Exodus of Muslims from Serbia (1862)
| Exodus of Muslims from Serbia | |
|---|---|
| Part of Persecution of Muslims during the Ottoman contraction | |
Bajrakli Mosque, Belgrade, the only surviving Ottoman mosque in Belgrade | |
| Location | Belgrade, Smederevo, Šabac, Kladovo, Užice, Sokol (Principality of Serbia) |
| Date | 1862 |
| Target | Muslims |
Attack type | Forced migration, ethnic cleansing |
| Victims | 10,000 Muslims (mostly Albanians, Bosniaks, Serb Muslims and Turks) |
| Motive | Islamophobia, Serbianisation |
In 1862, there was a forced migration of 10,000 Muslims from the Serbian cities of Belgrade, Soko, Užice, Šabac, Smederevo and Kladovo, all of them garrison towns. The reason for the forced migration was the Kanlıca Conference, according to which all Muslims living on the territory of the Principality of Serbia had to be evicted. Since the Romani people were exempt from this, some of the Muslims began to call themselves Roma, in order to stay in their hometowns. The majority of the refugees migrated to Bosnia, Vidin and Niš. The exodus changed not only the ethno-religious composition of the Principality of Serbia but also of the Ottoman Empire. The withdrawal of the Muslim civilian population also marked the final withdrawal of the Ottoman garrison from Serbia. Towards the beginning of the Great Eastern Crisis, the number of Muslims in the Serbian Principality had dropped to 6,000.