Updated 20 October 2010

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a small Balkan state with a population of about 4 million people; of this total, 2 million are Muslims. The Shia Muslim community emerged in this region after the 1992-1995 war with the fall of communism.  The Ramadhan Relief Programme continues to thrive in Bosnia and Herzegovina and this year, this initiative gained much momentum, especially with respect to Tabligh activities during the Holy month of Ramadhan.

TABLIGH EFFORTS
The core of the activities during Ramadhan took place at the Kuca Bosanka Centre (Bosnian Home) where 14 programmes were organised (one every second night). Each night, the programmes started with Du’a Iftitah followed by a lecture, salaat and Iftaar.

The lectures were delivered mainly by Bosnian Shia zakirs. This year, guest speakers included Shaykh Akbar Eydi, Director of Mulla Sadra Foundation and Hamid Etminan, Director of the Iranian Cultural Centre in Sarajevo.

The majority of the congregation consisted of the local Muslim community where about 20 to 70 guests participated each night. Community members had an opportunity to follow the translation of Du’a Iftitah that was projected onto a big screen. The content of the lectures presented were both informative an inspiring. After the Iftaars, question and answer sessions were held with the guest speakers.

RELIEF EFFORTS
A number of relief initiatives were arranged in an effort to strengthen and develop the growing Shia Muslim community in Bosnia and Herzegovina where:

• One Shia family received assistance to help repay their loan
• One student received assistance to pay for half a year of school fees
• 50 meals were provided to the poor and underprivileged
• One widow received a cash gift to purchase food rations for her and her orphan children
• 2 families received cash gifts to purchase basic essentials

Br. Abdulah Shabar, head of the Fondacija Zivot (Life Foundation) of Bosnia reported:  “We did not expect to find in Bosnia such an extreme case of poverty like the one we encountered when we visited a mother of 5 children. They all live in a small 4 metre by 4 metre room. The youngest child is one years old. We provided them with food and medicine; and for their daughter who was to start school in September, we purchased notebooks and some school supplies.”

To view/download the full report, click here . 

For more information, please email relief@world-federation.org