TEHRAN – Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said on Tuesday that the Balkan region is Islam’s gate of entry to the western world.

However, certain European countries are sensitive to the spread of Islam and cannot tolerate seeing Muslims become powerful in the Balkan region, Rafsanjani told Mustafa Ceric, the head of Islamic community in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The senior cleric who heads the Expediency Council and the Assembly of Experts, said Islam captures the minds of people by its wise and logical approach and the enemies cannot deter its influence on citizens no matter how powerful they are.
With the passage of time, the humankind becomes more receptive to Islam as they make much more progress.
The Expediency Council chairman said Iran has been on the side of Bosnian people, saying “we hope to play a role in the reconstruction of the country”. Bosnia and Herzegovina was hugely devastated in the 1992-5 Balkan war by the Serb forces.
He also expressed hope that Iran and Bosnia will develop their cultural cooperation.
For his part, Mustafa Ceric said Islam is rapidly spreading in the Balkan region especially in Bosnia-Herzegovina. He said he considers Iran a “good friend” of his country