Nejad Grabus elected grand mufti of Bosnia and Herzegovina — Balkan Insight

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nejad Grabus was elected the 14th Reis ul-Ulema, or grand mufti, of the country’s Islamic Community. He will head the community’s highest religious body for seven years, until 2033.

As Balkan Insight reports, the secret ballot was held at the Gazi Husrev-beg Library in Sarajevo. Grabus received 230 votes. The electoral body consisted of 398 members, and at least 200 votes were needed to win. Had no candidate received an absolute majority, a second round between the two leading candidates would have been held.

Plans of the new community leader

After his election, Grabus said that the Islamic Community must continue to develop and respond to the challenges of the times. He assured that it would “always stand for good and oppose everything that harms us and society as a whole.”

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During the campaign, Grabus advocated for an autonomous, institutionally strong and effective Islamic Community. Among his proposals were a formal agreement between the community and the state, modernization of religious instruction, more stable funding for returnee communities, and a broader role for women.

Experience and start of mandate

Grabus has been the mufti of Sarajevo since 2021. He will replace Husein Kavazovic, who has held the post since 2012, and will begin his duties on November 15. Kavazovic congratulated his successor and said that new times would require new steps from the community.

Nejad Grabus was born in 1968 near Travnik and earned a doctoral degree at the Faculty of Islamic Sciences in Sarajevo. From 2006 to 2021, he was the mufti of Ljubljana and head of the Islamic Community of Slovenia, where he oversaw the Muslim Cultural Centre in Ljubljana.