"Not only is that possible, but it is necessary. Europe must realise that a process of institutionalisation of Islam must be opened," Mustafa Ceric said in an interview with the Sarajevo daily "Dnevni avaz" on Monday on the occasion of the Muslim holiday of Kurban Bairam.
Some of the Bosnian media have described Ceric as a person who would like to see himself as head of Europe's Muslims. Last month he presented a document entitled "Declaration of European Muslims", which he wrote and which mentioned for the first time the idea of institutional association of Muslims in Europe. On that occasion Ceric said he was very pleased with reactions to the document.
"We do not labour under the illusion that we have all the solutions Europe needs to regulate the status of Muslims in it, but we do believe we can help Europe, which is why we wrote the proposed Declaration as our right to participate in the building of a new and safer Europe," Ceric said.
He said it was now quite clear that Muslims in Europe no longer had only economic interests, but also the need for spiritual and cultural life, particularly younger generations.
"Europe must realise that European Muslims must have their spiritual teachers who will nurture the souls of young European Muslims, who will not be looked upon as a threat, but as the spiritual and cultural wealth of Europe," Ceric said.
The head of the Islamic community in Bosnia concluded by saying that opening a process of institutionalisation of Islam was the best way for Europe to free itself from the fear of "political Islam".