Page 4 - Pakistan Link - October 20, 2017

P4 – PAKISTAN LINK – OCTOBER 20, 2017 OPINION
Pakistan Link Mirnes Kovac — a Bosnian Public Intellectual

n By Dr Akbar Ahmed
President American University
Arif Zaff ar Mansuri Washington, DC
ArifMansuri@PLpublications.org
ased in Sarajevo, Mirnes Ko-
Editor vac is a leading Muslim jour-
Akhtar Mahmud Faruqui Bnalist and author in the Bal-
afaruqui@pakistanlink.com kans who recently edited Th e Siege
of Islam, a volume of interviews
Editor Urdu Link & Bureau Chief (Pakistan) with leading Mus-
Shabbir Ghori lim and non-Mus-
urdulink@yahoo.com
lim intellectuals on
Resident Editor Urdu Link relations between
& Director Video Operations Islam and the West.
Anwar Khawaja Mirnes, who gradu-
akhawaja@pakistanlink.com ated with a degree
in Islamic theology
Manager Sales & Advertising from the University of Sarajevo
Sana Shaikh and subsequently obtained an MA
sales@pakistanlink.com from the University of Sussex, has
since 2005 been working as edi-
Advisory Board tor and journalist of the Preporod
Dr Sohail Masood Islamic News Magazine, the old-
est Islamic news magazine in the tance, and coexistence. hatred of Islam and Turks was a de- Jinnah and the Rohingya, in this
Regional Offi ces Balkans. He is a regular columnist Mirnes is also proud of his Eu- fi ning feature in creating Serbian na- paper recently, he wrote, “Yesterday
for the Huffi ngton Post and Al ropean and Muslim heritage. “As tional identity and still it is.” aft er Jumah Prayer our Islamic com-
YKKB Jazeera Balkans contributing opin- a Bosniak, as a Bosnian Muslim, I munity held action in all Mosques in
ykkb03@gmail.com ions and analyses on Balkans and feel I don’t have any other country Bosnia and Bosnian Diaspora to col-
Middle East issues. He has also where to live. Th is country defi nes lect money for Rohingya Muslims.
Sacramento, CA translated 15 books by prominent me and I’m defi ned by my faith, by We expect at least one million dol-
Sacramento@plpublications.com authors from English into Bosnian my religion, which was brought here lars to send to refugees. Grand Muft i
that deal with Islam and Mus- by the Ottomans... I think Islam in also formed the Board for helping
San Fransisco/Bay Area, CA
Sanfrancisco@plpublications.com lims, Muslims in the West, inter- this context is very much strength- Rohingya Muslims. As people that
religious dialogue, terrorism and ened by the experience of Europe.” suff ered genocide we feel this as ob-
New York, NY other issues. Th ere is a “story that Islam was ligation!
Newyork@plpublications.com Most recently, Mirnes pub- brought by the sword,” he states, but May Allah protect this people
lished One, which lays out, page by this is not accurate. “It was deep in — Salams”
Houston, TX page, Biblical sayings with matching the identity of these people.” Mirnes Yet all the problems of the world
Houston@Plpublications.org
Qur’anic ones on the opposite page showed his appreciation and pride have not clouded his generous heart.
Phoenix, AZ on subjects such as peace, compas- in his Ottoman history by naming When I requested Mirnes for a blurb
Phoenix@Plpublications.org sion and unity, published by the his son Fatih, aft er Sultan Mehmet II for my new book he sent this: “Of all
Inter-religious Council of Bosnia- Fatih who brought Islam to Bosnia. the scholars I have studied, the work
Ontario, Canada
Ontario@Plpublications.org Herzegovina. Th e book won fi ve li- “I named him aft er the Sultan who of none is quite so uniquely char-
ons (one gold, one silver and three brought the light of Islam into this acterised as that of Akbar Ahmed
bronzes) at the Cannes Lions Inter- land.” “Th e problem here,” Mirnes by what traditional Islamic scholars
Letters to the Editor national Festival of Creativity, the Since Europe has problems that said, “is that we in Bosnia, have the called looking at the world through
Readers are welcome to express their opinion largest festival of creative ideas in involve the Balkans, Mirnes hopes problem of these dangerous rheto- ‘two eyes’ or Dhul Aynan, the ca-
in these columns. Please keep your letters the world. that Europe, as well as the United rics and narratives. And we have a pacity to see the exterior and the
brief and to the point. Letters without full
name, complete address, and a daytime As a Muslim he is very con- States, remain engaged in the region. problem facing our past. If you still interior, the spiritual and the physi-
phone number will not be published. cerned about the turmoil in the Mus- Yet he fears that Russia’s 2014 an- have institutions and high politi- cal, the emotional and the scientifi c
Also, copies of letters sent to other news-
papers are not encouraged. Letters can be lim world and also concerned about nexation of Crimea could be a har- cians that are denying genocide, you which enables the accurate and fair
mailed, faxed or e-mailed to the Editor at understanding of diff erent perspec-
the Pakistan Link Headquarters address the precarious situation in Bosnia binger of things to come, noting that are on the way to repeat that evil
listed below. itself. He referred to Bosnia’s “three Crimea, like the Balkans, was part of in the near future. And that is my tives. He brings the same quality to
Pakistan Link (ISSN 1074-0406) is pub-
lished weekly for $85 a year by JAZ LLC, visions” — the parallel narratives the Turkish sphere of infl uence but greatest fear.” his project on Muslims in Europe,
DBA PL Publications, LLC. and histories of the Serbs, Croats, is considered crucial by Russians to Mirnes is worried about where and he makes me especially proud as
Periodical postage paid at Anaheim, CA and Bosniaks, or Bosnian Muslims their interests and identity. He com- the future might lead: “Th e whole a Muslim European.”
and additional mailing offi ces. — regarding what occurred during
POST MASTER: Send address changes to
Pakistan Link, P O Box 1238, Anaheim, CA the 1990s and who was to blame. Most recently, Mirnes published One, which lays out, page by page,
92815 Th e Dayton Peace Accords, he ar-
The management has the right to refuse Biblical sayings with matching Qur’anic ones on the opposite page on
to print any advertisement, news, article, gued, which ended the war in 1995,
letter or any other material. In case of did not go far enough in addressing
any errors in advertisement the manage- subjects such as peace, compassion and unity, published by the Inter-
ment will not be liable for more than the the root problems of the confl ict and
amount paid for the advertisement to the healing the wounds it created. religious Council of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Th e book won fi ve lions (one
Link.
Advertisements in Pakistan Link are “Th e problem of these three
placed in good faith. The newspaper is not gold, one silver and three bronzes) at the Cannes Lions International
responsible nor endorses the contents of visions of Bosnia,” Mirnes believes,
any advertisement. In case of a frivolous “is that we didn’t have processes Festival of Creativity, the largest festival of creative ideas in the world
lawsuit, the plaintiff will bear the total cost
of the suit, including but not limited to the that Germany had aft er the Second
Link’s costs and the attorney’s fees. World War. We did not have the pared this to how the Serbs associ- world, and especially Europe, should (Th e writer is an author, poet,
process of de-Nazifi cation.” Yet these ate Bosnians with the Turks. In that learn the lesson of Srebrenica, and fi lmmaker, playwright, and the Ibn
three peoples — the Bosnian Mus- context, Mirnes said, the slaughter commit itself again that it will not Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies,
Information for lims, Croats, and Serbs — had “lived of Muslim Bosniaks at Srebrenica allow genocide to ever happen to American University in Washington,
Subscribers for centuries together,” and perhaps was seen as “revenge” against the anyone anywhere in the world. Th at DC. He formerly served as the Paki-
The printing of Pakistan Link is unfail- this history of coexistence motivates Ottomans. “According to some Ser- is my hope.” stani High Commissioner to the UK
ingly completed by Wednesday every him to promote pluralism, accep- bian historians,” Mirnes noted, “the When he read my article, Mr and Ireland. He tweets @AskAkbar)
week and its copies are handed over to
the mailing house for prompt dispatch
to the subscribers. The Link should Captain Husnain Shaheed & Pak Army’s Honor Code
reach its destination on time if there is Views and
no delay at the post offi ce. If a delay is opinions ex-
occasioned it is in no way attributable
to the performance of Link’s manage- n By Col. Riaz Jafri (Retd.) had to go and will be back by the ies scattered and some of his soldiers pressed by
ment. In case of delayed receipt of Pak- authors and
istan Link or missing issues, please con- Westridge, Rawalpindi evening. lying in a pool of blood he instinc- contributors
tact your local Post Offi ce and submit a While bidding them goodbye tively told his JCO that he was go-
“Publication Watch” form. t was a fi ne Sunday morning. he saw the smiling face of his son ing to rescue them. Th e JCO tried in articles,
Almost relaxing in the Kurram and somewhat worried expressions to stop him saying, “Sir, Aagay mat letters, opin-
PAKISTAN LINK IAgency FC Wing Headquar- in the eyes of his young wife. He jayein aur bhi IEDs ho sakti hain”. ion pieces,
ad-
reports,
Headquarters ters, Captain Husnain was on a hurriedly put on his gear and rushed But the fearless offi cer replied, vertisements, etc appearing
P O Box 1238, Anaheim, CA 92815 video call with his to the site of the incident with Quick “Main in zakhmi jawano ko is halat in Pakistan Link and Urdu
Tel: 714-400-3400 wife and one-and- Reaction Force. main nahin dekh sakta.” He rescued Link are their own. Th e paper
Fax: 714-400-3404 a-half-year old son On reaching the scene, he saw two of his soldiers and stepped for-
E-Mail: Editor@PakistanLink.com when he received that two IED blasts had occurred ward to rescue his third comrade neither shares nor endorses
the information that and the possibility of more IED when a blast occurred blowing him them and thus should not
be held responsible for the
Pakistan Offi ce a convoy from his blasts could not be ruled out. One into pieces. Probably the last thing views/opinions of the writers
42 Rehman Court wing had been hit rescue party had been hit by an IED that would have fl ashed before his & advertisers.
Plaza Square, Off M. A. Jinnah Road by IED. He told his wife that he before his arrival. Seeing a few bod- CODE, P7
Karachi-74400, Pakistan
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