The Multiple Voices of Bulgaria’s Unofficial Islamic Leaders

Abstract

Islamic religiosity in Bulgaria has taken root at the intersection of globalization, newly won religious freedoms, and Islamophobic nationalism. An Islamic piety movement among Bulgarian Muslims (Pomaks)¹ is attracting believers who seek a new kind of Islamic knowledge, distinct from official religion or the folk Islam passed down by their elders. While leaders of this movement have been repeatedly accused of fomenting radical views, their goal is not to create a Bulgarian caliphate ruled by Sharia law, or to ‘convert’ masses of Muslims to what is called locally ‘radical Islam’ (political/violent Islam). Rather, their aim is for Bulgarian Muslims to develop and refine personal habits of belief and practice — to actively renew and reconstruct their relationship with Islam. The result is a new practice of faith that emphasizes personal choice, independence from centralized or traditional hierarchies, and horizontal transmission through self-organized social networks (see Introduction). This ‘new Islam’ is not without controversy, however — both inside and outside the communities.