Balkan Muslims raise funds to help earthquake victims in Türkiye

By Eren Beksac, Furkan Abdula

PRIZREN/SKOPJE (AA) - People in the Western Balkan countries of Kosovo and North Macedonia have mobilized to help earthquake victims in Türkiye after the 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes, the epicenter of which were Pazarcik and Elbistan districts of Kahramanmaras province.

In the Seydi Bey mosque in the city of Prizren, which lies in the south of Kosovo, the community raised funds to support their Turkish brethren, in the wake of the disaster caused by the earthquakes that affected 10 provinces.

Prizren Provincial Mufti Besim Berisha announced that more than €2,000 ($2,144) had been collected in a short time, with women also donating their earrings and rings.

Berisha said €2,221 euros, 100 Turkish liras, two pairs of gold earrings, a gold ring and a gold coin were collected in one go.

The collected aid is expected to be delivered to the earthquake victims in coordination with Türkiye's institutions and organizations in Kosovo as soon as possible.

- Flowers left in front of Turkish consulate

Various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Kosovo's municipalities such as Prizren, Pristina and Mamusha are also organizing charity campaigns.

"The people of Kosovo are mobilized to help Türkiye, both in terms of clothing and financial aid. We collected over 50,000 pieces clothing and were able to collect a large amount of financial aid,” Onur Kovac, president of the Empathy Association, the NGO that collected the aid, told Anadolu.

Flowers were also left in front of the Consulate General of Türkiye in commemoration of the victims killed in the earthquakes.

In the morning sessions of the Kosovo assembly, a minute's silence was observed in memory of those who lost their lives in Türkiye and Syria.

President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani also declared a one-day national mourning in the wake of the deadly quakes.

- North Macedonia

Turkish students in Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia, also launched a humanitarian aid collection campaign for earthquake victims in Türkiye.

Students set up tents in Macedonia Square as people brought basic necessities such as canned food, blankets, clothes, diapers and soft drinks.

Besides fundraising campaigns by non-profits, aid was also collected in the Old Turkish Bazaar in the capital.

In the historical Mustafa Pasha Mosque in Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia, Quran was recited and prayers held for those affected by the disaster.

The program was carried out in cooperation with the Islamic Union of North Macedonia, and the Religious Services Consultancy of the Turkish Embassy in Skopje.

*Writing by Emre Basaran