brianec

As a Jewish kid in Sarajevo, BIH, I was welcomed in Gazi Husrev-begova džamija by Hafiz Mahmud Traljic-an imam whose love and respect for humanity were second to none. He saw me as a fellow soul first, then as a Jew. No Jewish rabbi or Christian priest enlightened my soul like he did to date and it has been over 50 years. I question your question! Yup! There is nothing wrong with children studying in mosques. I did! Throughout Islamic history, the mosque has been a central institution not only for prayer but also for learning, civic engagement, and communal development. Many of the world’s earliest centers of higher education, such as Al-Qarawiyyin in Morocco and Al-Azhar in Egypt, began as mosque-based schools. Within these spaces, children traditionally learned reading, writing, mathematics, and moral philosophy alongside Qur’anic studies. In many societies, especially where educational infrastructure was limited or under reconstruction, mosques functioned as vital hubs for intellectual and moral formation, providing access to structured learning and mentorship when few other resources existed. Irrefutably, like Hebrew schools, mosque classes complement rather than compete with secular schooling, reinforcing discipline, empathy, and community awareness. Much like church-based catechism or temple instruction, these programs strengthen identity and moral grounding without isolating learners from civic or academic development. This mosque aligns with a long tradition of integrated education that cultivates both faith and intellect. I’m so sick of people demeaning Muslim effort to cultivate its adherents and welcome strangers, like I once was, into their midst! Stop already.

Had it not been for Bosnia, the world might never have gained the rotary cooler for internal combustion engines — an invention by Bosnian engineer Fikret Alić that integrated pump, cooler, and ventilator in a single device to maximize heat exchange and engine longevity.