When you think of relations between Muslims and Christians from now on, here's a name to remember: Zeljko Komsic. Why? Because with a simple act of kindness last weekend, he struck a blow for sectarian harmony in a place where it has been scarce.Komsic, you see, is a Croat and one of the three co-presidents of Bosnia, the former Yugoslav republic whose war for independence left it with ethnically separate mini-states, each having its own government. And that's 12 years after the fighting ended.
Anyway, his motorcade was returning from official business in neighboring Croatia when he noticed another vehicle struggling to get ahead of traffic on a busy highway. A couple who turned out to be Muslim were in the car, the wife was in labor, and her husband was trying to rush her to a hospital. Komsic invited them to join the motorcade and ordered his police escort to clear the highway. At the hospital, he assisted the mother-to-be inside and only then did he leave.
"I have no words to thank [him]," the father said, adding that he hoped to shake Komsic's hand "one more time." But first, he and his wife made a gesture that is rare in Bosnia. In gratitude, they decided to call their new son Zeljko, setting aside the Muslim name they'd chosen.
P.S. This story is also appended to the Wikipedia article under the heading Trivia. What a pity. This cameo might say more than his other accolades. GP
Source: THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, MARCH 8, 2007
http://www.csmonitor.com/
Image: Zeljko Komsic
"I have no words to thank [him]," the father said, adding that he hoped to shake Komsic's hand "one more time." But first, he and his wife made a gesture that is rare in Bosnia. In gratitude, they decided to call their new son Zeljko, setting aside the Muslim name they'd chosen.
P.S. This story is also appended to the Wikipedia article under the heading Trivia. What a pity. This cameo might say more than his other accolades. GP
Source: THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, MARCH 8, 2007
http://www.csmonitor.com/
Image: Zeljko Komsic