- Discrimination incidents at Montenegrin beach resorts: Kuwaiti woman doused with alcohol, teen in burkini denied pool access. Concerns arise over tolerance despite region’s history of coexistence.
- About 20% of Montenegro’s population is Muslim; anti-Muslim sentiment surged post-2020 elections; authorities’ responses criticised for leniency and potential overlooking of hate motives.
Within a brief temporal span this month, two consecutive incidents targeting Muslims in religious attire has cast a shadow over Montenegro’s idyllic coastal expanse and its esteemed reputation for religious tolerance.
On August 4, a Kuwaiti woman, adorned in hijab, along with her family, endured an unsettling episode of an alcoholic beverage being cast upon them from a hotel balcony overlooking the medieval walkways of Budva, situated along the Adriatic coastline. Subsequently, just two days later, an unsettling incident emerged near Utjeha Beach, wherein a teenager clad in a burkini, (a more modest swimsuit), was subjected to derision and denied access to a pool. The responsible individual’s retort reverberated his reasons behind the decision: “Because I hate Muslims, and 300 guests object to it.”
Nevertheless, a cadre of Montenegrins refute the occurrence of such incidents within their Balkan enclave’s historical context. Human rights activist Aleskandar Zekovic underscored the prevalence of Islamophobia, particularly rooted in gender-based bias, within Montenegro:
“The attackers’ focus on women’s religious identity, underscores a pattern driven by intolerance for diversity.”
Approximately one-fifth of Montenegro’s population, totalling 620,000, identifies as Muslim, primarily composed of Bosnian-speaking ethnic Bosniaks and Albanians. Bar, a locale synonymous with multifaith harmony, enjoyed acclaim through the 1990s, serving as a tourist hotspot for Muslims both within Europe and beyond. While some attribute the “tradition of coexistence” to a garrulous mufti fostering rapport with Orthodox and Catholic peers over a century ago, others contend this ethos extends even further back.
On a national scale, the aftermath of the 2020 elections witnessed an upsurge in anti-Muslim incidents, paralleling the momentum of Serbian Orthodox activism and the resurgence of Serbian nationalist factions. However, authorities refrained from attributing racial or national motivations to the August episodes, potentially diminishing the gravity of penalties.
In Budva, an 18-year-old Austrian with Serb heritage incurred a 250-euro fine for recklessly dousing the Kuwaiti tourists, contravening strict Islamic alcohol prohibitions. Meanwhile, at Utjeha, a video capturing Dragan Djurovic, a beachfront restaurant owner, denigrating a burkini-clad group, later emerged on social media. Djurovic’s remarks and conduct prompted backlash but also highlighted contrasting stances within the community regarding religious attire in pool areas.
Despite the public outcry, Djurovic’s assertion that guests in hijabs are welcome except in pools due to hygienic and guest opposition reasons was upheld. “Hatred must not be tolerated in any form, and it should have been considered whether there are elements of a criminal offense,” Veselin Radulovic, a lawyer with experience on rights issues, said. “We have elements of hatred across the nation. It should not have been concluded so leniently, with only a misdemeanor.”
