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Teen proud of her Muslim heritage “Look at me,” Amra Pucarevic said, pointing to her form-fitting tank top and slender jeans. “People wouldn’t exactly say that I’m religious.” But she is. The 17-year-old Proctor High School graduate is a Muslim who fled Bijeljina, Bosnia with her family when she was six. She lived in Berlin, Germany with her family for 8 years before coming to Utica in 1999. Pucarevic said she’s always fit in wherever she was, even if she didn’t always embrace her Muslim heritage. “It’s always kind of a fear I have, not fitting in,” she said. “I didn’t really talk about my religion when I was in Germany because I was scared that people wouldn’t understand. People, when they think of Muslims, they think of covered women, terrorists, things like that.” However, Pucarevic said her opinions have changed now that she’s gotten older and wiser. “Now, it’s a kind of pride for me to be Muslim. My mother wants me to know who I am, what I belong to. Especially now, after Sept. 11, I am trying to learn more about what Islam really is. Now, when people ask me about it, I will tell them about what it means, and defend it. There are only good parts of it for me, no bad ones.”
‘We’re much more relaxed’ Sanel Sehic doesn’t go to mosque very often. Sure, he goes for the holidays, like Eid al-Fitr and Bairam. But he doesn’t pray five times a day, or fast during Ramadan, or even read the Quran much. “Lots of people think all Muslims are the same everywhere,” the 23-year-old Sehic said. “But that just isn’t true. In Bosnia, we still believe in Allah, but we’re much more relaxed than some other people. I think it might come from being in the middle of Europe, and having different sorts of traditions.” For Sehic, being a good Muslim means having the discipline to lead a good life and to recognize right from wrong. “I am a Muslim in my heart. Right now, my main goal is to find a good job,” Sehic said. “Sure, I go out and drink and have fun with my friends, but I am not less of a Muslim because of it.” Sehic has been in Utica since 1995, and is studying economic crime investigation. He also works part-time on a project to recognize foreign diplomas. “You just can’t be ashamed of your religion ever,” the Bosanski-Novi native said. “It’s degrading to yourself, your parents, and your children.” ‘My children will also be Muslim’ Ahmet Mehmedovic worries that he doesn’t have more time to practice his religion here in Utica. The native of Tuzla, Bosnia, has been here for more than one year, and while his job at Stickley keeps him busy, he sees to it that his kids go to the mosque every week. “I don’t worry that my children will lose the religion,” Mehmedovic said through his translator, his 10-year-old son Abedin. “It cannot be like that. They learn Quran, they learn how to be good Muslims every Sunday at the mosque.” Mehmedovic and his wife, Munira, fast during Ramadan, try to pray five times a day, don’t smoke or drink, and don’t bring pork into their home. The 41-year-old Mehmedovic goes to the mosque for Jumah prayer on Fridays, and they both attend during holidays. “My mother and father were Muslim. My grandfather was Muslim. His grandfather was Muslim. There is no question that my children will also be Muslim,”he said. Mehmedovic fought in the war, then waited for the situation to get better in Bosnia, but it wasn’t getting better. They came to Utica hoping for a better life. So far, they’ve liked it. But Mehmedovic isn’t sure what the future holds. “It’s too early to tell whether we’ll stay,”he said. “Right now, I’m still just trying to learn the language.” |
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