IINA – 03

Bulgaria: Snippet on Muslims

Sofia, Bulgaria, Dhul Quidah 19/Feb 2 ,2002 (IINA) – Of Bulgaria’s population of 8,000,000, Muslims account for three million, or around 25 percent of the population.

Bulgaria was under Ottoman rule for about five centuries, and only in 1880 did the war waged by the Christians of Eastern Europe did that hegemony end, and even the number of Muslims was reduced from the 60 percent that it was.

The Muslims suffered a lot in the past, particularly during the Communist regime, and now one of their main problems is that of preserving their Islamic identity.

But now there is Medico-Daawa Organization that is helping in this effort of preserving the Islamic identity, and it is beginning with the young. It organizes for them studies in the Holy Qur’an in mosques.

As far as university students are concerned, scholarships are arranged for them to pursue further studies at universities in Saudi Arabia, Jordan or Egypt. Efforts are also made to prepare indigenous Bulgarian Muslims to eventually carry on Daawa work themselves, in the communities they are living in, using the language that is understood by them.

But the efforts are hampered by lack of the relevant literature, such as the meanings of the Holy Qur’an in the Bulgarian language, and also the needed resources for financing the various Daawa activities in the country, according to Dr. Samir Al-Omran, director of the Medico-Daawa Organization.

Among the most urgent needs of the Muslim community of Bulgaria are mosques, with Sofia, the capital, having only one mosque, which is filled to overflowing during Friday Prayers and on other festive occasions, such as during the Eid Prayers.

The Bulgarian Muslims also need Islamic schools, manned by qualified teachers and Daawa activists.