Angry Imams Curse Bulgarian Leadership

Some 100 imams and other Muslims were prevented by the police from blocking a major road in Southwest Bulgaria in protest. Photo by BGNES

The Bulgarian police have prevented about 100 imams from blockading a major in Southwestern Bulgaria in protest against the reinstatement of Nedim Gendzhev as Chief Mufti.

The Muslim priests were faced with about 200 policemen near the town of Simitli, and we unable to stage a full-fledged protest.

“We were thinking of blockading the highway by we have no chance against this police presence. Apparently, we are living in a police state,” declared imam Aydon Mohamed, the head of Muslims in Simitli.

The Mayor of the southern municipality of Garmen Ahmed Bashev, who was investigated for promoting radical Islam back in 2009, also arrived to support the protest.

The police have themselves blocked the major road in order to prevent the protesters from gaining control over it.

The angry Muslim priests cursed the Bulgarian authorities for ruining their protest, and one has even cursed Prime Minister Boyko Borisov to break his leg within 1 month.

The Simili mufti Aydon Mohamed has urged all imams to gather for a national protest in downtown Sofia on July 29 at 11 am. The failed protest rally was ended with a prayer in Arabic.

The Muslim community in Bulgaria has been protested ever since a ruling of the Supreme Court of Cassation from May 12 reinstated Nedim Gendzhev as Chief Mufti.

So far, there have been four peaceful protests. On July 10, the Bulgarian Muslims even demanded a conduction of an emergency Muslim conference, overseen by representatives of the EU member states. The reason for the demand was the reinstatement of Gendzhev as the Muslim religious leader in Bulgaria.

In October 2009, the National Muslim Conference decided to elect Mustafa Ali Hadzhias Chief Mufti. However, Gendzev appealed the Conference's vote and the Bulgarian Supreme Court of Cassations decided to reinstated him as Chief Mufti in May.

The muftis have issued a declaration that Mustafa Ali Hadzhi is the only legally elected Chief Mufti in Bulgaria.

Gendzhev is notorious in Bulgaria over allegations of trading in political influence and Prosecutor's charges of illegally withdrawing huge sums from the accounts of the Chief Mufti Office.

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