Mustafa Cerić | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Cerić in 2006 | |
| Title | 5thGrand Mufti of Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Personal life | |
| Born | (1952-02-05)5 February 1952 (age 74) |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Al-Azhar University University of Chicago |
| Occupation | World Bosniak Congress(2012–present) |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
| Senior posting | |
| Period in office | April 1993 – 19 November 2012 |
| Predecessor | Jakub Selimoski(asGrand Mufti of Yugoslavia) |
| Successor | Husein Kavazović |
Mustafaef. Cerić (Bosnian pronunciation:[mustafaːtserit͡ɕ], born 5 February 1952) is a Bosnian cleric who served as theGrand Mufti of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1993 to 2012, and is currently president of theWorld Bosniak Congress. In the2014 general election, he ran for a seat in thePresidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina as aBosniak member, but was not elected.
Cerić ensured thatIslam is a strong element ofBosniak nationalism and has argued that Bosnia and Herzegovina should become a Bosniaknation state asCroats andSerbs already have their own nation states, Croatia and Serbia.[1]
Cerić was born on 5 February 1952 inVeliko Čajno, nearVisoko. He graduated from theGazi Husrev-beg Madrasa inSarajevo and received a scholarship toAl-Azhar University inCairo, Egypt. Cerić then returned toYugoslavia, where he became anImam. In 1981, he accepted the position of Imam at the Islamic Cultural Center of Greater Chicago (ICC) inNorthbrook, Illinois and lived in the U.S. for several years.
During his time in the United States, Cerić learned English and earned aPh.D. degree inIslamic Studies at theUniversity of Chicago. After his studies, he left the ICC and returned to Yugoslavia and became an Imam again in a learning center inZagreb in 1987.
Cerić became head of theIslamic Community of Bosnia and Herzegovina in April 1993. He officially became theGrand Mufti of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1999. He was succeded as Grand Mufti on 19 November 2012 byHusein Kavazović. In 2011, Cerić was one of the founders of theBosniak Academy of Sciences and Arts. In December 2012, he was one of the founders of theWorld Bosniak Congress, and serves as its president.
Cerić is one of the signatories ofA Common Word Between Us and You, an open letter byIslamic scholars to Christian leaders, calling for peace and understanding.[citation needed] He is also a member of the Committee of Conscience fighting against the Holocaust denial.[2]
Cerić was the co-recipient of the 2003UNESCOFélix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize[3] and recipient of theInternational Council of Christians and Jews Annual Sternberg Award "for exceptional contribution to interfaith understanding."[4] He also received the 2007 Theodor-Heuss-Stiftung award for his contribution to spreading and strengthening democracy."[5]
In 2007, Cerić was named the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Association of Muslim Social Scientists UK "in recognition of his distinguished contributions to better understanding between Faiths, outstanding scholarship, for promoting a climate of respect and peaceful co-existence, and a wider recognition of the place of faith in Europe and the West."[6]
Cerić was a 2008 recipient of the Eugen Biser Foundation award for his efforts in promoting understanding and peace between Islamic and Christian thought.[7] He accepted the invitation ofTony Blair to be on the advisory council of theTony Blair Faith Foundation in June 2008.[8]
Cerić is fluent in his nativeBosnian,English andArabic, and cites a "passive knowledge" ofTurkish,German andFrench.[9][10][11]
| Religious titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byasGrand Mufti of Yugoslavia | 5thGrand Mufti of Bosnia and Herzegovina 1993–2012 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
