Majlis of the Islamic Community (MIZ) Sarajevo organized a round table called “Destroyed Mosques of Sarajevo” in the harem of the Bakr-Baba Mosque in Sarajevo this evening on the occasion of the Day of Mosques, Anadolia reports.
At the round table, Dr. Abdulgafar ef. Velić, chief imam of Majlis Sarajevo, dr. Samed Omerdić, head of the Department for Religious Affairs and Education of the Mufti of Sarajevo, Adnan Muftarević, archaeologist and museum advisor, and Hafiz Emir ef. Uncle, the imam of Bakr-babe’s mosque.
MIZ Sarajevo specifically chose the site of the Bakr-baba mosque to host this round table, given that the mentioned mosque was demolished a hundred years ago.
“After Bakr-baba’s mosque was destroyed, it was turned into a park, At-mejdan, and after that the said park was called Emperor Dušan’s Park during the SHS Kingdom. The fate of other famous Sarajevo mosques on the other side of Miljacka was similar,” said Velić.
He reminded that one of these is the Ćemaluša mosque, which was located near today’s Eternal Fire, a large and representative Sarajevo mosque that was demolished in 1939.
“Tonight we are also talking about the Skender Pasha Mosque, the oldest under-domed mosque in Sarajevo, the demolition of which began between the two world wars, and was completely demolished in 1967. It was not long ago when Sarajevo’s mosques were demolished. 32 mosques were demolished in the narrower city zone alone”, stated the chief imam of the Ministry of Interior Sarajevo.
He pointed out that it was not long ago when Sarajevo’s mosques were demolished, but that enough time has passed that the younger generations do not know that under some central Sarajevo locations or parks there are the remains and foundations of numerous mosques.
“We are certainly talking about the past aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina, when mosques were systematically and systematically demolished and destroyed. Almost all mosques that the aggressor could reach were destroyed. Those he couldn’t reach, he shot at them with artillery. The remaining mosques were also significantly damaged. Numerous mosques in Sarajevo, for example, were heavily damaged during shelling. Gazi Husrev Bey’s mosque was hit by missiles more than 100 times. A similar thing happened with Ferhadija and the Tsar’s mosque. We are talking tonight about mosques in all parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which have been destroyed or damaged. All those mosques are places of our victory,” said Effendi Velić.
Adnan Muftarevic, an archaeologist and museum consultant, pointed out that the Bakr-babe mosque complex is located in a part of Sarajevo that was completely underground after this mosque was demolished.
“This tells us everything about the state of the mosques in Sarajevo, but also in the whole of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and even in the Balkans itself. Many mosques are now standing in their place, thanks to good people and congregations. In many places where the congregations were weak, especially during the time of the Kingdom of SHS and SFRY, mosques failed to be preserved. Such is the case with Muderris Sulejman’s Mosque, Duda Hanum’s Mosque, Shah Didara’s Mosque, as well as numerous other mosques in Sarajevo. We pass by buildings that are in their place, we pass by parking lots and parks that are in their place. Despite everything, I hope that some of them will see the light of day”, Muftarevic said.
By decision of the Rijaset of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, May 7 is marked as the Day of Mosques, which symbolically reminds of the suffering, complete demolition or damage of a large number of mosques, masjids and other waqf buildings during the aggression in BiH from 1992 to 1995.
On the night of May 6-7, 1993, after 414 years of existence, one of the most important mosques in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the famous Banja Luka Ferhadija, was mined and demolished to the ground. Soon after, the mined remains of the mosque were taken to the city dump, and part of it was thrown into the Karanovac lake, which undoubtedly confirmed the planned and systematic activity of the realization of the crime of urbicide.
The army of the RS, supported by forces from Serbia, demolished 534 mosques in BiH, and the extremists of the Croatian Defense Council (HVO) destroyed another 80. More than 80 percent of the 1,144 mosques that existed in Bosnia and Herzegovina before the aggression were destroyed or damaged, announced is the MINA agency.
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