Bulgaria Brothers Firm on Founding Muslim Party on Good Friday

Politics » DOMESTIC | April 2, 2010, Friday // 13:15
Bulgaria Brothers Firm on Founding Muslim Party on Good Friday: Bulgaria Brothers Firm on Founding Muslim Party on Good Friday Ali Yuzeirov, one of the notorious Yuzeirovi brothers, who want to set a Muslim party in Bulgaria, had already arrived in downtown Shumen Saturday, wearing a red Turkish fez. Photo by BGNES

The new muslin party of the notorious Yuzeirovi brothers will be founded in the city of Shumen on Good Friday, one of the brothers, Ali Uzeirov, declared.

Weeks ago Yuzeirovi informed about their intentions to create the party OTOMAN, an abbreviation which stands for “Union for Tolerance, Responsibility, Moral, and Alternative Progress.” Yet the party's name bears uncanny connotation to the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria's bitter past under Turkish dominion.

Many in Bulgaria see the decision of the wannabe politicians to found their party on April 2, which is Good Friday for Orthodox Christians, as a provocation. The brothers have responded to the accusations by saying that they have chosen that day because of the traditional Friday's Muslim prayer and that every Friday is sacred for Muslims.

Initially Yuzeirovi said the establishment of OTOMAN will begin with a prayer at in the famed Tombul Mosqu, but the Muslim community in the northeast Bulgarian city of Shumen declared they will not allow the brothers to use the mosque. The meeting is now scheduled to take place in the local “Shumen” hotel.

The notorious, Ali Yuzeirov, had already arrived in downtown Shumen Saturday, wearing a red Turkish fez.

Meanwhile, the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) informed that Shumen citizens have staged a protest rally, organized through Facebook, against the founding of OTOMAN. The City Hall informed the demonstrators have not obtained an official permission.

Earlier, in order to prevent clashes between rival groups, the Shumen Mayor, Krasimir Kostov, banned all rallies or manifestations. Kostov claims that some of the founders of the new party are residents of Shumen, currently living in Belgium and France, and are financed by Muslim extremists.

Yuzeirovi insist that OTOMAN’s main goal is to promote religious and ethnic tolerance. Their similar initiatives in the summer and fall of 2009 have been slammed by many commentators as attempts to stir ethnic and religious tension and a test to the stability of Bulgarian democracy and of the cabinet "Borisov."

In the fall of 2009, the two brothers erected a monument of the Unknown Turkish/Muslim Soldier near Targovishte, which was torn down by the authorities after court action.

Again in 2009, Yuzeir Yuzeirov was refused registration of his “Muslim Democratic Union” party because it was based on religious and ethnic principles and hence unconstitutional.

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Tags: Yuzeir Yuzeirov, Ali Yuzeirov, OTOMAN party

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