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BUILT ON FAITH AND FRIENDSHIP
By: Choi Tuck Ho
Rising above the quiet neighbourhood in Nova Breka district in Sarajevo, Masjid Malaysia is a living symbol of the friendship between two countries.
WHEN Elvedin Klisura temporarily set aside his religious books and took up arms instead, his only thought were to defend his faith and country.
Like most peace-loving people in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the 30-year-old imam hated the civil war that devastated much of the country between 1992 and 1995.
Twelve years on, Klisura still has vivid memories of the Bosnian War where Sarajevo underwent what was recorded as the longest siege in modern military history.
"I don't like war. Nobody likes it," said the clean-shaven, smart-looking imam who often surfs the internet like any youth his age to keep abreast of the latest developments around the world.
Minus his modest Islamic robes and headgear, he could have been easily mistaken for one of those Blackberry-carrying young executives caught up in the rat race.
Indeed, Klisura is not your run-of-the-mill imam; he's one of the youngest around in Bosnia Herzegovina and looks after the Masjid Malaysia (Malaysia Mosque) in Nova Breka district, which is part of the Sarajevo old town.
Seen as a gentle, soft-spoken religious leader, he is hardly the type you would imagine carrying a machine-gun and battling the enemy on the front line.
Yet that's exactly what Klisura did during the first two years of his service when he fought alongside his comrades before he was pulled back to help restore the faith of the younger soldiers.
"My commander told me to move back and help inspire the soldiers with greater faith in their religion to fight for the country," he recalled.
MASJID MALAYSIA
Klisura admitted he never expected to become a soldier as he was still studying in a "madrassah" (religious school) when the war broke out just before the end of Ramadan in 1992. It came all of sudden; he felt an overwhelming sense of faith and patriotic duty to defend his religion and country and decided to join the army.
Upon reflection, he said, the war had helped to forge greater unity among the ummah (Muslim community) and renewed their faith in their religion.
"But the war is the past, we want to look for future," he said, his eyes glistening with pride as he spoke abouth the RM 1.8mil Masjid Malaysia, which was funded by the Malaysian government.
On Friday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi opened the mosque and joined Malaysian and Bosnian Muslims in performing prayers on the last day of his visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Being the only Malaysian mosque in Sarajevo - there's reportedly another one in in Turbe, Travnik, about 90km from the capital - the building attracted considerable interest from the Malaysian delegation.
Klisura said he felt proud and honoured to have played host to the prime ministers and other Malaysian VIPs during the opening ceremony.
In fact the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (the King of Malaysia) and former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad also visited the mosque last year.
Rising above the quiet neighbourhood, away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre, the mosque, which was completed in 2002, is a living symbol of the friendship and solidarity between the two countries.
"Even the intricately-carved teak wood of the mosque's front door was specially flown in from Malaysia," Klisura said.
HUMAN CAPITAL
And since becoming the mosque's imam in 2004, Klisura has been increasingly drawn towards Malaysia; he visited the country last year and was impressed with the Petronas Twin Towers and KL Tower.
"Your country is very beautiful," he said, adding that many Bosnians now know more about Malaysia after praying in the mosque.
He said the mosque served the over 5,000 Muslim community in the district, with Friday prayers attracting crowds of up to 500.
The mosque also organises religious classes for about 40 children every weekend.
Klisura said he would like to extend his "salam" (greetings) to the people around the world, especially to Malaysians, and to thank them for what they had done to help the Bosnians.
And the imam is not alone in expressing his gratitude to Malaysia; his countryman Amel Kovacevic is equally thankful for the opportunity given to Bosnians to pursue their higher education in Malaysia.
"That (opportunity) is the biggest and the most significant direct foreign investment given to us," said Kovacevic, who is president of Malaysia's International Islamic University, alumni chapter of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Unlike one-off investments in construction projects, he said, those placed in human capital and resources development would benefit many generations to come.
To further illustrate his point, he said most of the alumni's 186 members had returned home and become successful professionals, including bank executives and financial investors.
Undoubtedly, the alumni can consider themselves as the bridge between the two nations, not just culturally and acedamically but also economically.
Source:
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/6/24/focus/18107563&sec=focus
By: Choi Tuck Ho
Rising above the quiet neighbourhood in Nova Breka district in Sarajevo, Masjid Malaysia is a living symbol of the friendship between two countries.
WHEN Elvedin Klisura temporarily set aside his religious books and took up arms instead, his only thought were to defend his faith and country.
Like most peace-loving people in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the 30-year-old imam hated the civil war that devastated much of the country between 1992 and 1995.
Twelve years on, Klisura still has vivid memories of the Bosnian War where Sarajevo underwent what was recorded as the longest siege in modern military history.
"I don't like war. Nobody likes it," said the clean-shaven, smart-looking imam who often surfs the internet like any youth his age to keep abreast of the latest developments around the world.
Minus his modest Islamic robes and headgear, he could have been easily mistaken for one of those Blackberry-carrying young executives caught up in the rat race.
Indeed, Klisura is not your run-of-the-mill imam; he's one of the youngest around in Bosnia Herzegovina and looks after the Masjid Malaysia (Malaysia Mosque) in Nova Breka district, which is part of the Sarajevo old town.
Seen as a gentle, soft-spoken religious leader, he is hardly the type you would imagine carrying a machine-gun and battling the enemy on the front line.
Yet that's exactly what Klisura did during the first two years of his service when he fought alongside his comrades before he was pulled back to help restore the faith of the younger soldiers.
"My commander told me to move back and help inspire the soldiers with greater faith in their religion to fight for the country," he recalled.
MASJID MALAYSIA
Klisura admitted he never expected to become a soldier as he was still studying in a "madrassah" (religious school) when the war broke out just before the end of Ramadan in 1992. It came all of sudden; he felt an overwhelming sense of faith and patriotic duty to defend his religion and country and decided to join the army.
Upon reflection, he said, the war had helped to forge greater unity among the ummah (Muslim community) and renewed their faith in their religion.
"But the war is the past, we want to look for future," he said, his eyes glistening with pride as he spoke abouth the RM 1.8mil Masjid Malaysia, which was funded by the Malaysian government.
On Friday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi opened the mosque and joined Malaysian and Bosnian Muslims in performing prayers on the last day of his visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Being the only Malaysian mosque in Sarajevo - there's reportedly another one in in Turbe, Travnik, about 90km from the capital - the building attracted considerable interest from the Malaysian delegation.
Klisura said he felt proud and honoured to have played host to the prime ministers and other Malaysian VIPs during the opening ceremony.
In fact the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (the King of Malaysia) and former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad also visited the mosque last year.
Rising above the quiet neighbourhood, away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre, the mosque, which was completed in 2002, is a living symbol of the friendship and solidarity between the two countries.
"Even the intricately-carved teak wood of the mosque's front door was specially flown in from Malaysia," Klisura said.
HUMAN CAPITAL
And since becoming the mosque's imam in 2004, Klisura has been increasingly drawn towards Malaysia; he visited the country last year and was impressed with the Petronas Twin Towers and KL Tower.
"Your country is very beautiful," he said, adding that many Bosnians now know more about Malaysia after praying in the mosque.
He said the mosque served the over 5,000 Muslim community in the district, with Friday prayers attracting crowds of up to 500.
The mosque also organises religious classes for about 40 children every weekend.
Klisura said he would like to extend his "salam" (greetings) to the people around the world, especially to Malaysians, and to thank them for what they had done to help the Bosnians.
And the imam is not alone in expressing his gratitude to Malaysia; his countryman Amel Kovacevic is equally thankful for the opportunity given to Bosnians to pursue their higher education in Malaysia.
"That (opportunity) is the biggest and the most significant direct foreign investment given to us," said Kovacevic, who is president of Malaysia's International Islamic University, alumni chapter of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Unlike one-off investments in construction projects, he said, those placed in human capital and resources development would benefit many generations to come.
To further illustrate his point, he said most of the alumni's 186 members had returned home and become successful professionals, including bank executives and financial investors.
Undoubtedly, the alumni can consider themselves as the bridge between the two nations, not just culturally and acedamically but also economically.
Source:
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/6/24/focus/18107563&sec=focus
I never thought Malaysia is helping other countries:-[