Historic mosque re-opens, 23 years after being destroyed in the Bosnian war



It was a masterpiece of 16th-century Ottoman architecture until it was blown-up by Serbs during the Bosnian war. The Ferhadija mosque has been revived to its previous glory and opened in an official ceremony in the capital of Bosnia’s Serb region.

Turkey’s outgoing Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, whose country contributed to the rebuild, said the project was not just to build another mosque but send a message of peace.

“As a responsible people, we have to build our future based on mutual trust and respect. Let’s do our best to understand ourselves better, not to endanger each other, but to learn from each other a lot of good will, respect and honesty,” Bakir Izetbegovic, a member of Bosnian presidency said at the re-opening.

A ceremony to lay the foundation stone in 2001 was disrupted by Serb nationalists, killing one Muslim and injuring dozens of others.

The event on Saturday was an opportunity to project an image of tolerance in the multi-religious, multi-ethnic society.

-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-05-08

I believe this mosque is in Banja Luka. The last time I saw it, it was a pile of rubble.

Many of the mosques were turned into pig sties by the Serbs (and Croats) to make sure the ground was unclean and wouldn't be used as a mosque again. Apparently this one wasn't.

Religion is one of the things that doesn't need to be reintroduced to that area, not only Islam, but also the extremist Catholics that a reawakening of their faith. In none of these cases was this good for bringing about peace and reconciliation.

Wonder if the Buddhas of Bamiyan, destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban, on orders from leader Mullah Mohammed Omar, will ever be rebuilt?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhas_of_Bamiyan

Getting more like the UK