About the Fund

One of the greatest blessings which the Almighty Lord honored the human race is the sympathy and assistance among people for the sake of His love. The best evidence about the size of a nation and an individual are deeds left behind. These deeds must be accompanied by a sincere intention to gain God's love and will be a salvation for those who do them, while for others that will serve as an example for tracing.

When, during the whirlwind of aggression against the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia collected 5,000,000.00 KM and gave them to the first president of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the late Alija Izetbegović, as a gift to Bosniaks, they probably did not know that the fruits of that charity enjoy hundreds of Bosniak boys and girls. Maybe even today, these benefactors do not know that their money is used for building a better and prosperous society in Bosnia and Herzegovina through the funding of education of young and talented pupils and students. They believed the late President and with a sincere intention to help their brothers and sisters in Europe gave him the help and honest intention lies at the basis of all good. The late Alija Izetbegović was aware of the responsibility which he has taken upon himself, so he sought the best solution for the investment of this money which will be used throughout the nation. Knowing that the best for a nation is to educate its young generations, he decided to establish the Fund which will be tasked to assist the activities of education, science, culture, economic, financial and social security of Bosniaks. Such a fund called "Bošnjaci" was established in 1997 as part of the Democratic Action Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In less than four years it carried out a series of projects in education, science and culture. In order to improve the operation of the Fund and set him free from any political or other connotation the late Alija Izetbegović on April 16th 2001 (Muharram AH 22nd 1422) endowed existing property noting that revenues from this Waqf will be used for the purpose of education, science and culture, particularly material support of Gazi Husrev-Bey’s Madrasa and the First Bosniak Gymnasium in Sarajevo. By this act the vakif, for the purpose of doing good deeds permanently transferred endowed property into the ownership of Fund "Bošnjaci". According to Izetbegović’s will, at the Cantonal Court in Sarajevo was carried out re-registration of Fund which ownership rights took over the fund of Waqf’s Directorate Sarajevo. Taking over the founding rights, Waqf’s Directorate has committed changes and amendments to the Statutes and Decisions on the Establishment and other normative-legal acts regulating the Fund's work and functioning in new conditions. These activities have marked the beginning of a new independent work of the Fund and a new page in its further development which is the subject of this publication.

“Testifying that the Allah is One, and Muhammad a.s. is Allah’s slave and His Messenger and guides of the Right path, convinced that from the beginning of time benefits from Waqf does not stop nor its effect stops until the Day of Judgement, I, Alija Izetbegović, the son of Mustafa, put in Waqf part of movable property with which as the intermediary I manage...“

For efficacy serving of Waqf to its purpose it is necessary to follow the expressed will of the vakif in the Vakufnama that Fund "Bošnjaci" carefully works that for many years and each year achieves better results than the previous one. Fund "Bošnjaci" measures its success by the number of allocated scholarships and other forms of assistance. Thus scholarships for talented students and students is one of the strategic activities of the Fund, which was mainly marked by its long-standing work.

The number of several thousand scholarships awarded, among which is a very large number of scholarship holders with an average grade of 10.00, then the winners of the Golden Badge Award, the Golden Plaque, the Charter of the Rector, the Dean's Charter, the student of generation and others, speaks enough about the commitment of the Fund for financing and encouraging of education of Bosniaks. A special joy is to see our scholars who affirmed themselves both in our country and at the regional and European level as scientific, cultural and public workers, university professors, engineers, doctors, lawyers and others, who are working tirelessly and contributing to our safer and a better life.

Cooperation with the scholarship does not end with the signing of the Contract about awarding of scholarships. It lasts throughout their education through the organization of several-day educational gatherings in order to further educate scholars, for their mutual gathering, and to get acquainted with the mission and the importance of the Fund, then to organize educational seminars, visit cultural and historical sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina and others. This cooperation continues after the completion of their education.

Fund "Bošnjaci", among other things, stimulate also young guardians of our Holy Book, Hafiz of the Holy Qur'an, through scholarships and allocation of awards and recognitions.

Return of displaced Bosniaks in the pre-war homes is a difficult and long-lasting process. It requires involvement of the wider community, which until now has not done enough. From the beginning the Fund was involved in stimulation of returning of Bosniaks to their prewar homes through realization of certain projects and activities in the field. The Fund has assisted in the construction and reconstruction of a large number of destroyed religious objects, and special attention is paid to returnee’s children by equipping their schools with necessary teaching aids and equipment, textbooks from the national group of subjects, organization of instructive classes for the students of final grades, etc.

The first president is not among us. Much has changed to this day, but one story remains. It is a story of human kindness and nobility, which has been in existence since the beginning of the world to this day. Only characters change from time to time, and the goal remains the same: Being useful to others for the sake of God's satisfaction. In this eternal story of one of the participants in the late Alija Izetbegović who has established Fund "Bošnjaci" as a combination of generosity and wisdom which arise in the only faith, but to the delight of us all.

Fund "Bošnjaci" as a special cash Waqf, not only preserved, but it is more than twice increased. By adhering to Vakufnama and other normative legal acts, Fund "Bošnjaci" justified its existence and, hopefully, completely fulfilled the wishes and expectations of Vakifs.

Although the armed aggression on our country has been completed by the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement, the idea of its division and disappearance is still ongoing, and its promoters are working on its realization using only other methods and resources. Bosnia has survived, Bosnia was and will be the one we will defend, develop and preserve, first of all, by the knowledge and science.