The Office of Islamic Religious Community of Macedonia: A Study From the Socio-Legal Framework

Abstract

Regulatory bodies between the rulers and the ruled have always existed and probably the case will be the same in the future. In this context the religions as faith and the related institutions are referred. Present day Macedonia has been part of this venture, where all the faiths and ultimately religions have gone through certain recognized agencies of the state. Beginning with the Ottoman rule in the region followed by the aftermath of the Ottomans until the dissolution of the Communist rule of Yugoslavia, the religion of Islam in Macedonia and its followers have always been represented by a state organ. Since 1990s the institution that has played the catalyst role between the Government of Macedonia and the followers of the religion of Islam in the country has been distinguishably recognized to be the Islamic Religious Community. Therefore, this work is going to analytically describe the role of this institution as a synergy between the government of Macedonia and the believers of Islam as well as its relations with various other Muslim institutions. After having a brief illustration on the history of Muslim religious representative institution in Macedonia, the focus of the discussion will be on the core issues of the highest Muslim religious institution of the country namely the Islamic Religious Community. As a case study, it will deal with its active role presumably in protecting the rights of Muslims at all levels.

Arab others at European borders: racializing religion and refugees along theBalkan Route

“…In Macedonia, one of the key institutions in streamlining this classification is the official IRCM. Established in 1991, the IRCM is recognized by the state as the sole legitimate representative body of all Muslims living in Macedonia (Idriz and Ali 2015). Like all post-Yugoslav state-sanctioned Islamic Communities, the IRCM too is a descendant of the Islamic Community of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (ICSFRY).…”