Publication: 1909’dan İtibaren Bulgaristan’daki Müslümanlar’ın Dini Yönetimi
Abstract
1909'DAN İTİBAREN BULGARİSTAN MÜSLÜMANLARININ DİNÎ YÖNETİMİ ÖZET 1877-1878 Osmanlı-Rus Savaşı neticesinde Osmanlı'ya vergi veren özerk bir Prenslik haline gelen Bulgaristan, 1908 yılında tam bağımsızlığını kazanmıştır. Asırlar boyunca bu toprakların sahibi ve yöneticisi durumunda olan Müslümanlar artık yabancı bir ülkenin azınlıkları olmuşlardır. Ancak bu azınlık kısa zamanda toparlanmış ve hayatlarını yeni statülerine göre tanzim etmeye çalışmıştır. XX. yüzyılın başlarında Bulgaristan'da müftülükler, cemaat-ı islamiyeler, vakıflar, mektebler, medreseler, hayır müesseseleri ve basın dahil bütün kurumlarıyla örgütlü bir Müslüman topluluğun meydana geldiğini söylemek mümkündür. 1909-1944 arası dönemde Müslüman azınlığın kurumsal yapısı genel olarak dinî müesseseler etrafında şekillenmiştir. Bu dönemde Bulgaristan Müslümanları'nın dinî yönetim ve müesseseleri ile ilgili kurallarda az çok istikrar sağlanabilmiştir. Müslümanların dinî yönetimi ana hatlarıyla şöyle bir görüntü arzetmektedir: Sofya'da, bütün Müslümanların her yönüyle bağlı olduğu ve geniş yetkilerle donatılmış bir Başmüftü, hemen her bölgede de müftülükler ve müftü vekaletleri bulunmaktadır. Bulgaristan genelinde 16 müftülük ve 25 müftü vekaleti olmuştur. Müftü ve müftü vekillerinin görevleri, Müslüman toplumun dinî ve hukukî meseleleriyle ilgilenmektir. Müslümanların dinî teşkilat yapısı ve bunlarla kazanılan dinî hak ve hürriyetler, 1944 yılına kadar süren Çarlık dönemi boyunca büyük ölçüde korunmuştur. İncelenen dönemde Müslümanların dinî yönetimi, Hariciye ve Din İşleri Bakanlığı'nın denetimi altında Başmüftülük, müftülükler ve müftü vekâletlerince yürütülmüştür. Başmüftü'nün altında müftülükler ve müftü vekaletleri vardır. Bunların sayısı ve yeri siyasi konjonktüre, ekonomik duruma ve ihtiyaçlara göre değişmiştir. 1919 yılına kadar seçimle işbaşına gelen müftüler, bu tarihten sonra Başmüftü'nün önerisi üzerine Hariciye ve Din İşleri Bakanlığı'nca atanmışlardır. THE RELIGIOUS ADMINISTRATION OF THE MUSLIMS IN BULGARIA SINCE 1909 (
) Bulgaria which as a result of the Otoman-Russian war 1877-1878 became an autonomic princedom paying debts to the Ottomans and in 1908 has gained its complete independence. The Muslims who have been for ages the owner and governor of these territories had already become a minority in a foreign country. This minority has recovered in short time and strived to arrange their lives according to the new status. We can say that in the beginning of the 20th century in Bulgaria there was an organized Muslim community which appeared with all its institutions like mufti administration, Islamic councils, foundations, ordinary and religious schools and charitable organizations. In the period between 1909-1944 the Muslim Minority's institutional structure was based on the religious institutions. In this period a significant stability has been achieved in the rules concerning the Muslims' religious administration and institutions. The Muslims religious administration generally had the following structure: a chief mufti in Sofia to whom all Muslims in Bulgaria are linked and is equipped with large authorities. Almost in every region there was a mufti and mufti's proxy. There were 25 muftis and 16 mufti's proxies. The duty of the muftis and the mufti's proxies was to look after the religious and judicial affairs of the Muslim society. The religious organizational structure and the religious rights and liberties gained by it to big extent have been saved in the kingdom period which lasted until 1944. In the investigated period the religious administration has been run by the chief mufti's office, the regional muftis' offices and the mufti's proxies' offices under the supervision of the Ministry of Foreign and Religious Affairs. The number and the places of the regional muftis' and the mufti's proxies' offices which were under the control of the chief mufti had been changing according to the demands and the political and economic situation. Until 1919 the regional muftis have been selected by elections. But after this date they have been appointed by the Ministry of Foreign and Religious Affairs upon the proposal of the chief mufti.
) Bulgaria which as a result of the Otoman-Russian war 1877-1878 became an autonomic princedom paying debts to the Ottomans and in 1908 has gained its complete independence. The Muslims who have been for ages the owner and governor of these territories had already become a minority in a foreign country. This minority has recovered in short time and strived to arrange their lives according to the new status. We can say that in the beginning of the 20th century in Bulgaria there was an organized Muslim community which appeared with all its institutions like mufti administration, Islamic councils, foundations, ordinary and religious schools and charitable organizations. In the period between 1909-1944 the Muslim Minority's institutional structure was based on the religious institutions. In this period a significant stability has been achieved in the rules concerning the Muslims' religious administration and institutions. The Muslims religious administration generally had the following structure: a chief mufti in Sofia to whom all Muslims in Bulgaria are linked and is equipped with large authorities. Almost in every region there was a mufti and mufti's proxy. There were 25 muftis and 16 mufti's proxies. The duty of the muftis and the mufti's proxies was to look after the religious and judicial affairs of the Muslim society. The religious organizational structure and the religious rights and liberties gained by it to big extent have been saved in the kingdom period which lasted until 1944. In the investigated period the religious administration has been run by the chief mufti's office, the regional muftis' offices and the mufti's proxies' offices under the supervision of the Ministry of Foreign and Religious Affairs. The number and the places of the regional muftis' and the mufti's proxies' offices which were under the control of the chief mufti had been changing according to the demands and the political and economic situation. Until 1919 the regional muftis have been selected by elections. But after this date they have been appointed by the Ministry of Foreign and Religious Affairs upon the proposal of the chief mufti.