MUSLIM FAMILY REBUILDS ORTHODOX CHURCH: Our Serbian friends are no longer here, and this ruin behind is their sanctity (VIDEO)

Mesud Keranovic once worked in construction business and he got experience there, but he said the will to rebuild this church encouraged him to learn some new crafts he did not know before

In the village Osredak near Cazina in Bosnia and Herzegovina lived Bosniaks and Serbs before the war. In time the citizens of Serbian nationality migrated. They left behind a church and a cemetery, which was getting worse and worse. In the last few years, the church and the cemetery has been maintained and renovated by Muslim family. 

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Mesud, his family and sons in the past few years use every spare time they have to rebuild the church.

- This church, which was started to be renovated four years ago, was in demolition phase, if the rebuilding wasn't started it would have collapsed by now. Then the cleaning started, repairing walls, which were cracked - said Mesud Keranovic.

He once worked in construction business and he got experience there, but he said the will to rebuild this church encouraged him to learn some new crafts he did not know before.

"After all, it was their sanctity"

- I have been living  here for 40 years and they are my friends, before every evil that struck us, the war and all, they are not here anymore, and when they come we stand, talk... And on the back the ruin, but its their sanctity after all - continues Mesud Keranovic.

The other locals of the village were not thrilled with the idea so the only help to Mesud was his sons and his wife. Sons are studying Construction faculty, so they gave their father ideas.

- At first it was just physical work, and it was hard, then we started with concrete. There were a lot of touchy, precise works - said Samir Keranovic.

- We wanted it to be the best possible, even though we are doing it for the first time. When we reached to the final touches, we were speeding up, we couldn't wait to see how will it turn out - said Mesud Keranovic.

Besides bringing lunch, when there is need, Fatima did some work.

- I helped when they put the roof tiles, and that took a bit more workers, so i helped them. Children were in school, so there was no one, i stepped up - said Fatima Keranovic.

- Mesud's idea to renovate the Orthodox church was supported by his neighbors, who escaped from the village Osredak. Now they live all over the world and they help as much as they can, mostly with money - reports the journalist of Al Jazeera Natalija Lucic.

One of them is Radmila, who has been living in Belgrade for years. She joined this project with her family. She gathers the means of acquaintances and neighbors who, just like her, abandoned their homes. She is in contact with Mesid, who sends her photos and informs her how the works are going. And Radmila tries her best to visit her birth place few times a year.

We used to play together when we were children

- We were always greeted nicely. We really never had any unpleasantries. And every time we go, the man bonds a bit more to it. Usually we go for a day or two, and how will we go in the future, we will see. Now our goal is to finish the church, we still have windows and doors, we need to close them - said Radmila.

Radmila, for now, has no plans to return to Osredak permanently, but she said, because of the sentimental connection, she always stays a few days longer. Mesud, wishes for them to return. 

- I would love for everybody to return to their place and continue their life, because what happened, no one needs more evil and it never brought anything good - said Mesud.

He said that they all played together when they were children, no divisions. And he is sorry that war divided them. But, he hopes that he will wait for old age with some of them.

Watch the video:

(Telegraf.co.uk / source :balkans.aljazeera.net)