Light from Bosnia in Syria: Homes, Schools, and a Mosque Built 🇧🇦

In the symbolically named "Bosnian Neighborhood", located near Idlib in war-torn northwest Syria, 42 residential homes have been built, providing a safe haven for orphan families—a total of 212 people.

These projects, funded by the Islamic Community of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in collaboration with Merhamet and Turkey’s IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, have brought shelter, education, and hope to those enduring immense challenges.

Homes and Community:
The newly established neighborhood includes streets named after Bosnia, the Islamic Community, Merhamet, and even a square honoring the late Alija Izetbegović, symbolizing dignity and perseverance.

Schools for the Future:
Two schools named Bosnia and Herzegovina—one in Soran and another in Çobanbey—have been constructed to serve up to 1,500 students, ensuring education is within reach for Syrian children.

A Stunning Mosque:
The Bosnian Martyrs Mosque in Soran stands as a spiritual and architectural landmark, one of the three largest mosques in the city. It was inaugurated on Friday, November 22, 2024, in a ceremony led by representatives from the Islamic Community, Merhamet, and IHH. Ibrahim Malanović, on behalf of Reisul-ulema, delivered the Friday prayer sermon.

Words of Gratitude and Unity:
At the opening, Malanović expressed gratitude to all partners and donors:
"Today, on this blessed Friday, we gift this mosque to the people of Syria. May Allah accept the contributions of all those who supported this initiative."
Merhamet President Kenan Vrbanjac emphasized the importance of solidarity, stating:
"This project connects us in faith, humanity, and love. We hope our efforts will remain in your prayers."

From Bosnia with Love:
This initiative began after the devastating earthquakes in February 2023. Over 3 million KM was raised, with 2.1 million KM contributed by the Islamic Community. Additional efforts included collecting 300 tons of aid for essential needs.

This remarkable project stands as a beacon of kindness, bridging two nations through faith, solidarity, and compassion. The Syrian people, deeply moved by these acts of generosity, send their heartfelt gratitude:
"Salam to Bosnia and the Bosniaks. You are in our prayers, and we will never forget you."

Trebević is a mountain in Bosnia and Herzegovina, located near Sarajevo. It's part of the Dinaric Alps and rises to an elevation of 1,629 meters (5,344 feet). Trebević has long been a favorite destination for residents of Sarajevo, offering a quick escape to nature with stunning views of the city below. Trebević was a critical front line during the siege of Sarajevo. 👤

So-called political analysts and anti-imperialists on social media, baffled by recent developments in Syria, are failing to take the time to reflect on their understanding of global power dynamics. Instead, they have entered an "I told you so" phase, characterized by contradictory assertions. They predict Syria will either Balkanize or turn into another Libya, while placing almost all the blame for the Syrian Arab Army's defeat on the now-former Syrian Government.

These individuals refuse to learn from their mistakes, doubling down on ideological worldviews and indulging in fresh waves of cynicism. The swift defeat of the Syrian Arab Army can be attributed to their realization—likely from the early days of the offensive—that the fall of the old Syrian Government was predetermined by larger regional and global powers.

No 30,000-strong militia from Iraq arrived to assist. Russian bombings were largely symbolic. Hezbollah offered no support, and Iran, fully aware that the curtains were closing, refrained from significant intervention. Demoralized and possibly incompetent, the Syrian Arab Army went through the motions, issuing bold statements about defensive lines, but they had already accepted their defeat because they understood that nothing could change the outcome.

Syria will not become another Libya, nor will it Balkanize. The same forces that orchestrated Bashar al-Assad's fall aim to stabilize the country and eventually integrate it into BRICS. The ideological elements within the new government will be deradicalized; indeed, the Russians, once their opponents, have stopped referring to them as terrorists. Enough said.😃

Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, haj Amin el Husseini, inspects the K98 Mauser of a young Bosnian recruit, November 1943.😃

(This is a historical post, it does not reflect the political convictions of the channel)

It is not an easy life; however, fortunately for us, beauty has the wonderful ability to be found by those who seek it.😀
👤TikTok "deepwoodsfille"

The Minister of Human Rights and Refugees in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sevlid Hurtić, held a meeting with His Excellency Ghanem bin Shaheen bin Ghanem, the Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs in the State of Qatar.

During the meeting, an agreement was reached to implement an important project for the renovation of religious buildings in Bosnia and Herzegovina, incorporating energy efficiency measures.

This project includes the renovation and modernization of ten mosques in various parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which will significantly improve their functionality, reduce energy costs, and contribute to environmental protection. 😊

After coffee ☕ thoughts:

The question of why Bosnia and Herzegovina is a Muslim-majority country is an interesting one. However, a larger and more relevant question is why the other countries of Southeastern Europe are not Muslim as well, given their historical interactions and integration with the Muslim world. Every country in the Balkans had Muslims who identified with the ethnicity of the land they belonged to. Most of those Muslims were killed, expelled, or forcibly converted to another religion.

The capital cities of the now-independent Balkan countries had hundreds of mosques, many of which were destroyed or converted into churches or other facilities. Their traces were eradicated so swiftly and thoroughly that this information is now unknown to the average citizen of those countries. The non-Muslim countries of the Balkans (and those who supported them) have never been held accountable for their violations of human dignity, nor have they been required to pay reparations for their crimes. In fact, their societies have developed such a distorted moral compass that these acts of savagery are celebrated, and hatred toward Muslims is instilled in the next generation. This hatred often leads to associating Islam with a Turkish identity.

Every one of these countries must be held accountable for their actions, and their governments should be pressured to revise their history books to reflect factual history rather than the mythologies propagated by Orthodox Churches or the Orientalist biases of the 20th century. These objectives will eventually be realized as global centers of power shift toward the Global South and as these countries grow increasingly dependent on Muslim-majority powers such as Turkey. For their own good, it would be wise for them to begin this process as soon as possible.🐎

🗿 Operation Sana 95' edit 🗿

Erste Upgrades Bosnia's 2024 Economic Growth Forecast to 2% 🇧🇦

December 11 – Erste Group now projects Bosnia and Herzegovina's economy to grow by 2% in 2024, an upgrade from the previous 1.8% forecast in June.

Key highlights:

2024 Growth Drivers: Strong domestic demand and real wage gains in the first half of the year.

Challenges: Growth slowed in the second half due to October's floods.

2025 Outlook: Acceleration to 2.4%, supported by flood-related infrastructure repairs and household-driven growth.


Inflation Outlook:

Moderate price increases expected, averaging just above 2%.

October consumer prices rose 0.9% YoY, up from 0.6% YoY in September.


GDP Trends:

2023: 1.6% growth YoY.

2022: 3.8% growth YoY.


Erste's latest report underscores cautious optimism for Bosnia's economic recovery amidst global and local challenges.

Europe inherently has a very materialistic and exploitative relationship with its daughters. Some may link this to Christianity and the origin story of man, but even before Christianity, women were treated as objects. Even the concepts of romance and chivalry are not originally European; they were integrated through Muslim Spain via writings on chivalry. Over time, even these adopted beliefs became hollowed out.

All the social changes for women that occurred in the 20th century were not driven by a genuine care for women or even by women themselves; they were part of a cruel and calculated pursuit of wealth and money. And I truly mean all of them — from birth control pills to the styles of clothing women wear. These changes are purely materialistic measures and have nothing to do with values.

All cultural or value-based discussions about what women should wear are disingenuous. The reason women wear more revealing clothes in the West is that such clothing is cheaper to produce, requires fewer resources, and offers scandalously high profit margins. Worse, it's not even women/men in the West making these clothes. It’s often some overworked man in Bangladesh, breaking his back to produce them, yet not being paid what he deserves.

Women in the West don't just face toxic masculinity; the entire society is toxic. The so-called freedoms they enjoy were granted not out of care but indifference. Sure, she can drink, party, take drugs, or have as many abortions as she wants, but come morning, she better show up to work on time, sober, and ready to make money for her boss. They never stopped tormenting women; they simply replaced the kitchen with the workplace. 😃

Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Bosnia in Portugal from 1509🐎

As the Bosnian Kingdom fell under the Ottomans, we know that Bosnia itself began to disintegrate even before the Ottomans arrived, during the war between the Bosnian Church and the Crusaders. The refuge of the Bosnian Church was in the very south of Bosnia, specifically in Zahumlje.
Was Stjepan Kosača the new king of Bosnia because he had senior members of the Bosnian Church by his side, and therefore could proclaim himself king of Bosnia?

We certainly don’t have sources for this, but what we do know is that this coat of arms exists in Portugal—the Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Bosnia from 1509, at a time when the Kotromanić dynasty did not rule Bosnia.

Additionally, the Kosačas were close to the Ottomans and were key actors in the Islamization of Bosnia. How the Kosačas presented themselves as kings of Bosnia or whether it was a coincidence that this coat of arms ended up in Portugal during their time is unknown. The Kosačas were also influential at that time. Professor E. Filipović also wrote a commentary on this coat of arms, explaining that the Portuguese likely didn’t know about the Kotromanić dynasty or the lilies.

There is no doubt that the lily was the main symbol of the Kingdom of Bosnia as an independent entity, but here we see the appearance of the Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Bosnia, specifically the Kosača coat of arms, which we can say is entirely new.

This further illustrates the great power the Kosačas had even during Ottoman times.

Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Bosnia from 1509. (Livro do Armeiro-Mor. Lisbon: Portuguese Academy of History. National Lithography, Rej. d. Bosnia, Kingdom of Bosnia).

Ladies and Gentlemen, and not-so-gentle men, and not-so-La? Dies. Yesterday, we reached where we still are today, which is 400 subscribers. That number is a large number, certainly larger than 399, and in honor of large numbers, I'd like to thank myself, and I'd like to thank the 399 of you for tolerating my posts and for supporting me. I'd also like to thank "Free Umma" for being the one to push us over 399 and into 400, which is indeed a large number. Here in this channel, we like large numbers, and indeed we have the best numbers—way better than the numbers in other channels, because they don't understand numbers like we do. We, and I don't know why I use "we," should use "I" since I make these posts, and I like numbers. In fact, I remember the first time I saw numbers—it was a special moment among other special moments whose number is large, and I like large numbers... 😃

Of course, someone joined right before I posted this 😦

Norinco International Invests in Solar Energy in Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇦🤝🇨🇳

Chinese construction engineering giant Norinco International announced plans to invest EUR105.9 million (USD115.2 million) in a photovoltaic project in Bosnia and Herzegovina, marking a strategic move into the central and eastern European energy markets.

😃 Acquisition Details

Norinco will purchase an 80% stake in Aurora Solar, the project operator, for EUR13 million (USD14.1 million), with the remaining 20% retained by Tehnomerkur.

😃 Investment Breakdown

EUR19.4 million: Norinco and Tehnomerkur will each contribute to increase Aurora's capital.

EUR15.5 million: Funded by Norinco’s Hungarian unit.

EUR77.5 million: Additional loans provided by Norinco.


😃 Project Highlights

125 MW solar facility in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, 90 km from Sarajevo.

Expected to generate 205 million kWh annually over its 25-year operational life.


This comes as Chinese companies face challenges investing in European clean energy projects, with recent withdrawals from major PV projects in Romania due to EU scrutiny.

Norinco's Expanding Footprint
Renowned for its expertise in rail, power engineering, and solar solutions, Norinco's venture aligns with global clean energy goals while strengthening its European presence.

Men of the second Bosnian-Herzegovinian Infantry Regiment photographed during a joint prayer in the field, Italian front, cca 1915-17. 😀