"Mosques Day" programs were held across the country on the anniversary of the destruction of the historical Ferhadiye Mosque by Serbian forces.
On the 30th anniversary of the destruction of the historical Ferhadiye Mosque in the city of Banja Luka in northern Bosnia and Herzegovina by Serbian forces on May 7, 1993, various commemoration programs were held throughout the country as part of the "Day of Mosques".
Within the framework of the programs, the public was informed about hundreds of mosques, masjids, Quran courses, dervish lodges, tombs and different foundation works destroyed by Serbian and Croatian forces during the war in Bosnia (1992-1995).
Mosques Day, where joy and sadness were experienced at the same time as many mosques were rebuilt after the war, reminded the people of the country about the mosques that were destroyed or destroyed during the war and the pain experienced in those days.
The date of May 7 also symbolizes the stoning of the participants by about four thousand Serbian nationalists and the murder of a citizen named Murat Badic during the groundbreaking ceremony for the reconstruction of Ferhadiye Mosque, the heirloom of Sokollu Ferhat Pasha, on the same day of 2001.
With the support of countries such as Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Malaysia and Indonesia, many mosques destroyed in the war almost rose from their ashes.
According to the data of the Islamic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 614 mosques, 218 masjids, 69 Quran courses, 4 dervish lodges, 37 tombs and 405 different foundation works were destroyed throughout the country in the war between 1992-1995. 534 mosques were destroyed in areas under the control of Serbian forces, while 80 mosques were destroyed in areas under the control of Croatian forces.
According to these data, 80 percent of the 1,144 mosques in Bosnia and Herzegovina before the war were destroyed or damaged. In addition to the destroyed mosques and other religious buildings, more than 100 imams were also killed by the enemy forces. May 7, the day the Ferhadije Mosque was destroyed, has been known as the "Day of Mosques" throughout the country since 1998.