Why build an Islamic Center?
The Islamic Cultural Center in Maljevac is a necessity for the Muslims living in Karlovac County near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Of the three congregations in the Islamic Community of Karlovac, Maljevac is the oldest and largest. It was established in 1998. In 176 households, 1,000 Muslim believers are living in 17 villages within the municipalities of Cetingrad, Vojnić, and Topusko. In three primary schools, 79 Muslim students attend Islamic religious education. The Maljevac congregation has the youngest hafiz of the Quran in Europe, Hafiz Enis Bašić, an 8-year-old child. The current mosque, which is 80 square meters, has become too small for all the activities being conducted and expanding within it. In Maljevac, there are both an imam and a religious teacher (muallim).
So far, twenty students from these villages have either graduated from the Zagreb Madrasa or are currently attending the Islamic high school. Besides the mosque (congregation), there is almost nothing in this area: the hospital is 50 km away, the health center is 25 km away, the civil registry office is 25 km away, the nearest store is 10 km away, schools are 10 to 25 km away, the bank is 40 km away, and the post office, ATM, and gas station are 25 km away. There are no state or other institutions nearby, except for the Islamic Community in the form of a congregation that provides not only spiritual but also social and practical support.
For the Muslims in Maljevac, the mosque and the congregation serve as a hospital, post office, civil registry office, doctor, veterinarian, store, counselor, defender, comfort, and hope. In other words, with the mosque (the infrastructure of the Islamic Community), Muslims here feel at home and have access to everything regardless of the distance. Without the mosque, Muslims here are nothing and no one. The congregation, through the humanitarian organization Zirat, takes care of the poor. The mosque, through its authority, protects the vulnerable. The mosque brings security and continuity to the Muslim community.
What will the Islamic Center include?
The Islamic Cultural Center will cover a net area of 434 square meters. The minaret will be 22.5 meters high, and the dome will be 11.5 meters high with 3 smaller domes. In addition to the mosque (courtyard and gallery), it will include a library, a youth area, a multi-purpose classroom for religious school, a space for spiritual retreat (itikaf), an office, ablution facilities, storage space, an apartment for the imam, an outdoor toilet for public use, a children's playground, and a mosque square for holding outdoor programs. With the construction of the Islamic Cultural Center, the existing prayer room (masjid) will be repurposed for social and cultural activities (dining hall, museum exhibit) and a guesthouse. It is an ideal location for local residents, as well as for travelers, tourists, and excursionists, as the natural surroundings enhance the colorful character of this place where people from both the East and the West meet.
The conceptual design was created by architect Dr. Alma Pinjić from Jablanica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, while the main project was done by architect Željka Tomasić from Zagreb, Croatia. Once the Islamic Cultural Center in Maljevac is built, the basement area (which was created during the excavation of the foundations) will be utilized for civil protection purposes, a memorial room, a playroom, a multipurpose hall, an apartment, a divanhana (seating area), storage space, and a garage. It will also serve as a shelter and, in case of a greater emergency, a temporary collective accommodation. On an annual basis, necessary food and equipment for rescue and emergency interventions (in cases of epidemics, earthquakes, migration, poverty, etc.) will be stored there.
A place of encounter and dialogue
In the Maljevac congregation, there is a cemetery (in Široka Rijeka) on land donated by the late Ferid Alibegić, where a mortuary was built in 2018. The congregation built this facility with its own funds, while the Municipality of Vojnić connected electricity, water, and constructed the access road. The Municipality of Vojnić also prepared the project documentation and obtained the building permit for the mortuary. With the Islamic Cultural Center, we will have a place/space for both the living and those who are no longer with us.
The Islamic Cultural Center will be a place of gathering for people of different faiths and nations. It will host programs of a multiconfessional nature, establish dialogue, and promote humanity for all who share universal spiritual values, which are greatly needed in today’s world. At the entrance to the European Union, it will serve as a meeting point between East and West, where the two converge. Maljevac is located at the eastern edge of the West, or better said, at the western edge of the East.
The Maljevac congregation is located in the continental part of Croatia at an altitude of 165 meters above sea level. It is situated in the center of the country, as half of the Muslim population is in the continental part and the other half in the coastal part of Croatia. From every part of Croatia, Maljevac is centrally located.
It is well known that Maljevac is an example of good cooperation with other religious communities, and this is a daily reality. A Roman road once passed through Maljevac, and with the mosque, the foundation is being laid for it to become a tourist destination where different cultures, religions, and nations meet. Plitvice Lakes National Park is 65 km from Maljevac, the thermal springs at Topusko Spa are 25 km away, Petrova Gora (an ornithological park) is 20 km away, and the beautiful Una River in Bosnia and Herzegovina (a national park) is 45 km from Maljevac. In Maljevac, with the Islamic Cultural Center, we are also creating the foundations for religious tourism.
Value and construction timeline
The members of the Maljevac congregation fully financed the purchase of land for the Islamic Cultural Center and all the project documentation through their contributions. In 2021, a building permit was obtained. The foundation stone ceremony took place on May 1, 2023, in front of over 2,000 attendees, and construction work on the Islamic Cultural Center in Maljevac began immediately. The value of the project is €1,644,782.72, with a projected construction period of 16 months. Including the interior work and the planned lower floor, the total cost of the project is expected to be approximately €2 million. The Islamic Cultural Center in Maljevac is located on State Road D 216, just 100 meters from the International Road Border Crossing with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Each month, around 34,000 vehicles pass through this crossing.
Let's build the Islamic Center in Maljevac together - Donate
We invite benefactors to help support the construction of God's house at the entrance to Croatia, at the gateway to the European Union.
We invite you to help us and offer everyone the opportunity to be a part of us, to be a part of enduring good, for only good is remembered and only good will be our guarantee of entry into paradise. Inshallah!
Admir ef. Muhic
Imam Džemata Maljevac
Be a benefactor/donor, be a part of enduring good!
Payment information:
lslamska zajednica u Hrvatskoj Medzlis lslamske zajednice Karlovac DŽEMAT MALJEVAC
Maljevac 14, 47 222 Cetingrad
Payment description: "donation"
IBAN: HR 1623400091410417286
SWIFT CODE: PBZGHR2X
mob: +385(0)98/194-2714
e-mail: info@dzemat-maljevac.com
- Muhamed Kocan donated 100,00 €
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