In the stillness of the first Ramadan evening, within the setting of the Museum and Clock Tower of Salem Šehović in Vukeljići, an iftar gathering brought together figures of different faiths, nations, and worldviews. The host was Salem Šehović, and among the guests were the Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral, H.E. Mihailo, Fra Mirko Majdandžić, Miro Lazović, Prof. Rifat Škrijelj, ambassadors Mirza Hajrić and Edhem Pašić, Šaban Trstena, Imer Kadrijovski, Gradimir Gojer, and academics Nenad Čanak, Ibrahim Žuđelović and Zlatko Bulić.

Numerous television crews covered this historic gathering. Metropolitan Mihailo and academic Nenad Čanak received awards from the Museum and Clock Tower, while Šaban Trstena donated his Olympic medals to the museum’s sports room.

This evening was more than the beginning of Ramadan — it was a reminder that togetherness is not the past, but a choice.

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Mihailo, Fra Mirko, Lazović and Čanak at Iftar with Dervish Salem: A Message Stronger Than Division

The host of the gathering was Salem Šehović, and the iftar brought together figures we rarely see at the same table: Metropolitan Mihailo, Fra Mirko Majdandžić, Miro Lazović, Rifat Škrijelj, former diplomat Mirza Hajrić and Edhem Pašić, Šaban Trstena, Imer Kadrijovski, Gradimir Gojer, academics Nenad Čanak, Ibrahim Žuđelović and Zlatko Bulić.

The presence of numerous television crews bore witness to an event that transcended protocol and entered history — not through political messages, but through their very absence.

An Evening of Dialogue, Not Monologue

At a time when nationalism, populism, and hate speech dominate public discourse, Vukeljići offered a different narrative: people can come together without needing to convince one another — it is enough simply to listen.

The iftar was not merely a religious rite, but a space where consciences could meet. A metropolitan and a friar alongside Muslim hosts, intellectuals alongside athletes, diplomats alongside artists — an image society rarely sees, yet deeply needs.

A Symbolism That Endures

During the evening, awards were presented to Metropolitan Mihailo and academic Nenad Čanak, in recognition of their contribution to dialogue and mutual understanding. A particularly moving moment came when Šaban Trstena donated his Olympic medals to the museum’s sports room — a gesture through which personal achievement was transformed into shared heritage.

A Message of Hope

Such gatherings do not resolve political crises or erase differences. But they do something perhaps more important — they remind us that differences need not lead to conflict.

In a country where insults are often heard more loudly than arguments, the iftar in Vukeljići demonstrated that it is possible to bring people together without labels and without fear. That Bosnia and Herzegovina is not only a space of conflict, but also a space of encounter.

Perhaps that is why this evening was more than the beginning of Ramadan. It was a reminder that togetherness is not the past — it is a choice.

Source: Radiosarajevo.ba