The founder of the Muslim school in the village of Ustina passed away

The highly respected Ismail Daulov, who was for a long time chairman of the Muslim Board of Trustees – village of Ustina, Plovdiv region, and also an initiator for launching a Muslim school in the village of Ustina, passed away. The 89 years old I. Daulov parted with this transient world on 24^th of January, 2015, and on the next day he was buried in the cemetery in his village in the presence of the Regional Mufti of Plovdiv Ersin Ahmed, the former Grand Mufti and a Director of the Course for imams in the village of Ustina Selim Mehmed, students, relatives and friends of the deceased.

The family of Ismail Daulov is from the famous village of Tarmash in the Rodopi Mountain. After the village became deserted they settled in the village of Ustina. He was an example for perseverance and diligence in the social and especially in the religious deeds. The respected by young and old Ismail uncle spent his life in different construction projects. He was a manager of construction teams that constructed dams and other important sites. He was awarded a number of times for the successes achieved by him. But the same hardworking person was also put in prison during the “Revival Process” because he was reared with religious sense and was with a formed ethnic consciousness. During the culmination of this dark period he lost his beloved daughter and the authorities ordered she to be buried not according to the Muslim tradition but according to the civil ceremony. The grieved father tried in different ways to skip over this unacceptable order but this was impossible. Finally he decided to ignite the body of his daughter, but not to bury her in a coffin, with clothes and Bulgarian name and etc. That is why he was sent for “disciplining” in the communists prisons. But this did not break the will of Ismail uncle, but on the contrary, this strengthened his religious and national consciousness.

Right after the changes on the country in 1990, he started with strengthening and development of the religious educational activity in the region where he was living. Ismail Daulov is the initiator for the opening and the founder of the Muslim school in the village of Ustina. But until it was opened lots of efforts were put. The restoration of the ownership of the former Turkish school from the Muslim Board of Trustees, searching of sponsors and raising of funds took a lot of time and great efforts.

As a chairman of the Muslim Board of Trustees he, disregarding his age, visited a number of times the Grand Mufti’s Office in order to achieve his desire – to have a school for the Muslim minority in his village, which once was one of the vivid Turkish villages. Ismail Daulov with the support and sometimes with the silence of the mufti’s office organized campaigns in different mosque, visited beneficent businessmen, foundations and others. As a result of his good intention and perseverance in the undertaken initiative the course is launched in year 2002. Under the auspices of the Grand Mufti’s Office and with the financial support of “Ahmet Davutoğlu” Foundation a two-year training course for imams was opened in the former Turkish school. The course was temporarily closed in 2006 and reopened in 2012. Over 150 young people were trained there during these years, a significant part of which serve as imams throughout the country and spread the message of Islam. Furthermore hundreds of young men and women participated in workshops in the school, organized by the Grand Mufti’s Office during the years.

The late Ismail Daulov has always been interested and helped for the development of the course; he was providing food for the course participants by going round the villages and the towns. He spent a certain part of his time among the participants in the course and their teacher and inspired them hope and strength for achieving success. He was a good example for upholding the cause, as well as for leaving an ongoing charity – sadaqah jariyah. May Allah be pleased with him and to welcome him with the blessings of the Paradise!