The ceremony was opened by the head of the Islamic community in Croatia, Mufti Sevko Omerbasic. In attendance were Reis-Ul-Ulema Mustafa Ceric, Croatian President Stjepan Mesic, Parliament Speaker Vladimir Seks, Deputy Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor, Party of Rights (HSP) president Anto Djapic, Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic, prominent Islamic figures from Croatia and neighbouring countries, and representatives of other religious communities in Croatia.
Omerbasic recalled that on 27 April 1916 the Croatian parliament passed a law recognising Islam as an official religion in Croatia, which was part of Austria-Hungary at the time, and that this had been initiated by HSP deputies. He said that Croatia had 204 Muslims at that time.
Omerbasic recalled that the issue of lack of space was settled during World War Two when the Ivan Mestrovic Pavilion in Zagreb was transformed into a mosque, which was active from 1944 to 1948. In 1948, after the communist authorities seized the Islamic community's property, the mosque returned to its prior location in Tomasiceva Street.
A new mosque was completed in September 1987 and it radically changed the fate of the Islamic community in Croatia, said Omerbasic, adding that a Meshihat was established in 1990.
Omerbasic said that according to official figures, Croatia has a Muslim population of 56,777. Islam is taught in schools, Muslims are present in Croatia's politics, economy, science, sports and arts, he added.
Reis-Ul-Ulema Ceric said the Islamic community had become a free and responsible entity in Croatia which enjoyed full rights and that it could serve as an example on which European governments could learn how to address Muslim needs.
He said the Pope's current visit to Turkey gave hope that some closed doors between the East and the West would finally open and that those doors which let in mistrust would close. Europe's Muslims should help the Vatican restore its reputation as a leader in interreligious dialogue, Ceric underlined.
Croatian President Mesic said the Islamic community was an active and constructive factor in interreligious and social dialogue in Croatia.
Recognising Islam as an official religion in Croatia in 1916 was a huge step forward, proving that in Croatia, despite centuries of interreligious conflict, there is a high awareness of a new society based on dialogue and coexistence, said Mesic.
Parliament Speaker Seks said the Croatian parliament showed with the 1916 decision that Croatia respected the religious and national rights of all its citizens. Today's Europe must be built on religious pluralism founded on tolerance and interreligious dialogue, he added.
Mufti Omerbasic posthumously awarded six eminent Muslims for their contribution to the establishment and development of the Islamic community in Croatia.
Zagreb Mayor Bandic opened an exhibition space at the Islamic Centre displaying religious pieces.