Islam in Montenegro

Islam in Montenegro

Total population
124,668 (2023)
Regions with significant populations
Largest concentrations in the northeastern municipalities Bijelo Polje, Petnjica, Rožaje, Gusinje and Plav and southeastern municipalities Ulcinj, Bar and Tuzi.
Religions
Sunni Islam
Languages
Montenegrin, Bosnian, Albanian and Roma

Islam in Europe
by percentage of country population

95–100%	Azerbaijan
90–95%	Turkey Kosovo
50–70%	Albania Bosnia and Herzegovina Kazakhstan
30–35%	North Macedonia
10–20%	France Georgia Montenegro
5–10%	Austria Bulgaria Sweden Belgium Germany Liechtenstein Netherlands Switzerland United Kingdom Denmark Russia Luxembourg
4–5%	Serbia
2–4%	Italy Norway Malta Slovenia Spain Greece Cyprus
1–2%	Croatia Ireland Ukraine Andorra
< 1%	Iceland Finland Armenia Belarus Czech Republic Estonia Hungary Latvia Lithuania Moldova Monaco Poland Portugal Romania San Marino Slovakia

Islam in Montenegro refers to adherents, communities and religious institutions of Islam in Montenegro. It is the second largest religion in the country, after Christianity. According to the 2011 census, Montenegro's 118,477 Muslims make up 19.11% of the total population. ^[2] Montenegro's Muslims belong mostly to the Sunni branch. In 2023, Montenegro's 124,668 Muslims made up 19.99% of the total population.

History

Husein-paša's Mosque in Pljevlja

In the 15th century the Montenegrin ruler Ivan Crnojević (1465–1490) was at war with the infiltrating Venetians. Unable to maintain war on both fronts, the Ottoman Empire had conquered much of Montenegro's territory and introduced Islam. Ivan's third son Staniša Crnojević was the first prominent Montenegrin of the Muslim faith.

Staniša Crnojević took up the name Skenderbeg Crnojević and ruled from his capital in Shköder from 1513 to 1530. He is well known as one of the most prominent Muslim administrators of Slavic origin in the northern reaches of the Ottoman Empire during the reign of Sultan Selim I. Staniša Crnojević is known to have commanded an army of approximately 3000 Akıncı. He also maintained a correspondence with neighboring contemporaries, such as Gazi Husrev-beg.

Twenty-first century

The Muslims of Montenegro are mostly Bosniaks and Albanians by ethnicity, but also some are declared as ethnic Muslims and Montenegrins. The adherents of Islam in Montenegro can be mostly found in the Sandžak region in northeastern Montenegro and the municipalities of Bar, Tuzi and Ulcinj. Bosniaks have a similar ethnic background to ethnic Muslims, but differ in ideology of what ethnicity they belong to. ^[3] There are 13 established Councils of the Islamic Community in Montenegro, which include Bar, Berane, Bijelo Polje, Dinoša, Gusinje, Ostros, Petnjica, Plav, Pljevlja, Rožaje, Tuzi, Ulcinj and Podgorica. Montenegro has 145 active mosques in the country. ^[4]

Demographics

Adherents of Islam in Montenegro, according to the 2011 census

Main article: Demographic history of Montenegro

According to the 2011 census, there are 118,477 adherents of Islam in Montenegro.

The ethnic composition of Muslims (adherents of Islam) in Montenegro: ^[5]

• 54,453 Bosniaks
• 22,267 Albanians
• 20,270 Muslims (distinctive ethnic group)
• 12,758 Montenegrins
• 5,034 Roma
• 2,003 Egyptians (distinctive ethnic group)
• 256 Muslims/Montenigrins
• 195 Gorani
• 172 Montenigrins/Muslims
• 169 Bosnians
• 101 Turks
• others (under 100 members per community) and ethnically undeclared

Geographical distribution

There are large regional differences in the distribution of the Muslim population. The Rožaje Municipality, for example, is almost exclusively inhabited by adherents of Islam, while there are no Muslims living in the Plužine Municipality.

Municipality	Population (2011 census) [6]	Islam/Muslim (%)
Rožaje Municipality	22,964	94.95
Plav Municipality	13,108	76.64
Ulcinj Municipality	19,921	71.82
Bijelo Polje Municipality	46,051	46.18
Bar Municipality	42,048	30.14
Berane Municipality	33,970	27.97
Pljevlja Municipality	30,786	16.37
Podgorica Municipality	185,937	11.23
Tivat Municipality	14,031	5.10
Budva Municipality	19,218	3.40
Herceg Novi Municipality	30,864	2.01
Kotor Municipality	22,601	1.66
Danilovgrad Municipality	18,472	1.41
Nikšić Municipality	72,443	1.39
Cetinje Municipality	16,657	0.76
Šavnik Municipality	2,070	0.58
Kolašin Municipality	8,380	0.55
Mojkovac Municipality	8,622	0.29
Andrijevica Municipality	5,071	0.16
Žabljak Municipality	3,569	0.14
Plužine Municipality	3,246	0.00
Montenegro	620,029	19.11%

Gallery

• 
  Sultan Murat II mosque in Rožaje
• 
  Kučanska Mosque in Rožaje
• 
  Mosque in Pljevlja
• 
  Sailors' Mosque in Ulcinj

See also

• Islam portal

• Religion in Montenegro
• Islamic Community of Montenegro

Notes

1. Only takes into account the Muslim population of government controlled Cyprus.

References

1. "Muslim Population Growth in Europe Pew Research Center". 2024-07-10. Archived from the original on 2024-07-10.
2. "Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in Montenegro 2011" (PDF). Monstat. pp. 14, 15. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
3. Dimitrova 2001, p. 94-108.
4. "U Crnoj Gori ima više od 140 džamija". RTCG - Radio Televizija Crne Gore - Nacionalni javni servis (in Bosnian). Retrieved 2023-12-06.
5. Statistical Office of Montenegro: Population by ethnicity and religion (2011)
6. Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in Montenegro 2011

Further reading

• Dimitrova, Bohdana (2001). "Bosniak or Muslim? Dilemma of one Nation with two Names" (PDF). Southeast European Politics. 2 (2): 94–108.
• Đečević, Mehmed; Vuković-Ćalasan, Danijela; Knežević, Saša (2017). "Re-designation of Ethnic Muslims as Bosniaks in Montenegro: Local Specificities and Dynamics of This Process". East European Politics and Societies and Cultures. 31 (1): 137–157. doi:10.1177/0888325416678042.
• Kurpejović, Avdul (2018). Ko smo mi Muslimani Crne Gore (PDF). Podgorica: Matica muslimanska Crne Gore.