Djamila
Bosnjakinja
Of all the people in the world, who do you admire most? Who do you feel the greatest sense of purpose with? Who do you wish you would meet?
For me, the answer is without a doubt Husein Gradascevic. He was born in 1802 in the town of Gradacac, in northern Bosnia. He was the son of a noble family, the ruling family in Gradacac - to be exact.
I won't bore you with the details of his life, except to say that upon his father's death he became a proud and noble ruler. He not only took excellent care of the Muslim citizens of Gradacac, but the Christians and Jews as well - both of whom, still today, revere him. He also respected the lower classes. Peasants could volunteer to serve in the armed forces and were free not to, while aristocrats and nobles were required to serve.
When the Ottoman Empire awarded a region of the Balkans known as the Sandzak to Serbia, Bosnians were furious. The territory was populated almost exclusively by Bosniaks and one of Bosnia's largest and greatest cities - Novi Pazar - was located there. This spelled the end for the Ottoman Empire's rule in this part of the world.
Husein Gradascevic organized a rebellion, and was successful. He was declared the Grand Vizier (like a King) of Bosnia. For his dramatic rise to power, and his well-known and widely-respected method of rule, he was named Zmaj od Bosne (Dragon of Bosnia). Every city in Bosnia and Herzegovina has a street named for him.
In the end, though, he was defeated by an uprising in Herzegovina. Muslims and Roman Catholics there, who preferred Ottoman rule, fought on the side of the Sultan and Gradascevic's forces were defeated near Sarajevo. He was exiled first to Vienna and then to Istanbul, where he is burried.
They said there was not a person in Bosnia for years later who didn't cry when his name was mentioned. For being of the first, and one of the best rulers who exercised total tolerance and respect for others, he is my greatest role model.
He also left Bosnia and Herzegovina two of the most beautiful landmarks in the country. There is the Gradascevic Castle, in Gradacac:
For me, the answer is without a doubt Husein Gradascevic. He was born in 1802 in the town of Gradacac, in northern Bosnia. He was the son of a noble family, the ruling family in Gradacac - to be exact.
I won't bore you with the details of his life, except to say that upon his father's death he became a proud and noble ruler. He not only took excellent care of the Muslim citizens of Gradacac, but the Christians and Jews as well - both of whom, still today, revere him. He also respected the lower classes. Peasants could volunteer to serve in the armed forces and were free not to, while aristocrats and nobles were required to serve.
When the Ottoman Empire awarded a region of the Balkans known as the Sandzak to Serbia, Bosnians were furious. The territory was populated almost exclusively by Bosniaks and one of Bosnia's largest and greatest cities - Novi Pazar - was located there. This spelled the end for the Ottoman Empire's rule in this part of the world.
Husein Gradascevic organized a rebellion, and was successful. He was declared the Grand Vizier (like a King) of Bosnia. For his dramatic rise to power, and his well-known and widely-respected method of rule, he was named Zmaj od Bosne (Dragon of Bosnia). Every city in Bosnia and Herzegovina has a street named for him.
In the end, though, he was defeated by an uprising in Herzegovina. Muslims and Roman Catholics there, who preferred Ottoman rule, fought on the side of the Sultan and Gradascevic's forces were defeated near Sarajevo. He was exiled first to Vienna and then to Istanbul, where he is burried.
They said there was not a person in Bosnia for years later who didn't cry when his name was mentioned. For being of the first, and one of the best rulers who exercised total tolerance and respect for others, he is my greatest role model.
He also left Bosnia and Herzegovina two of the most beautiful landmarks in the country. There is the Gradascevic Castle, in Gradacac:
And one of the most beautiful mosques in the world, with an elegant arched dome that remains unmatched in Bosnia and Herzegovina - Husein's Mosque, in Gradacac:
