Violence within Serbia's Muslim Community in Sandzak

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BELGRADE 001392

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM SR KV BK
SUBJECT: Violence within Serbia's Muslim Community in Sandzak

SUMMARY
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1. (SBU) Serbia's non-Albanian Islamic community in the Sandzak,
split along political and party lines, dramatically and repeatedly
clashed in Novi Pazar, the week of October 1. The series of
disturbances began with Belgrade's attempt to oust Serbia's chief
Islamic religious leader, followed with brawling in a mosque, and
culminated with an attack by a masked man at a television station.
All of this occurred, perhaps coincidentally on the eve of the
Ambassador's planned October 9 Iftar dinner in Novi Pazar, the
capital of the Sandzak (septel). The conflict involves politics,
economics, money, land and very little religion. And the story's
not over yet with the new Belgrade-anointed Mufti due to participate
in a public investiture ceremony on October 11. The Sandzak remains
one of Serbia's multiple flashpoints, where political forces can and
do cause violent confrontations at will. End Summary.

Mufti Wars
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2. (SBU) In a move allegedly orchestrated in Belgrade,
approximately 20 imams from Serbia's Sandzak region on October 3
elected Imam Adem Zilkic their chief religious leader, or Reis. The
election ousted Serbia's Chief Mufti, Muamer Zukorlic, who was out
of the country at the time. The election also challenged the
authority of the traditional head of the Islamic community in the
former Yugoslavia, Sarajevo-based Reis-ul-Ulema Mustafa Ef. Ceric.
Whereas the rift was an obvious Belgrade orchestration, it more
closely reflects the rift between Sandzak's dominant political
figures and parties, the Sarajevo-based Democratic Action Party
(SDA),headed by Novi Pazar Mayor Suleyman Ugljanin and its now
hostile off-shoot, the Sandzak Democratic Party, led by Minister of
Social and Labor Affairs Rasim Ljajic.

Parties Clash
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3. (SBU) Zukorlic's followers publicly rejected the apparently
fraudulent nature of the election and on October 6 incident, in the
town of Prijepole, they attempted to oust local imams with ties to
the Belgrade Muslim community. Police intervened, making several
arrest and confiscating weapons. On October 6 police entered a
mosque in Sjenica, near Novi Pazar, and using cattle prods, broke up
a brawl that ensued when Zukorlic's supporters allegedly disrupted a
service that a Zilkic imam had been officiating. On October 7, an
armed, masked man entered two separate Novi Pazar TV stations during
a broadcast of an interview with Zilkic. In one, he destroyed
equipment and injured an employee before fleeing. The night of
October 10, someone returned to the previously undamaged station and
poured gasoline on the floor starting a fire that cut television
broadcasts to Novi Pazar. Ahead, a planned public celebration of
the new Mufti's investiture as Reis on October 11, could easily
spark confrontation.


4. (SBU) Zukorlic, who continues to claim his title and authority,
explained his version of the recent events to the Ambassador on
October 9, on the eve of the Ambassador-hosted Iftar in Novi Pazar.
He said he believed national security forces had orchestrated his
removal. Sandzak imams, echoing their leader, told emboffs that
they believed Serbia's security forces might have been involved and
that Belgrade's Mufti Jusufspahic certainly was.


5. (SBU) The conflict is based on political lines, each faction
aligning with a different home-grown political champion. Zukorlic's
supporters line up behind Labor Minister Rasim Ljajic and Zilkic's
line up behind Novi Pazar Mayor Sulejman Ugljanin. Ugljanin
supports greater autonomy for the Sandzak region, yet maintains
close ties with Belgrade cleric Jusufspahic. Ljajic's Sandzak
Democratic Party (SDP) calls for greater participation of "Bosniaks"
in Serbian institutions, democratization, and development of civil
society.


6. (SBU) The fight is likely also about money and land. Sandzak's
140,000 Muslims represent over 60% of the local population. They
are active in all aspects of Sandzak political, economic, academic,
and business life, and the religious leader of this community yields
significant power. Zukorlic, for example, is rector of a secular
university and is involved in planning for the economic development
of the region. The rijasat's (Islamic civic foundation under
control of the reis) claim to potentially vast holdings of property,
once Serbia undertakes restititution of communal property, also is
very much at stake.

Comment
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7. (U) The Sandzak remains a flashpoint and a prize for warring
political interests. Politicians and parties will continue to
manipulate religion to position themselves as claimants to the vast
lands and enterprises that once belonged to the Islamic community of
Sandzak. As December 10 and its aftermath draw nearer, Sandzak

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remains at risk of being drawn into whatever violence may ensue.
End Comment.

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