Sulejman Ugljanin was born in Mitrovica in the Autonomous Region of Kosovo and Metohija, which was part of the People's Republic of Serbia in the FPR Yugoslavia.

He grew up in somewhat conservative surrounding, as his cousins objected to his father for letting his oldest daughter to attend a high school.

During one of his courses he met his wife Mersija, at the time a clerk for the municipal government in Novi Pazar.

[2] In 1993, when the authorities started arresting those responsible for "endangering territorial integrity of the FR Yugoslavia and unallowed carrying of arms", Ugljanin escaped to Turkey, where he spent three years.

As of the 2000 election, when Slobodan Milošević was overthrown, Ugljanin created a successful cooperation with Vojislav Koštunica and Velimir Ilić, siding in a coalition with them.

During this period, his influence amongst Bosniaks in the Sandžak region became very strong with the approval from the central government in Belgrade, led by Koštunica at the time.

[2] Ugljanin has been described as a supporter and promoter of Greater Albania ideology and an extremist by Serbian government officials.

[3] He was labelled a promoter of fascism[4] because of his involvement in placement of a plaque dedicated to Axis collaborator[5] Aćif Hadžiahmetović accused of massive war crimes against Serbs.