Muslims of the Balkans are ready to contribute to the European Union

Muslims of the Balkan Peninsula received the correct teachings of ehl-i sunnet ve l-džema'at (original Islam) more than five centuries ago and have maintained them to this day, is the conclusion of the scientific conference  „Ehl-i sunnet we l-džema’at – tradition of Balkan Muslims“ which ended yesterday in Sarajevo, reports the Patria news agency.

Bosnian and foreign experts on Islamic issues who participated in this conference concluded that the ulema and organized Islamic communities in the Balkans during the Ottoman Empire and after it, up to the present day, have interpreted and continue to interpret ehl-i sunnetske ve l-džema'atske teachings.

- Ehl-i sunnetske ve l-džema'atske teachings preserve and strengthen the religious unity of Balkan Muslims as one of the most important goals of the exalted Sharia - it is stated, among other things, in the conclusion of the conference.

The conclusion further states that by following the Hanafi madhhab, as one of the four correct madhhabs of ehl-i sunnet ve l-džema'at, Muslims of the Balkans consider every Muslim who prays, turning towards the Qibla, a brother in faith, but they are against any sectarianism or any other threat to Muslims and their traditions.

Muslims of the Balkans are determined to preserve the Hanafi madhhab in today's circumstances, both in the aqidah of ehl-i sunnet ve l-džema'at of the Maturidi school in accordance with the Quran and the Sunnah of the early generations, and in fiqh: ibadah (performing religious rituals) and mu'amalat (business dealings with others);

The ulema of Balkan Muslims, whose duty is to preserve ehl-i sunnet ve l-džema'at with their word and practice, will continue to use ijtihad in all Islamic sciences, following their tradition so far in understanding and interpreting the faith, and Muslims who do not have deeper education in Islamic sciences should follow their ulema and institutional interpretation of Islam.

The strategic interests and goals of Muslims in the Balkans are to preserve their religious unity as a prerequisite for any other unity; to legally and by means permitted by their faith and Islamic civilization, as well as the laws of the countries in which they live, reclaim all that belonged to them; to restore their abandoned and confiscated waqfs and contribute to the development of their communities and societies in which they live.

On the threshold of a new era, as all countries where Balkan Muslims live are preparing to join the European Union or have already joined it, Muslims in all Balkan countries, as well as in the entire European Union, see daru l-'ahd (space of mutual agreement) and on that basis are ready to contribute in that regard, it is stated, among other things, in the conclusion of this conference, reports Patria.

The organizers of the conference are the Islamic Community in BiH and the Faculty of Islamic Sciences in Sarajevo.