About 300 mosques in Kosovo were destroyed by Serbs

By, Mohammad Lotffi, IOL Correspondent

CAIRO, November 19 (IslamOnline) -  Because the few mosques in Kosovo can not accommodate all worshippers, especially during the Muslims holy fasting month of Ramadan, most Kosovan Muslims perform Taraweeh prayers in the open in a -10 temperature.

The few mosques can not host all worshipers and therefore when there is no mosque in nearby, Muslims either use a big hall in one of their houses as a place for Taraweeh prayers or pray in the open, Kosovo representative in Egypt Bakr Ismail told IslamOnline on Tuesday, November 19.

"There are about 300 out of 600 mosques which survived destruction in Kosovo during the war waged by the Serbs," Ismail recalled.

Some of the mosques that were destroyed during the war are now being re-built, he said.

On preparations for Ramadan in Kosovo, he asserted that the General Islamic Mashikha (religious authority) convenes a meeting with the mufti, imams and preachers of each province a week before Ramadan to discuss facilities given to the people during the holy month.

Announcing the beginning of the holy fasting month is determined by the eye-sighting of the crescent or in tandem with neighboring countries such as Albania and Turkey, Ismail said.

If the sighting of the crescent is confirmed in either country, the Head of the General Islamic Mashikha in Kosovo announces the beginning of Ramadan through a televised address to the people, he asserted.

Then, all private TV channels and radio stations in the different provinces make similar announcements and start airing religious series and films accompanied by Albanian translation, Ismail added.

TV and radio stations air the call for the five prayers through the year and the state-run TV carries the Friday's prayer live every week, Ismail, said, adding that several other networks broadcast religious and fatwa programs.

One of most important habits of the Kosovan people during Ramadan, Ismail said is that in the countryside they use the drums to announce times for iftar (fast-breaking meal) and Sohour (last meal before observing the next day fast).

When the time of iftar comes, mosques turn on lights in minarets to send an iftar message to Muslims living in remote villages, he added.

The Kosovan representative asserted that public fast-breaking banquets in Kosovo differ from those in most Arab and Islamic countries.

In Kosovo the banquet host would agree with a restaurant or a hotel to prepare the iftar meals and would invite the governor, mufti, intellectuals and rich people of the neighborhood, he elaborated.

In most Arab and Islamic countries such public banquets offer fast-breaking meals to the poor for ordinary Muslims who fail to make it home before the time of the iftar.

After finishing the iftar, Ismail said, the mufti or one of the scholars would give a sermon until the time of El-Eisha' prayers and then an hour later worshippers perform Taraweeh prayers.

More sermons follow the Taraweeh prayers until its time for Sohour and people eat their Sohour meals in the same place, he added.

On working hours during Ramadan, Ismail underlined that the same working hours are applied in Ramadan where public servants work from 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. while in the private sector work continues until an hour before the iftar and then resumes after El-Eisha' prayers.

The only change in Ramadan meal list in Kosovo is the introduction of dates to follow the Sunnah  of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), he noted. 

The Kosovan representative exhorted the Islamic world to offer assistance for the re-building of Kosovo and to help Kosovan refugees, stressing that 80% of the Kosovan people live in camps.

Ismail underlined that there are still 5,000 missing people from the Kosovo population and more than 400 mass graves still uncovered.

Despite all this, some 18 Islamic charities are trying to help the people of Kosovo and assist Muslims in re-building destroyed mosques, he said, putting at 900 the number of western organizations joining in the re-construction of Kosovo.

Kosovo has a population of 3 million people, mostly from Albanian origin, with a Muslim majority of 95%. 

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