Dr. Ismail Dzhambazov: The National Muslim Conference is a product of the democracy in our country

“Dear delegates and guests, with the benevolence of the Almighty Allah I open the regular National Muslim Conference of the Bulgarian Muslims with wishes for fruitful work. In the mandate of this management of the Muslim Denomination during year 2010 we marked 100^th anniversary from the foundation of the Grand Mufti’s Office. In the 105 years life and activity of Grand Mufti’s Office through its sacred chair passed 14 Bulgarian Muslim clerics”, said Dr. Ismail Dzhambazov in his welcoming address to the delegates and the guests of the regular National Muslim Conference, held on 24^th of January this year in Hall 1 of the National Palace of Culture in Sofia.

According to him there were notable personalities among the grand muftis, such as Mr. Hodzhazade Mehmed Muhyiddin effendi – founder of the Grand Mufti’s Office and the first Grand Mufti in the Bulgarian Kingdom; Syuleyman Faik effendi – founder of the Madrasa-tul Nyuvvab; Hyusein Hyusnyu effendi, who opened the upper department of the Nyuvvab; Osman Akif effendi, who headed for 17 years Grand Muftis Office in People’s Republic of Bulgaria.

“I am convinced that the spirits of the departed in the hereafter grand mufti’s are among us and are happy for this representative conference not less than us”, further said Dr. Dzhambazov. According to him the National Muslim Conference, which is the supreme body of the Muslim Denomination in the Republic of Bulgaria, is a new phenomenon in the life of the Bulgarian Muslims. It is a product of the democracy in our country. The first national Muslim Conference was held on 18^th of April, 1991 in Sofia for discussing and adoption of a new Statue of the Muslim Denomination which to reflect and to respond to the new conditions in the democratic life in Bulgaria.

“The first National Muslim Conference for election of a grand mufti was held on 19^th of September, 1991, and in a most democratically way elected for a grand mufti the student from the Islamic Institute Mr. Fikri Salih”, recalled the doyen among the delegates of the RNMC.

He further said that during the years of democracy the grand muftis Mr. Fikri Salih, Mr. Selim Mehmed and Mr. Mustafa Hadzhi were democratically elected by national Muslim conferences. Each of them in a different extent contributed to the development of the mufti’s system in Bulgaria.

Dzhambazov said that during the present conference Grand Mufti’s Office will report its activity for the last five years mandate. From the article of Mr. Mustafa Hadzhi in the latest edition of “Muslims” magazine is evident that the young, dynamic team of Grand Mufti’s Office made great efforts to improve the administrative – organizational management of the religious life of the Muslims, to raise the level of the Muslim enlightenment and education, to win and proper manages the waqf property.

“The successes are obvious. But they are not enough. There are a number of gaps and weaknesses”, further said Dzhambazov and stressed that the main task of the new management which the Conference will chose, must be careful exploration of the experience gained during the recent 26 years and based on it to reorganize and reform its activities by increasing the place and the role of the regional mufti’s offices, to improve the quality of the imams personnel, to rise to a higher level the Islamic enlightenment and education and to fight more actively for reinstatement of the ownership of the disputed waqf property.