19.04.2018.
150 years of the Islamic Community of Serbia marked
The 150th anniversary of the Islamic Community of Serbia was marked today in the lobby of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia.
The gathering was attended by Defence Minister Aleksandar Vulin and Chief of General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, General Ljubiša Diković, with associates, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps, religious, political, cultural and public life.
In his ceremonial speech, at a festival of friendship as Reis-ul-Ulema Sead Nasufović put it, the Islamic Community of Serbia, as an inseparable part of the state and society, ever since its inception in 1868, has not forgotten its biggest behest - to bring joy in the heart of every man and make good deeds.- In this year long ago, the Principality of Serbia proved its European identity, when Islam was recognized by the Decree of the State Council as a legitimate equal religion, and Muslims could enjoy the free confession of their faith. Thus Serbia became the first country in Europe to adopt a positive law on something other and different, which is still only imagined by some countries of the European Union today - the head of the Islamic Community of Serbia said, adding that all churches in Serbia passed together, shoulder to shoulder, all the misfortunes in the previous centuries.
He said that the past should be our teacher for a better future and pointed out that he had the honour to inform the gathering that the Government of the Republic of Serbia returned to the Riyaset of the Islamic Community of Serbia to use the Bayraklı mosque and that, as he pointed out, this is a gift to the Muslims for this great jubilee, on which he cordially thanked.
Reis-ul-Ulema Sead Nasufović expressed special gratitude to the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces.
- They have done a lot to have religious service in the Armed Forces, and these days we expect to have a prayer room at the Military Medical Academy for all Muslim believers who are patients of that institution, Nasufović said.Director of the Office for cooperation with Churches and Religious Communities, Mileta Radojević, PhD, said that the Government of the Republic of Serbia, i.e. the Ministry of Justice, through the Administration for Cooperation with Churches and Religious Communities, makes efforts to establish good communication and good relations with all religious communities.
We wish that members of all religious communities and peoples in Serbia live in peace, love and tolerance. The Government of the Republic of Serbia will make an effort in the forthcoming period to celebrate next jubilees with even better results than we have today, Radojević said.
