Belgrade: Abdullah Numan new Serbian Mufti

At the session of the Supreme Assembly of the Islamic Community of Serbia, Abdullah Numan was appointed as the new Serbian Mufti, the Supreme Assembly of IZS announced today, Serbian B92 reports, citing the Patria news agency.

The current Mufti, Muhamed Jusufspahić, has been relieved of his duties.

At the session held yesterday in Novi Pazar, the entire Riasat of IZS in technical mandate, led by Reis-ul-ulema Adem Zilkić, was relieved of duty due to, as stated in the announcement, "expiration of the mandate and unconstitutional extension of the technical mandate".

Jusufspahić told Beta that a trusteeship, i.e., a new administration, was appointed instead of the dismissed ones, "which should organize legal elections that those who were in technical mandate obstructed".

"Zilkić is no longer the reis and he submitted his resignation, which was accepted. All those who were in technical mandate, including myself as the Serbian Mufti, have been dismissed," said Jusufspahić.

He rejected claims that Zilkić and several other members of the Supreme Assembly of that religious community were not dismissed, as was published on the website considered the official organ of ISZ.

"We cannot tie ISZ to personalities and individuals. There is now a collective administration composed of the Sandžak Mufti Hasib Suljović, the Preševo Mufti Nedžmedin Sćipi, and the Serbian Mufti, and these are legal and legitimate bodies," he said.

The announcement of the Supreme Assembly of ISZ also stated that the acting president of the Supreme Assembly, Sabahudin Obućina, was dismissed for violating the constitution of that religious community, while the Sandžak Mufti Hasib Suljović was appointed as the chairman of the temporary body - the trusteeship.

Muhamed Jusufspahić was unanimously elected President of the Supreme Assembly of IZS, and Mustafa Makić and Granit Kamberi were elected Vice-Presidents, the announcement added. Earlier today, the IZS website denied that Reis Adem Zilkić and several other members of the Supreme Assembly of that religious community had been dismissed.

According to the information on the website considered the official organ of IZS, that meeting "did not have a quorum, and several articles of the constitution" of that religious community were violated during that time, according to the report by Serbian B92.