Abdullah Muhasilović
Encyclopedia
Abdullah Muhasilović was a Bosniak army
chaplain
or Imam
best known for his invovlement in the 13th Waffen-SS
Division "Handschar".
Muhasilović joined the nascent Division early on in the recruitment stage in June 1943 and was quickly appointed senior Imam to the entire Division as he was comparatively the oldest of all the young ulema who signed up. His tasks included supervising the younger imams and serving as spiritual leader of the Divisional headquarters Stabsjäger Kompanie (staff security company).
In July 1943 he and several other Bosnian
Ulema
in the Handschar attended an "Imam Training Course" in Berlin
organised by SS Obergruppenführer
Gottlob Berger
. Zvonimir Bernwald described Abdullah Muhasilović as a "skirt chaser"
Later in 1943, training at Neuhammer, Imam Muhasilović gave an important speech during festivities to mark Bairam: "The world's Muslims are engaged in a terrible life-and-death struggle." He appealed to the men to prepare for conflict with Communism in their "beloved Bosnia".
Abdullah Muhasilović was later judged to be a "complete failure." On 21 October 1944 he led a mutiny at Cerna
: he and over 100 Bosnian men simply walked away with their weapons towards Bosnia. They joined 500 other deserters and surrendered to the Partisan XVIII Croatian Brigade in the Maoča - Rahić area.
His fate after the war is unclear.
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
or Imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
best known for his invovlement in the 13th Waffen-SS
Waffen-SS
The Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside...
Division "Handschar".
Muhasilović joined the nascent Division early on in the recruitment stage in June 1943 and was quickly appointed senior Imam to the entire Division as he was comparatively the oldest of all the young ulema who signed up. His tasks included supervising the younger imams and serving as spiritual leader of the Divisional headquarters Stabsjäger Kompanie (staff security company).
In July 1943 he and several other Bosnian
Bosnians
Bosnians are people who reside in, or come from, Bosnia and Herzegovina. By the modern state definition a Bosnian can be anyone who holds citizenship of the state. This includes, but is not limited to, members of the constituent ethnic groups of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Bosniaks, Bosnian Serbs and...
Ulema
Ulema
Ulama , also spelt ulema, refers to the educated class of Muslim legal scholars engaged in the several fields of Islamic studies. They are best known as the arbiters of shari‘a law...
in the Handschar attended an "Imam Training Course" in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
organised by SS Obergruppenführer
Obergruppenführer
Obergruppenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the SA and until 1942 it was the highest SS rank inferior only to Reichsführer-SS...
Gottlob Berger
Gottlob Berger
Gottlob Berger was a German Nazi who held the rank of Obergruppenführer during World War II and was later convicted of war crimes.In 1939, he was Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler's main recruiting officer...
. Zvonimir Bernwald described Abdullah Muhasilović as a "skirt chaser"
Later in 1943, training at Neuhammer, Imam Muhasilović gave an important speech during festivities to mark Bairam: "The world's Muslims are engaged in a terrible life-and-death struggle." He appealed to the men to prepare for conflict with Communism in their "beloved Bosnia".
Abdullah Muhasilović was later judged to be a "complete failure." On 21 October 1944 he led a mutiny at Cerna
Cerna
Cerna may refer to:Croatia:* Cerna, Vukovar-Syrmia County, a village in Vukovar-Syrmia County, CroatiaRomania:* Cerna River , a river in Romania, tributary of the Danube* Cerna River , a river in Romania, tributary of the Mureş River...
: he and over 100 Bosnian men simply walked away with their weapons towards Bosnia. They joined 500 other deserters and surrendered to the Partisan XVIII Croatian Brigade in the Maoča - Rahić area.
His fate after the war is unclear.
Literature
- Lepre, George, “Himmler’s Bosnian Division; The Waffen-SS Handschar Division 1943-1945” - 1997. ISBN 0-7643-0134-9
- Redzic, Enver, “Muslimansko Autonomastvo I 13. SS Divizija". Sarajevo: Svjetlost, 1987.