Mustafa Hilmi Hadžiomerović (1816 – 10 February 1895) was a Bosnian Muslim

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

ic cleric who served as the first Grand Mufti of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1882 to 1893.

Biography

Born in Kulen Vakuf in 1816, Hadžiomerović received his basic religious and general education in his birth town. He later studied at a high school in Prijedor, before attending the Gazi Husrev Bey's Madrasa 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 ...

. In 1837, Hadžiomerović went to the Ottoman capital

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

to study at a

Madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , ), sometimes Romanization of Arabic, romanized as madrasah or madrassa, is the Arabic word for any Educational institution, type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whet ...

there for 15 years. He then returned to Bosnia to work in Bosanski Novi and was then posted to the Kuršumli Madrasa in

as a schoolteacher. A year later, he was appointed imam at the Arebi-Atik

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

. In 1856, Hadžiomerović was appointed Mufti of

, but he continued his teaching duties, giving lectures until 1888. Following the Austro-Hungarian occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1878, he made public appeals for peace and calm. On 17 October 1882, the Austro-Hungarian authorities appointed him ''Reis-l-ulema'' in order to gradually separate Bosnia from Ottoman authority. Hadžiomerović officially took over the position on 15 December 1882. He issued a number of Fatwa, encouraging the Bosnian Muslim population to stay (over 100,000 emigrated to Turkey during the 1880s) and collaborate, and also to serve in the Bosnian-Herzegovinian Infantry.Fikret Karčić, ''The Bosniaks and the Challenges of Modernity: Late Ottoman and Hapsburg Times'' (1995), page.120. Exhausted from many years of work, Hadžiomerović resigned as Reis-l-ulema in 1893 and died two years later on 10 February 1895.

References

Literature

*Noel Malcolm, ''Bosnia: A Short History'', 1994 *Fikret Karčić, ''The Bosniaks and the Challenges of Modernity: Late Ottoman and Hapsburg Times'' (1995) , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Mustafa Hilmi Hadziomerovic 1816 births 1895 deaths Bosniaks of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Sunni Muslims Grand Muftis of Bosnia and Herzegovina