Poem "Sham" about the suffering and violence against children presented

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - In the large hall of the Gazi Husrev-beg Library this evening, under the high patronage of Dr. Husein ef. Kavazović, the reisu-l-ulema of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the poem „Sham“, performed by Mustafa Isaković, was presented. It is also the central part of the project „Sham“, which aims to draw attention to the continuous killing and violence against innocent children worldwide. The authors of the project found inspiration for writing, as well as the screen adaptation of this story, in the tragic death of the Syrian boy Aylan Kurdi, who drowned in the sea while fleeing war-torn Syria and was found on the coast of Turkey.

„This project is conceived as part of a global campaign that will focus on one fundamental message and orientation – the fight for children's rights. We dedicate this project to the children of the world in general, and especially to the children killed during the aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina, the 1,601 children killed during the siege of Sarajevo. Aylan Kurdi is a leitmotif and paradigm of the suffering of all children regardless of name, race, origin, or any other determinant. He symbolizes the suffering and abuse of children in the Auschwitz camp, the genocide against children in Rwanda, Yemen, Palestine, Sarajevo, Srebrenica... It is precisely these harrowing images, which have circled the world, that are sufficient reason for us to raise our voices, condemn wars, and do everything in our power,
to awaken the consciousness and conscience of humanity. Our goal is for this project to reach as many people in the world as possible because we are sending a global and universal message about respect for human rights“ said Mustafa Isaković, the author of the project.

The author of the poem's text is Dževad Ibrahimović, while Mustafa Isaković composed the music in the Qurd maqam, and the arrangement was done by Abdulkerim Popaja. The title of the poem „Sham“, linguistically represents a blessed area, a sacred space encompassing the territory of present-day Syria, Palestine, Jordan, and parts of Turkey and Iraq.

„We are aware of the fact that we cannot stop wars, but we must never accept attacks on children. The fundamental goal of the project is to sensitize the ordinary person to the problems of other people. We live in a time of dulled human feelings and empathy. Very often, the number of children killed in conflicts and wars around the world is cited only as a number. But that number has been constantly rising in recent years; millions of little ones were exposed to severe violations of their rights last year, and thousands of them are direct victims of war violence,“ emphasized Dževad Ibrahimović, author of the text „Sham“.

The poem „Sham“ has been translated into English, Turkish, and Arabic. Mustafa Isaković is a native of Zenica, and today he lives and works in Sarajevo. He began performing ilahis and qasidas during his schooling at the Gazi Husrev-beg Madrasa, which he completed in 2005. Together with friends, he founded the choir Rejjan in 2006. He was the only representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the world competition in the interpretation of ilahis and qasidas in the United Arab Emirates in 2015. Today, he is one of the most popular performers of spiritual music in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He is best known for the national project „Nine Heroes“ which was presented to the public in November 2017. Mustafa also had the honor of being the first to recite the adhan at the Aladža Mosque in Foča, which was ceremonially opened on Saturday after 27 years since its destruction.