| Submit your comments on this article |
| Europe |
| Bosnian Muslims mark 600 years of Islam in Bosnia |
| 2007-07-28 |
| Bosnian Muslims celebrate 600 years of Islam in their nation Saturday with a concert of spiritual music, a prayer for peace, and a gentle reminder to Europe: not all of the continent's Muslims are of immigrant origin. "Recently we have noticed that Europe is obsessed by the immigrant Muslims from the East,'' said Mustafa Ceric, head of the Bosnia Islamic Community, the official institution of Bosnia's Muslims. "This is an opportunity to remind that there are indigenous Muslims in Europe.'' "By celebrating 600 years of Islam here we want to naturalize Islam in Europe,'' he said, adding that Bosnia's Muslims have illustrated how Islam can be harmonized with a European way of life. Sarajevo is a good place to send a message of peace, since the last century started and ended with a with a war in Sarajevo, Ceric said. The Bosnia Islamic Community is now seeking to impose itself as a model for several million European Muslims who have no organized authority to guide them. It believes that a lack of organized structure for Europe's Muslims leaves them at the mercy of sometimes dubious imams who often preach radicalization. "We live in a global world so we Muslims should be aware that global security is our interest,'' Ceric said. Ceric said that while he understood complaints by Muslims about being rejected in Europe, Muslims also need to make efforts to fit in. "Europe is not yet ready to accept Muslims the way they deserve but unfortunately, the Muslims are also not living up to their responsibilities in Europe,'' he said. "I think the Muslims are highlighting their presence in Europe in the wrong way.'' That's why the Bosnia Islamic Community has been campaigning for the establishment of a Europe-wide organization for Muslims that would control what is being taught in Islamic schools and mosques. "I think we Muslims have no choice but to work for our presence in Europe and to show that we are ready to accept the values of human rights, democracy, transparency, accountability, the rule of law and all those values that are also Islamic values,'' he said. |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #5 Still don't understand why Clinton felt it necessary for us to intervene in the Balkans Cause he couldn't get enough public support for nuking Israel? |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2007-07-28 23:03 |
| #4 Still don't understand why Clinton felt it necessary for us to intervene in the Balkans. |
| Posted by: RWV 2007-07-28 19:17 |
| #3 Or, 450 years of occupation. |
| Posted by: mrp 2007-07-28 17:47 |
| #2 the last century started and ended with a with a war in Sarajevo Yep. Just ask the Serbs about their experiences with the Religion of Peace. |
| Posted by: Abu Uluque6305 2007-07-28 13:37 |
| #1 Thank you for murdering our distant ancestors, raping their wives and destroying our national culture. If they were ready to accept EU 'human rights' then they would allow Christian churches to renovate; they don't. |
| Posted by: McZoid 2007-07-28 11:38 |