Ulema Medzlis Records In Bosnia: A Historical Resource For Studies In Religious Education

This paper, based on the importance of using archive resources in religious education studies, focuses on the documents related to different fields of religious education found in Ulema Medzlis Archive which is still preserved in Sarajevo-Gazi Husrev Begova Library today. Even though Ulema Medzlis Archive as the main resource of the highest Muslim religious authority in administrating and executing religious affairs contains very important information about Bosnian Muslims during Austro-Hungarian Rule, it has not been touched on in any academic work yet. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to fill such a void by introducing this substantial archive material to the researchers of different fields as well as to put forward author s views of how this archive material can be used to understand general concepts and forms of religious education at that time. Organized in four chapters, this paper initially offers an overview of the occupation of Bosnia- Herzegovina by Austro-Hungarians and then elaborates in detail on the establishment of Ulema Medzlis and its field of activity. After exploring the general features of Ulema Medzlis Archive, the document groups related to religious education are presented. Finally, based on some samples from the archive, the potential use of the archive material for studies in religious education will be evaluated.