Muslim Gathering Banned in Serbia

A gathering of Muslim worshipers planned to welcome Bosnia’s Grand Mufti, Mustafa Ceric, to Serbia, has been banned by Serbian Police, citing safety concerns.

The meeting was supposed to take place in Tutin, southwest Serbia, on Monday.

Media report that the police had been asked by Tutin’s municipal authorities and local assembly to ban the gathering, over concerns about potential violence, in the wake of growing tensions between two religious Muslim factions: the Islamic Community in Serbia, and the Islamic Community of Serbia.

Schools in the area were closed Monday for the same reasons.