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The story begins with two dedicated young brothers, Edvin and Eden Barjektarevic, who converted to Ahmadiyyat in
Bosnia . Edvin was the first ever convert to Ahmadiyyat in Sarajevo, the capital city (and largest city) of
Bosnia , and through his personal dedication established a jamaat
there. However the Barjektarevic family soon migrated to a small town, Ankeny, in
Iowa leaving their war-ravaged hometown behind. Ankeny is a suburb of Des Moines, with the second largest concentration of Bosnians in America (second to
St. Louis, MI ).
Visitors from
Chicago with their Bosnian brothers.
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Despite
the hardships that come with leaving one’s country of birth and
settling in a completely foreign country, the Barjektarevic brothers
did not give up their love for Islam Ahmadiyyat. They continued to
invite their local Bosnian friends for prayers and actively
participated in improving their fellow brothers’ lives. As in
Sarajevo , the brothers started to gain new converts. Last year their
parents also joined Ahmadiyyat which was a very special moment for the
two brothers. Today the number of new converts in
Ankeny stands at 13, and growing! What is remarkable about this story
is that the Barjektarevic brothers achieved their success through
personal efforts alone.
In December 2006, 4 khuddam from Chicago majalis (Brothers Ali Hameed, Micah Tair, Haroon Chaudhry, and Dr. Manzoor Qazi) traveled to
Iowa to spend a day with their Bosnian
brothers. We share some of the testimony of the visitors and pictures
of their trip with our readers here.
“No Drugs” posters set up to educate people about the dangers of drugs.
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“We left Chicago
on Saturday early in the morning, and from noon till 6pm we had a long
discussion about several topics with 12-14 Bosnian Muslims in
Iowa . We also made a 20 min video! These
trips are the results of two very dedicated Bosnian Ahmadi brothers
Edvin and Eden Barjektarevic, and every time you go to
Ankeny their hospitality is amazing. These
two brothers are doing an amazing job in bringing Bosnian Muslims back
to Islam. At the same time they are socially very active in a "No
Drugs" campaign. Drugs have become a major problem for Bosnian youth in
America and these Ahmadi brothers are trying there best to educate the
youth. We prepared a "No Drugs" poster for them so that they can put it
on display at different social events. In the end, we thanked these
brothers for inviting other Bosnian Muslims and for their hospitality. May Allah guide us. Amin.”
“For me this was a trip which was a spiritual boost. Just seeing and hearing the group talk about their journey, from Bosnia to
USA , was thought provoking. Having successfully escaped the ethnic
war, the Bosnian muslim community is now trying to re-establish itself
in its new 'home'. Challenged today by a totally different kind of war:
How to re-establish and retain their customs, their religion, their
faith, their community and their identity.
Bosnian new converts and friends in an informal discussion at the Mosque.
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Our two brothers in
Iowa are not only assets to the Jamaat but
also to the Bosnian community. They are not only teaching their family/
friends about Islam/ Ahmadiyyat but also about social menaces like
drugs, alcohol etc. They have established a mosque, which not only
serves as a place of worship but also as a community center, where
everyone, young and old is invited for discussions on Islam
and Ahmadiyyat.
The future looks bright! Brs. Edvin and Edin in background.
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We
had an open discussion about religion, faith and spirituality. Why is
religion important in our lives? Why Islam is the true religion? What
are the important principals of Islam? How do we become better Muslims/
Ahmadis? We prayed together and had a traditional Bosnian meal. I found
Bro. Edvin and Eden to be very passionate about their faith and their
community.”
This article is prepared by the department of Tarbiyyat Nau Mobaeen – January, 2007.
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30th National Ijtema 2008: The Khilafat Ijtema
