SARAJEVO, JULY 6 (ONASA) – Sinan Bey’s mosque in Čajniče, which was mined and completely demolished in 1992 along with all the other buildings that made up the construction of the mosque, will be ceremonially opened on July 12 this year, starting at 12:00, reports MINA.
As Avdo-ef stated for the MINA Agency. Šišić, the chief imam of the Mejlis of the Islamic Community of Čajnič, for them the opening of the mosque in Čajnič represents “the victory of good over evil, truth over error, and above all a kind of personal victory for every Bosniak from Čajnič who is connected to this congregation and this particular mosque”.
“I have noticed, ever since the month of Ramadan when we organized the worship of the first Tarawih right in Sinan Bey’s mosque, great joy among the congregation, great joy. For us, this is one of those historical moments, which will remain engraved in our memories and which we will be happy to talk about as long as we live. “Everyone is of the opinion, including our congregation and our fellow citizens of the Orthodox faith, that this building gives a special charm and beauty to the whole bazaar,” he said.
Accordingly, the motto of the opening ceremony of the mosque is: Allah is beautiful and loves beauty!
“With these words, I am not at all diminishing the importance, beauty and essentiality of other sights of Čajniče, and the surroundings of Čajniče, of which, thank God, we have quite a few, even though Čajniče is a small bazaar anyway. But Sinan-bey’s mosque is truly a jewel that exudes a special beauty, and believe me, a special dress,” emphasized Šišić.
Referring to the events of the past, he said that “we must not be hostages of the past and we must not be hostages of those policies from the 90s of the last century, which we still have on the scene today”.
“We have to distance ourselves from that, because this is exactly what distances us from each other, the people can and will together, I say that responsibly! Well, here and now we cooperate together, with each other and specifically when it comes to this manifestation and anything else; Namely, on July 12, in addition to the opening of Sinan Bey’s mosque in Čajnič, it is also Saint Peter’s Day. Is it impossible that both Muslims and Orthodox in the same city, on the same day, at the same time celebrate their holidays, celebrations and the like?”, he said.
Apart from the mentioned motto, Šišić added that the goal on this day is to “show that we are there for each other, that we live together, and that we want to share everything together, and what we have in common, which is certainly caring for our neighbors , and what differentiates us, and differences are not a disadvantage but an asset”.
“Also, our Prophet, peace be upon him, emphasized good neighborly relations so much that the Companions said that they thought that the neighbor would be included in the inheritance. On the other hand, the biblical commandment “Love your neighbor”, who does it refer to?! On parents, children?! Is that all? No it’s not! It’s about your neighborhood. Therefore, let’s try to understand these messages properly and act and live accordingly,” emphasized the chief imam.
He invited the faithful to share the joy of this day with them.
“We thank the Lord for this Mubarak! We ask Him to strengthen our steps and strengthen us, to proudly and steadfastly carry the flag of Islam in these areas. Thanks to Allah, who made it possible for me to be at the service in Čajnič, these days when we are opening the ceremonial mosque of Sinan-bey Boljanić. I take the opportunity to thank all those who contributed in any way to rebuilding this beauty, especially the Vakuf Directorate of Turkey, which financed this project. Finally, I use the opportunity to invite our believers to be in Čajnič on July 12 and here, and this is very important, to show calmness and dignity, to follow the instructions of the police, orderlies, not to carry anything that we do not need, except of course, those personal things that we can’t go on a trip without. We ask Allah to make it easy for us and unite us and the good. Amen”, Avdo-ef said in an interview with MINA Agency. Sisic.
The Sinan Bey Mosque was first built in 1570 at the initiative of Sinan Pasha Boljanić, the son-in-law of the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmed Pasha Sokolović, and due to its historical and artistic value, it was included in the World Heritage List as a first-category monument.
Throughout history, it has experienced the fate of other mosques in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the last time it was completely demolished was on June 8, 1992.
Its renovation began shortly after the foundation stone was laid in 2016, and the funds were provided by the Waqf Directorate of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina through the General Directorate of Waqfs of the Republic of Turkey. (end)