A report carried on Bosnian TV indicates that a proposal has been submitted by a group including at least one individual linked to the European Muslim Brotherhood to allow Bosnian Grand Mufti Mustafa Ceric to serve in his position until the end of his natural life. The TV reporter heading the program stated:
He came as early as in 1993 and has no intention of leaving the office before the end of his life – this is at least what the proposed new constitution of the Bosnia-Hercegovina Islamic Community says.It seems that only the Speaker of the assembly of the Bosnia-Hercegovina Islamic Community, Edhem Bicakcic, has been officially informed of the proposal published in the Islamic Community paper Preporod mid-last month.
Dr. Ceric has already served in his position for 15 years.
The report goes on to identify Professor Sukrija Ramic as one member of the the group which submitted the proposal. Ramic is described only as a professor of Shariah law at Zenica teachers’ college. However, Sukrija Ramic is also listed as the contact person for the Bosnian member of the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE), the umbrella group for the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe. Since Dr. Ceric is also a leading member of the European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR), a part of FIOE, this raises the possibility that Dr. Ceric and the Brotherhood are actually behind the effort. Several earlier posts have discussed Dr. Ceric’s increased visibility in Europe and his desire to unify European Islam, probably under his direction. As the Bosnian reporter suggests:
… it is obvious that with this proposed Constitution, the individual, embodied in Mustafa Ceric, is trying to position himself above the institutions of the Islamic Community Rijaset [Supreme Council] in order to make up for the lost office of the first European mufti.
(Source: BBC Monitoring International Reports May 28, 2008 Wednesday Bosnian Federation Tv Against Lifelong Term Of Office For Islamic Head Excerpt from report by Bosnia-Hercegovina Federation public TV, on 19 May [Host Bakir Hadziomerovic] Source: Bosnia-Hercegovina Federation TV, Sarajevo, in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian 1800 gmt 19 May 08)