Scenes of the first snow by Sawsan & Edim
Me from Herzegovina asking what's that white sand on the ground 🗿❄️

To our dear Albanian Muslim brothers,

Happy Independence Day! On this special day, we celebrate your strength, unity, and rich heritage that inspire us all.

May Albania always thrive in peace, prosperity, and faith. Gezuar Ditën e Pavarësisë!

With love and respect from Bosnia.✊

Korporal Suljo Obhođaš of the first Bosnian-Herzegovinian Infantry Regiment photographed with family members Zibija and Adela in Sarajevo, 1917.

Men from Sarajevo and the wider eastern Bosnian area largely served with BH1 Infantry Regiment. Most of this regiment's battalions served on the Eastern front against the Russians.😀

Associated Press archival footage of the war near Teslić 1994 😃

Friendship monument between Bosniaks, Turks and Albanians
🇦🇱🤝🇧🇦🤝🇹🇷

The Algerian Six were six Algerian men, who gained citizenship of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Bosnian War, five of whom continued to hold a dual Algerian and Bosnian citizenship, and who were imprisoned without charges at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba from January 2002.

"Wolfgang Petritsch, the international community's top official in Bosnia at the time, recalls being told by Bosnian leaders that the U.S. applied a lot of pressure on Bosnia to be allowed to take the Algerian Six to Guantanamo.[11] Petritsch also said that the US officials had threatened the UN and told him they would remove their support for an international mission he was heading if he decided to protest against Bosnia compliance with their request.[11] According to documents filed by the detainee's American lawyers in their U.S. federal court habeas action, Christopher Hoh, the then U.S. chargé d'affaires, had told then Bosnian Federation Prime Minister Alija Behmen that the U.S. would cut all diplomatic relations if the men were not arrested.[12]
Amnesty International recalled in 2002 that the Bosnian Supreme Court explicitly opposed this transfer of the men to US authorities."

There will be a link posted in the comments for the full story. 😃

The village of Šćipe, in the north of Herzegovina in the municipality of Prozor-Rama. 🇧🇦

Jummah in one of the oldest Mosques in Bosnia by "harisstory" 😊

Bosnian-Herzegovinian infantrymen enter the Ukranian (then Galician) town of Lemberg (today Lviv) after victory over the Russian forces, 1915. 😃

Tourism & Travel Updates from Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇦✈️

Over 135,000 tourists visited the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina this October, marking a 12% increase compared to last year! 😃

Eurowings will start direct flights from Mostar to Düsseldorf and Stuttgart starting May 2024. 😃

My opinion on the war in Syria, since I’ve been asked a lot:

Generally, the Bosniaks within Bosnia and Herzegovina have had mixed views on the conflict in Syria. Some support the opposition, some support Assad, and some have gone to fight for the various factions that have existed there, with their number estimated to be around 330, possibly more. In general, whatever side the Bosniaks support, the norm is that they do so because they empathize with Syria and wish the best for it, each in their own way.

My stance is neutral and pessimistic because I recognize that whoever wins in Syria, it is certain that the country will emerge from this conflict as one that will not stand shoulder to shoulder with its neighbors, will have little influence in the Middle East, and will be economically dominated by the various powers on the continent.

😃 I think there is an agreement among BRICS, the Gulf states, and factions in the West not aligned with the neocons that Syria and the Middle East as a whole need stabilization, which means they want an end to the war in Syria.

😃 There was a BRICS initiative pushing for reconciliation between Erdogan and Assad, and negotiations were taking place, which is a step toward ending the war. What I think happened is that Assad tried to take a tough stance with the Turks at the negotiation table, and the Turks weren’t having it, which led to the offensive from Idlib.

😃 The offensive from Idlib by the opposition was most likely a Turkish idea. Now that Russia is tied up in Ukraine and Hezbollah is tied up in Southern Lebanon, they are launching an offensive aimed at putting pressure on Assad to agree to Turkish demands in the BRICS reconciliation initiative. Most likely, Assad will have to concede if his army fails in their planned counteroffensive, but we will see what happens.

😃 All of these militant factions in the Middle East, whether in Syria or not, regardless of one’s opinion of them, have targets on their backs because their destruction is required by BRICS and other powerful factions for their vision of stabilizing the Middle East. So, I would not be very comfortable if I were in the Syrian opposition.


Personal feelings about an observation:

There are these so-called alternative media ideologues on Telegram and other social media who support Assad but whom I find incredibly obnoxious and irritating to deal with. They think that because they can point out lies in The Guardian, CNN, or Fox, it somehow makes them smart. They are making money from these hour-long interviews with so-called political analysts, where they just peddle and repeat the same points, which could be stated in a couple of minutes. I wish nothing but the worst for them because they are making money off of tragedies.

The topic of Syria still remain banned in chat. 😀

Bosniaken of a Bosnian-Herzegovinian Infantry Regiment move through a town (possibly on the Isonzo front) with skis on their backs, December 1915.

Many members of the b-h Infantry Regiments were trained for winter warfare even prior to the war, with most of these training courses completed in the Alps. 😀

Al-Azhar to Strengthen Ties with Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇦🇪🇬

Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayyeb in April has announced plans to establish an Arabic language center in Sarajevo to teach Muslim children the Quran and preserve their Islamic identity.

😃 Scholarships: Al-Azhar will provide unlimited opportunities for Bosnian students to study at its prestigious university.
😃 Imam Training: Bosnian imams will receive training at the Al-Azhar International Academy to address modern challenges.
😃 Regional Office: A Council of Muslim Elders office will open in Sarajevo to support Muslims in Bosnia and Europe.