The head of the Islamic community in Montenegro, Rifat Fejzić, the chief imam of the Bijelo Polje MIZ Enis Burdžović and the president of the Bijelo Polje MIZ Alija Kujović announced that they were offended and taken aback by the decision of the Administration for the Protection of Cultural Property to annul the decision that gave consent to the conservation project of rehabilitation, restoration and reconstruction of the Hajdar Pasha mosque in Radulići, in the Municipality of Bijelo Polje, with the status of immovable cultural property.
"This decision is legally and morally completely unacceptable, and it directly threatens the preservation of the cultural and spiritual identity of our community, as well as the state. We openly suspect that the decision of a state body is the result of pressure from certain structures and not a professional approach, for several reasons. Director Petra Zdravković, two weeks after being appointed as acting official, promptly cancels the consent to the conservation project of rehabilitation, restoration and reconstruction of Hajdar Pasha's mosque, stating that it is illegal, that is, that the execution of the decision 'is not legal and factual' possible', although she personally approved and personally signed the consent decision two years earlier, i.e. in 2022," their joint statement states.
They add that Zdravkjović made a decision without giving the holder and owner of the cultural property the opportunity to make a statement beforehand, and that she did not provide any new evidence or reasons in the explanation, which were not known to her when she gave her consent in 2022.
"Hajdar Pasha's mosque is not only a place of prayer, but also an important cultural monument that testifies to the rich historical heritage of Montenegro, but also to the historical episodes of encroachment on it. The illegal and discriminatory decision represents a blow to the multicultural and multi-religious aspirations of society, undermining it from addresses that are directly invited to protect cultural and civilizational values. Montenegro," the announcement reads.
They demand that the Ministry of Culture and the Government of Montenegro take urgent measures in order to cancel the "shameful decision of the Administration for the Protection of Cultural Property and restore the previous decision to legal force".
"Also, we ask that the state provide prerequisites and guarantees for the protection and reconstruction of the Hajdar Pasha mosque in accordance with the relevant cultural and historical standards and the law. The Islamic community will inform all relevant subjects and representatives of the diplomatic corps in Montenegro about this," the statement concludes. Fejzić, Burdžović and Kukovićas
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