were convicted of attempted murder, but he denied those statements.


Politics

As a member of the Bosniak National Council, he supported the declaration in which they proclaimed Bosniaks as one of the constituent people in Serbia. After being elected, he said that "the territory of
Sandžak Sandžak (Serbian Cyrillic: ; ) is a historical and geo-political region in the Balkans, located in the southwestern part of Serbia and the eastern part of Montenegro. The Bosnian/ Serbian term ''Sandžak'' derives from the Sanjak of Novi Paza ...
will be free and will never be enslaved". Zukorlić participated in the
2012 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2012 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2012 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *3–4 January: ...
as a candidate representing a civic group. He received support from the
Bosniak Democratic Union of Sandžak The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...
, which he joined a year later. He campaigned on
women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...
issues and reconciliation between Muslim ethnic groups in Serbia and Non-Muslim
Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of Serbia, history, and Serbian lan ...
, he called to end discrimination against minorities, and compared himself to
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
during election campaigning. Zukorlić placed eleventh in the first round, winning 54,492 votes in total. Shortly after the results were published, Zukorlić claimed
electoral fraud Electoral fraud, sometimes referred to as election manipulation, voter fraud, or vote rigging, involves illegal interference with the process of an election, either by increasing the vote share of a favored candidate, depressing the vote share o ...
. In 2013, Zukorlić commented that
Milo Đukanović Milo Đukanović (, ; born 15 February 1962) is a Montenegrin politician who served as the President of Montenegro from 2018 to 2023, previously serving in the role from 1998 to 2002. He also served as the Prime Minister of Montenegro (1991–19 ...
promised autonomy for Bosniaks within
Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...
, but that he went on to break their deal and that therefore his "conscience is not clear". Zukorlić stepped down from his position of chief Mufti in 2016 in order to run in the 2016 parliamentary election. He was chosen as the ballot carrier, and campaigned on reconciliation and his accomplishments as a chief Mufti. The list that he represented won 32,526 votes and managed to win two seats in the National Assembly. Election results also showed that Zukorlić's popularity grew in Sandžak. He supported
Aleksandar Vučić Aleksandar Vučić, (born 5 March 1970) is a Serbian politician serving as President of Serbia since 2017. A founding member of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), he previously served as President of the SNS from 2012 to 2023, Deputy Prim ...
in the 2017 presidential election. Zukorlić held the seat until October 2020, when he was chosen to be one of the vice presidents of the National Assembly. Although he did not attend 695 voting sessions in the National Assembly, he voted 100% in line with the SNS-led government. He held the role of vice president until his death. In 2021, Zukorlić also initially participated in the inter-party dialogue on electoral conditions with delegators from the
European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...
.


Political views

Zukorlić supported peaceful relations with other countries in the Balkans, and campaigned during previous elections on a reconciliation program. In order to combat unequal state development, Zukorlić called for
decentralization Decentralization or decentralisation is the process by which the activities of an organization, particularly those related to planning and decision-making, are distributed or delegated away from a central, authoritative location or group and gi ...
of Serbia. He also called to end organized crime in Serbia. Zukorlić held
socially conservative Social conservatism is a political philosophy and a variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional social structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social institu ...
views and he opposed laws on
gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality, gender egalitarianism, or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making, an ...
and protection against
discrimination Discrimination is the process of making unfair or prejudicial distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong, such as race, gender, age, class, religion, or sex ...
, even though he previously called to end discrimination against minority groups. In 2020, Zukorlić blamed
homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexu ...
and LGBT pride parades for allegedly spreading the virus that causes COVID-19. He opposed radical nationalism and assimilation of ethnic groups. He supported a complete ban on casinos and betting shops.


Personal life

Zukorlić had three wives and eight children. His mother came from the
Radončić Radončić (Cyrillic: Радончић) is a surname found mostly in Montenegro and the Sandžak region of Serbia. In those areas, it is related with the Radončić brotherhood of Old Kuči. The village ''Radona'' with 55 households is attested in ...
family. He was fluent in
Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
. He was a member and one of the founders of the Bosniak Academy of Sciences and Arts, and was an educated
Islamic theologian Schools of Islamic theology are various Islamic schools and branches in different schools of thought regarding creed. The main schools of Islamic theology include the extant Mu'tazili, Ash'ari, Maturidi, and Athari schools; the extinct ones i ...
. His family, foundation, and the International University of Novi Pazar, which he helped co-found, was involved in the illegal construction of multiple buildings in Novi Pazar and Tutin.


Death

Zukorlić died of a
heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
in
Novi Pazar Novi Pazar ( sr-cyr, Нови Пазар) is a List of cities in Serbia, city located in the Raška District of southwestern Serbia. As of the 2022 census, the urban area has 71,462 inhabitants, while the city administrative area has 106,720 inha ...
on 6 November 2021, at the age of 51. He was scheduled to give a lecture at a university that day, but he fell ill immediately before that. A
day of mourning A national day of mourning is a day, or one of several days, marked by mourning and memorial activities observed among the majority of a country's populace. They are designated by the national government. Such days include those marking the deat ...
was proclaimed in Novi Pazar and his funeral was held a day later. On 10 April 2022, Zukorlić's son, Usame, stated at a press conference that his family "has a well-founded suspicion that Muamer Zukorlić was poisoned".


References


External links


Muftija Zukorlić: “Aćif efendija je naš heroj”Muamer Zukorlić , Tema: Muamer Zukorlić
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zukorlic, Muamer 1970 births 2021 deaths 20th-century Muslim theologians 21st-century Muslim theologians Bosniak politicians Bosniaks of Serbia Candidates for President of Serbia Justice and Reconciliation Party politicians People from Tutin, Serbia Serbian people of Bosniak descent Religious leaders in Europe Members of the National Assembly (Serbia)