Mufti Iusuf Muurat

Muurat Iusuf is currently the Mufti – the spiritual leader of the Muslim Community in Romania. He was born on August 18, 1977 in Medgidia, Constanța. He began studying in Romania, but in order to study Islamic theology he continued his education in Turkey starting in 1991. Mr. Iusuf graduated from Edirne Theological High School in 1994 and then he took TÖMER classes for a year to perfect his Turkish.

In 1995 he was admitted to the 19 Mayıs Faculty of Islamic Theology in Samsun, from which he graduated in 2000. In the same year he returned to Romania and became a teacher of Islamic religion at Constantin Brâncuși School of Medgidia. Afterwards he held classes at Mircea cel Bătrân High School, Traian High School and Ovidius High School in Constanța.

From 2000 to 2001 Muurat Iusuf was a consultant on the translation of the book Derviș Dede’nin Dilinden Iman Esasları. In 2000 he became a religious counselor within the Muftiate of the Muslim Community of Romania, holding the position until being elected to his present office.

In 2001 he became a member of the national commission charged with publishing syllabi for theology courses. He continued with his theological studies at the Faculty of Theology of the Valahia University from Târgoviște obtaining a master’s degree with the dissertation thesis entitled The Juridical Islamic and Christian Ethos in Dobrogea.

Muurat Iusuf has also obtained a doctoral degree in Canon Law at the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of Ovidius University from Constanța with the doctoral thesis named Human Rights according to Islamic Law and Canon Law.

He hosted and participated in many conferences with the following topics: Islam and Science, Tolerance in Islam, The Need for Religion in Society, Religion and Democracy, Muslims in Romania: Past, Present and Future. He has published articles in Günışığı Gazetesi, a local Turkish newspaper and in Kardelen, a monthly Turkish magazine.

He speaks Romanian, Turkish, English and Arabic.

Muurat Iusuf is at his fourth mandate as mufti. First time he was elected in 2005, then in 2010, in 2015 and, respectively, in 2020.