Ayatollah Taskhiri Lauds Croatia Islamic Center’s Activities
In an address to the opening ceremony on Tuesday of a two-day conference on "Leaders of Europe’s Islamic Communities”, Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Taskhiri said the center has played a constructive role in the developments in the Balkans over the past 25 years.
According to the website of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (ICRO), the conference in Zagreb marks the 100th anniversary of the recognition of Islam as a religion in Croatia’s constitution.
Religious leaders and personalities from 14 European countries, including Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine, Sweden, Macedonia, Albania, Hungary, Norway, Britain and Russia are attending the event.
Ayatollah Taskhiri further hailed the relations between Muslims and followers of other faiths in Croatia and said it can serve as a model for other European countries.
He also appreciated the Croatian government and officials’ support for the European country’s Muslim community.
The senior cleric further described those who preach Islam in Europe as Mujahids (those who struggle for the sake of Allah and Islam).
Elsewhere in his address, Ayatollah Taskhiri referred to Ayatollah Khamenei’s message to Western youth and noted that the Leader of the Islamic Revolution in this message has urged the youth in Europe and America to read the Quran and contemplate its teachings.
Another speaker at the opening ceremony of the conference was Aziz Hasanović, director of the Islamic Center of Zagreb, who thanked the Muslim leaders and religious figures for attending the event.
He referred to the threat of spread of anti-Islam moves in Europe and said Muslim scholars and religious centers should work out ways to foil the threat through dialogue.
