Sulejman Rexhepi

The sudden exit of Sulejman Rexhepi, the long-standing and often provocative head of the country's second largest religious community, has left important questions unanswered.

The leader of the large Muslim community in North Macedonia, most of whom are ethnic Albanians, has been sacked for reasons that have not yet been divulged.

The head of the official Islamic Community of North Macedonia, IVZ, Sulejman Rexhepi, has been warned that he may face criminal charges if he persists with his threat to review the ban on public prayers in mosques.

Tensions that erupted in North Macedonia between two opposing groups of clerics in the official Islamic Community, IVZ, have shown no sign of subsiding after its new self-proclaimed head, backed by a court ruling, on Wednesday said he would seek police aid to enter the headquarters of the IVZ, which he said his rival had "occupied".

Reis Sulejman Rexhepi recently referred to Macedonians as wild people, the website Plus Info is reporting.

"Worshipers block Islamic Community building"

SKOPJE -- A group of some 50 worshipers on Monday blocked the seat of the Islamic Community in Skopje, Macedonian and Albanian language media are reporting.

Previously, reports from the Macedonian capital said that a group of 50 armed persons had seized the building.

Islamic leader's statement causes furore in Macedonia

Analysts and activists caution religious leaders to be careful about their statements on social networks and elsewhere.

IVZ head Sulejman Rexhepi’s post about the Prilep mosque is being criticised. [Facebook/Sulejman Rexhipi]

The mayor of Prilep has acted to calm religious tensions in Macedonia after the head of the Muslim community, Sulejman Rexhepi, wrote on Facebook that Allah would strike him down for his alleged role in the burning of the Charshi-Mosque in Prilep in 2001.