Rusmir Mahmutćehajić (born 29 June 1948) is a Bosnian author, intellectual, and statesman.

Biography

Mahmutćehajić was born in

Stolac Stolac ( sr-Cyrl, Столац) is an ancient city located in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in the region of Herzegovina. Stolac is one of the oldest cit ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

on 29 June, 1948. He studied

electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems that use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

at the

University of Sarajevo The University of Sarajevo (Bosnian language, Bosnian, Croatian language, Croatian and Serbian language, Serbian: ''Univerzitet u Sarajevu'' / Sveučilište u Sarajevu / Универзитет у Сарајеву) is a List of universities in Bo ...

and graduated in 1973. He continued his studies at the

University of Zagreb The University of Zagreb (, ) is a public university, public research university in Zagreb, Croatia. It is the largest Croatian university and one of the oldest continuously operating universities in Europe. The University of Zagreb and the Unive ...

with a focus on the propagation of

electromagnetic waves In physics, electromagnetic radiation (EMR) is a self-propagating wave of the electromagnetic field that carries momentum and radiant energy through space. It encompasses a broad spectrum, classified by frequency or its inverse, wavelength, ran ...

in multiconductor systems. In 1988, he was a visiting professor at the

Catholic University of Leuven University of Leuven or University of Louvain (; ) may refer to: * Old University of Leuven (1425–1797) * State University of Leuven (1817–1835) * Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) * Katholieke Universiteit Leuven or KU Leuven (1968 ...

for a year and became internationally known as an expert in electrical engineering. From 1985 to 1991, he served as Professor and Dean of Electrical Engineering at the

University of Osijek The Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek (, ), commonly known as the University of Osijek (UNIOS), is a public university based in Osijek, Croatia. Established in 1975, it is the flagship institution of higher education in Slavonia, and ...

in Croatia. He served as the Deputy Prime Minister of the

Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Republika Bosna i Hercegovina, Република Босна и Херцеговина, separator=" / ") was a state in Southeastern Europe, existing from 1992 to 1995. It is the direct lega ...

in 1992 and Energy Minister from 1992 to 1994, during the

Bosnian war The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...

. He was a close associate of

Alija Izetbegović Alija Izetbegović (; 8 August 1925 – 19 October 2003) was a Bosnian politician, Islamic philosophy, Islamic philosopher and author, who in 1992 became the first Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, president of the Presidency ...

. He later parted with Izetbegović and the SDA over the

Dayton Agreement The General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, also known as the Dayton Agreement or the Dayton Accords ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Dejtonski mirovni sporazum, Дејтонски мировни споразум), and colloquially kn ...

. He has served as a professor of electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and Islamic theology at the

since 1995. He lives in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

, where he works as the president of International Forum Bosnia. He is the author of more than 20 works in Bosnian, several of which have been translated to English, French, Italian, and Turkish.

Thought

Mahmutćehajić has been characterized as

pan-Islamist Pan-Islamism () is a political movement which advocates the unity of Muslims under one Islamic country or state – often a caliphate – or an international organization with Islamic principles. Historically, after Ottomanism, which aimed at t ...

. Zoran Milutinović describes Mahmutćehajić as an opponent of rationalism, secularism, liberalism, and modernity, possessing views inspired by

René Guénon René Jean-Marie-Joseph Guénon (15 November 1886 – 7 January 1951), also known as Abdalwahid Yahia (; ), was a French intellectual who remains an influential figure in the domain of metaphysics, having written on topics ranging from esoterici ...

. Mahmutćehajić views Christianity as responsible for the persecution and genocide of Jews and Muslim in Europe and moral degeneration. He has advocated for a society and government based on traditional Islamic values but with tolerance for non-Muslim minorities. He has argued for a vision of Bosnia that is pluralistic and inclusive of racial, ethnic, and religious diversity.

Works

He is the author of more than 20 books and hundreds of essays and articles. His publications include: * 1977 – ''Krhkost'' *1996 – ''Suđeni Stolac'' *2000 – ''Bosnia the Good: Tolerance and Tradition'' *2000 - ''The Denial of Bosnia'' * 2003 - ''Sarajevo Essays: Politics, Ideology, and Tradition'' *2005 - ''Learning from Bosnia: Approaching Tradition'' *2006 - ''The Mosque: the Heart of Submission'' *2007 - ''On Love: In the Muslim Tradition'' *2011 – ''On the Other: A Muslim View'' *2011 - ''Across the River: On the Poetry of

Mak Dizdar Mehmedalija "Mak" Dizdar (17 October 1917 – 14 July 1971) was a Bosnian poet. His poetry combined influences from the Bosnian Christian culture, Islamic mysticism and cultural remains of medieval Bosnia, and especially the stećci. His works ...

'' *2011 - ''Maintaining the Sacred Center: the Bosnian City of Stolac'' *2015 - ''The Praised and the Virgin''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahmutcehajic, Rusmir Living people 1948 births People from Stolac Party of Democratic Action politicians Traditionalist School Muslim scholars of Islam Bosnia and Herzegovina male writers Bosnia and Herzegovina academics University of Sarajevo alumni University of Zagreb alumni University of Osijek alumni