Hodja

Hodja is a title used in Islamic communities to designate a religious teacher or scholar. The term derives from Persian khodja and entered Turkish as hoca, spreading into South Slavic and Albanian languages in the Ottoman era, where it appeared as hodža in Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian, as well as hoxha in Albanian. Spelling varies by language: hodža, hodža, hoca, and hoxha.

Historically, hodjas were educated men who taught the Qur’an and Islamic sciences, led prayer services, and advised communities on religious matters. In the Ottoman Empire they often ran madrasas and served as local religious authorities within the millet system, functioning as community leaders and educators across diverse Muslim communities in the Balkans, Anatolia, and adjacent regions.

In modern usage, hodja remains a term for a local Muslim religious teacher or imam in parts of Southeast Europe and the Balkans. In Turkey, the cognate hoca is still widely used for teachers and religious figures. In Albanian and Bosnian contexts, the word also appears as a surname (for example, Hoxha in Albania), reflecting historical association with a teacher or imam.

Related terms include hoca, hodža, and hoxha across languages. The word should not be confused with the Gujarati-Ismaili Khoja, a distinct community that shares a common etymological root but represents a separate social group.