Our Community

Faith, learning and community

Founded in 2006 as part of the Islamic Community of Bosniaks in North America, our jamaat is institutionally and spiritually connected to the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We bought our building in 2008 and opened it as a mosque and Bosniak community center in May 2009.

In April 2025 we celebrated 20 years of our jamaat, and welcomed Bosniaks from across North America as hosts of the annual IZBSA assembly.

The crescent and star on the front of the mosque building

Daily prayers & Jummah

The five daily prayers and Friday Jummah prayer at 1:30 PM, plus a weekly dhikr with a lecture on Fridays and a gathering with a lecture on Saturdays.

Islamic school & Qur’an

Weekend Islamic school for children, and Qaida and Qur’an courses for children and adults alike.

Ramadan & Eid

Taraweeh prayers and iftars throughout Ramadan, Mawlid, observances of the blessed nights, and Eid celebrations together.

Youth & community

A youth group with seminars and workshops, an ilahije and kasida choir, sports sections, football tournaments, trips and community dinners.

Nikah & family

Religious marriages, guidance for Hajj and Umrah, and support for families at every stage of life.

Janazah & cemetery

Funeral and burial services, including our own Bosniak cemetery, opened in 2014.

Portrait of Jasmin ef. Latifović, wearing a white ahmedija and a dark blue robe
Jasmin ef. LatifovićImam of Bosanski Mesdžid

Our imam

Jasmin ef. Latifović

Jasmin ef. Latifović has served the jamaat since its very beginning. When Bosanski Mesdžid was founded in 2006, he volunteered as its imam, and in May 2013 the jamaat’s assembly unanimously chose to engage him as full-time imam. He has been at the heart of the community through the purchase and opening of our mosque, the opening of our cemetery and, in April 2025, the celebration of 20 years of the jamaat.

He grew up in the village of Sase near Srebrenica. He was 17 when the aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina began, and joined the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina while still a minor. In July 1995 he survived the Srebrenica genocide, making his way out through the forest along what survivors call the road of death.

Today, as imam in the diaspora, he leads prayers, teaches, and works to keep our faith, identity and the memory of Srebrenica alive for the next generation.

“Moj put u neizvjesnost je, zapravo, put u odgovornost.”

“My road into uncertainty is, in truth, a road into responsibility.” — Jasmin ef. Latifović
Cover of the novel Srebrenica – Put u neizvjesnost by Jasmin ef. Latifović, showing a young man with a backpack looking toward a village in green hills

His book

Srebrenica – Put u neizvjesnost

Srebrenica – A Road into Uncertainty · War novel (ratni roman)

A historical, autobiographical novel in which Jasmin ef. Latifović bears witness to surviving the genocide in Srebrenica. It is based on the diary he kept as a 17-year-old during the war, and follows his escape from Srebrenica, the journey through the forest, and survival.

The book is a testimony to the road of death and to the struggle to preserve faith, identity and a culture of remembrance. In the author’s words, staying silent would be a betrayal of those who did not survive.

Genre
Historical & autobiographical war novel
Language
Bosnian
Presented
Sarajevo (2025) and Kalesija (July 2026)
Ask about the book

Our journey

From 2006 to today

The milestones that made Bosanski Mesdžid the home it is today.

  1. The flag of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina in front of the crescent and star on the mosque

    2006

    The jamaat is founded

    Bosanski Mesdžid is founded as part of the Islamic Community of Bosniaks in North America. Jasmin ef. Latifović volunteers as its imam from the very first day.

  2. The Bosanski Mesdžid sign above the entrance of the building

    2008

    A building of our own

    With an interest-free loan, the jamaat buys the building in Pinellas Park that is still its home today.

  3. The prayer hall of the masjid

    May 2009

    The masjid opens its doors

    After a year of renovation, the building opens as a mosque and Bosniak community center.

  4. 2013

    A full-time imam and a paid-off building

    In May, the assembly unanimously engages Jasmin ef. Latifović as full-time imam. The same year the building is fully paid off, entirely through membership fees and donations, and Tampa Bay hosts the 18th Susreti Bošnjaka Sjeverne Amerike.

  5. 2014

    Our own Bosniak cemetery

    The jamaat opens its own cemetery, so families can lay their loved ones to rest according to our traditions.

  6. 2016

    The southernmost jamaat

    The Islamic Community of Bosniaks in North America features us as its southernmost jamaat, with around 240 regular members and growing about 10% a year.

  7. A crowd of worshippers in front of the masjid on Eid, with the Bosnian and American flags at the entrance

    2018

    Eid al-Fitr together

    The jamaat gathers in front of the masjid for Eid, one of the celebrations that bring the whole community together every year.

  8. Guests at the celebration of 20 years of Bosanski Mesdžid

    April 2025

    20 years of the jamaat

    On April 12 we host the annual assembly of the Islamic Community of Bosniaks in North America, with a festive Mawlid. The next day we celebrate 20 years of our jamaat with guests from across North America.

  9. Cover of the novel Srebrenica – Put u neizvjesnost

    2025 – 2026

    Our imam’s book

    Jasmin ef. Latifović’s war novel Srebrenica – Put u neizvjesnost is presented in Sarajevo, and in Kalesija in July 2026.

  10. Islamic school students at the end-of-year celebration

    May 2026

    Another Islamic school year

    Students, parents and the whole jamaat celebrate the end of the Islamic school year.

  11. Flyer for the Bosnian Food Festival

    December 5, 2026 · Coming up

    Bosnian Food Festival

    Traditional food, folklore and sports, with the whole jamaat and our neighbors.

    View event →