Who is Muamer Zukorlić

Muamer Zukorlić was one of the most influential and, at the same time, most controversial public figures in Sandžak and Serbia at the turn of the twenty-first century. For three decades he stood at the head of religious life for Bosniaks in this part of the country, and in his final years he also moved into active politics, rising to the position of Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia. Muamer Zukorlić was born in the village of Orlje near Tutin, and died suddenly in 2021 in Novi Pazar, the city that had been the center of his activity for decades.His life was interwoven with religious, educational, and political engagement — from founding the Mešihat of the Islamic Community of Sandžak, through building the International University in Novi Pazar, to founding his own political party. To some he was a symbol of identity and resistance; to others, a controversial leader whose methods and influence drew divided opinion.

Early Life and Childhood

Muamer Zukorlić was born on February 15, 1970, in the village of Orlje, in the municipality of Tutin, into a Bosniak family. He grew up with his parents and two younger brothers in modest circumstances typical of the Sandžak region. According to information the family later made public, Zukorlić's mother came from the Radončić family, said to trace its origins to the Albanian Škreli tribe — though this claim cannot be independently verified from official sources and should be treated with caution.He completed elementary school in his home region, in the village of Ribariće, Tutin municipality. Already in his early youth he chose the path of religious education, a decision that would shape the direction of his entire later life.

Education

Zukorlić received his secondary religious education at the renowned Gazi Husrev-beg Madrasa in Sarajevo, one of the oldest and most respected Islamic educational institutions in the Balkans. After finishing the madrasa, he completed a year of compulsory military service in Gospić and Sveti Rok, in Croatia.He continued his higher education abroad, enrolling in the Faculty of Islamic Studies, Department of Sharia Law, at the Emir Abdelkader University in Constantine, Algeria, where in 1993 he graduated in the philosophy of Islamic jurisprudence (usul al-fiqh). He went on to postgraduate studies in Lebanon, at Al-Jinan University in Tripoli, specializing in Quranic exegesis (tafsir). He later earned a doctorate at the International University in Novi Pazar, an institution he himself had founded. He was fluent in spoken, written, and read Arabic, spoke Turkish, and had a working understanding of English.

Beginning of His Career

Upon returning from Algeria in 1993, Zukorlić immediately threw himself into the religious and social life of Sandžak. He became a teacher at the Gazi Isa-beg Madrasa in Novi Pazar, and soon after, with the backing of Sulejman Ugljanin, then the leading figure among Sandžak's Bosniaks, and his Party of Democratic Action (SDA), he was appointed Mufti of Sandžak. That same year, 1993, the Mešihat of the Islamic Community of Sandžak was founded, with Zukorlić becoming its first president, a position he retained after re-election in 1998 and 2003.During this period, Zukorlić built his own base of influence, independent of the existing political structures, gradually becoming one of the most recognizable voices of Sandžak's Bosniaks. He founded and served as the first editor-in-chief of the newspaper Glas islama, regarded as the official publication of the Islamic Community in Serbia, and he also initiated the founding of the publishing house El Kelimeh and religious classes (maktab instruction) for preschool- and school-age children.

Rise to Prominence

Zukorlić's influence grew rapidly over the course of the 2000s. In 2002 he founded the International University in Novi Pazar and became its first rector, a post he held for many years while also serving as the first dean of its Faculty of Islamic Studies. The university received an operating license but never achieved full accreditation, a point that drew criticism over the years.In 2007, a split occurred within the Islamic Community — the Islamic Community of Serbia was formed, headquartered in Belgrade, while Zukorlić, on March 27 of that same year, was elected president and Grand Mufti of the Islamic Community in Serbia, headquartered in Novi Pazar, a post he was reconfirmed in at elections in July 2008. At the same time, he was also a member of the Riyaset of the Islamic Community of Bosnia and Herzegovina.In 2009, Zukorlić founded the Bosniak Cultural Community, which the following year, in the first direct elections for the National Council of Bosniaks held on June 6, 2010, won the largest individual share of the vote (between 45 and 50 percent), securing him a majority in the Bosniak National Council (BNV). As a longtime religious authority, he openly clashed with the central government in Belgrade, arguing that the rights of Bosniaks in Sandžak were under threat. He was also one of the founders of the Bosniak Academy of Sciences and Arts (BANU), where he was a full member.

Entry into Politics

In 2012, Zukorlić ran for President of Serbia as an independent civic candidate. During the campaign he advocated for women's rights, reconciliation between Muslim communities and Serbia's non-Muslim population, and an end to discrimination against minorities, and he compared himself to Barack Obama. He won 54,492 votes, placing eleventh, after which he alleged electoral irregularities. A year later he joined the Bosniak Democratic Community of Sandžak, which in December 2017 was renamed the Party of Justice and Reconciliation (SPP), with the aim of expanding its activity beyond Sandžak. Zukorlić was elected president of the party.He stepped down as Grand Mufti in 2016 to devote himself to his parliamentary campaign. In the early parliamentary elections held on April 24, 2016, the list he led won 32,526 votes and two seats, and Zukorlić became a member of parliament for the first time. In local elections that same year, he was also elected a councilor in the Novi Pazar City Assembly, a post he held until 2020. In the June 2020 parliamentary elections, his list won 32,170 votes and four seats. That same year, on October 22, 2020, he was elected one of the Deputy Speakers of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, a position he held until his death.

Greatest Achievements

Founding the Mešihat of the Islamic Community of Sandžak in 1993 and leading the Bosniak religious community in the region for decades Founding the International University in Novi Pazar in 2002, along with its Faculty of Islamic Studies Election as president and Grand Mufti of the Islamic Community in Serbia in 2007 Founding the Bosniak Cultural Community and winning the first direct elections for the National Council of Bosniaks in 2010 Founding the Party of Justice and Reconciliation and being elected to parliament multiple times Election as Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia in 2020 Membership in the Bosniak Academy of Sciences and Arts as one of its founders

Political Views and Controversies

Throughout his career, Zukorlić held socially conservative views, opposing gender-equality and anti-discrimination legislation, despite having earlier publicly advocated against discrimination toward minority communities. In 2020, he drew reactions after linking the spread of the virus causing COVID-19 to homosexuality and pride parades, prompting a response from the "Da se zna" association. He advocated a total ban on casinos and betting shops, the fight against organized crime, and the decentralization of Serbia, while at the same time opposing radical nationalism and the assimilation of ethnic communities.His security detail was the subject of media reports alleging that it included individuals who illegally carried weapons or had prior convictions for attempted murder, claims Zukorlić denied. His family, his foundation, and the International University in Novi Pazar, which he co-founded, were also linked in media reports to illegal construction of several buildings in Novi Pazar and Tutin. Politically, during his final years in the Serbian parliament, although he was absent from 695 voting sessions, in every vote in which he did take part he voted in line with the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), whose candidate, Aleksandar Vučić, he also backed in the 2017 presidential election.

Private Life

Muamer Zukorlić was married three times and had eight children in total. His son, Usame Zukorlić, born in 1992 in Constantine, Algeria, succeeded him as head of the Party of Justice and Reconciliation and later became a member of parliament and then Deputy Speaker of Serbia's National Assembly. Usame's mother, Umeja Abu Taha, is of Palestinian origin and was born in Brazil.He died suddenly on November 6, 2021, in Novi Pazar, at the age of 51, after falling ill just before he was due to give a lecture to students at the Faculty of Islamic Studies. A heart attack was unofficially cited as the cause of death at the time. He was buried the following day in his native village of Orlje, near Tutin, and the City of Novi Pazar declared November 7 a day of mourning.In April 2022, his son Usame Zukorlić publicly claimed that the family suspected Muamer Zukorlić had been poisoned, either through food or heavy metals, based on private laboratory findings whose origin he did not specify. At the family's request and by order of the High Court, an exhumation and autopsy of his remains were carried out in May 2022, involving forensic experts from Belgrade, Sarajevo, and Hamburg. According to information the Novi Pazar prosecutor's office gave to the media, the autopsy findings showed that death had occurred from natural causes, meaning the family's suspicion of poisoning was not officially confirmed.

Trivia

He was a candidate for Reis-ul-ulema of the Islamic Community of Bosnia and Herzegovina, losing the election to Husein ef. Kavazović. During his 2012 presidential campaign, he publicly compared himself to Barack Obama. He founded Sandžak's first Islamic newspaper, Glas islama. His son Usame carried on the family's political line, taking over leadership of the Party of Justice and Reconciliation after his father's death.

Awards and Recognition

Zukorlić was one of the founders and a full member of the Bosniak Academy of Sciences and Arts (BANU), an academic institution dedicated to fostering Bosniak scholarship, culture, and art. No further official state or international honors have been publicly confirmed from reliable sources.

Legacy and Influence

Muamer Zukorlić left a deep mark on the religious, educational, and political life of Sandžak. The institutions he founded — the Mešihat of the Islamic Community in Serbia, the International University in Novi Pazar, and the Party of Justice and Reconciliation — continued to exist after his death, with his son Usame Zukorlić taking over leadership of the party and continuing the family's political engagement. To part of the public, he remains a symbol of the struggle for Bosniak identity and rights in Serbia, while critics viewed him as a leader whose religious activity was closely intertwined with political and business interests.

Biography — Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Muamer Zukorlić? Muamer Zukorlić was a mufti and president of the Islamic Community in Serbia, founder of the International University in Novi Pazar, and later a member of parliament and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia.When and where was Muamer Zukorlić born? He was born on February 15, 1970, in the village of Orlje, near Tutin.When and how did Muamer Zukorlić die? He died suddenly on November 6, 2021, in Novi Pazar, after falling ill shortly before he was due to lecture students. A heart attack was unofficially cited as the cause of death, and a later autopsy confirmed death by natural causes.Was Muamer Zukorlić poisoned? In 2022, his family publicly raised the suspicion that he had been poisoned, but the official autopsy findings, according to statements from the Novi Pazar prosecutor's office, showed that death occurred from natural causes.Where did Muamer Zukorlić study? He studied Islamic sciences and the philosophy of Sharia law at the Emir Abdelkader University in Constantine, Algeria, and pursued postgraduate studies in Tripoli, Lebanon.What role did he hold in the Islamic Community? He was president of the Mešihat of the Islamic Community of Sandžak from 1993, and, from 2007, president and Grand Mufti of the Islamic Community in Serbia.Which university did Muamer Zukorlić found? He founded the International University in Novi Pazar in 2002 and served as its first rector.Which political party did he lead? He was president of the Party of Justice and Reconciliation (SPP), which he led from 2017 until his death.How many children did Muamer Zukorlić have? He had eight children from three marriages, among them Usame Zukorlić, who carried on his political engagement.What position did he hold in Serbia's National Assembly? He was a member of parliament from 2016, and from October 22, 2020, until his death, he served as one of the Deputy Speakers of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia.

Conclusion

Muamer Zukorlić stands as one of the most significant, and at the same time most contested, figures of recent public life in Sandžak and Serbia. From a modest boy from the village of Orlje, through religious education in Sarajevo, Algeria, and Lebanon, he built the paths along which he guided the religious and political fortunes of the Bosniak community in Sandžak for three decades — by founding the Mešihat of the Islamic Community of Sandžak, the International University in Novi Pazar, and, finally, his own political party, with which he rose to the top of Serbia's legislative branch. He died suddenly in 2021, leaving behind the institutions he built and a family that has carried on his political path, while his legacy continues to divide public opinion today.