Asaf Duraković (16 May 1940 – 16 December 2020) was a Croatian

medical Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practic ...

doctor. He is also known for his

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

and verses. Duraković was born in

Stolac Stolac is an ancient city located in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in the region of Herzegovina. Stolac is one of the oldest cities in Bosnia and Herzego ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

and educated at the

University of Zagreb The University of Zagreb ( hr, Sveučilište u Zagrebu, ; la, Universitas Studiorum Zagrabiensis) is the largest Croatian university and the oldest continuously operating university in the area covering Central Europe south of Vienna and all of ...

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

where he earned both master's and doctoral degrees. During this time he worked at the

Ruđer Bošković Institute The Ruđer Bošković Institute (RBI; hr, Institut Ruđer Bošković, , IRB) is a research institute located in the Šalata neighborhood of Zagreb, Croatia, founded in 1950, which studies the sciences. Description It is the largest Croatian resea ...

. Afterwards he continued with post-doctoral work at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

. In 1968 he migrated to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, where he attended

McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood and Westdale, adjacent to the Royal Botanical Ga ...

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

. He worked at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...

, the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...

, and

University of Rochester The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private university, private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants Undergraduate education, undergraduate and graduate degrees, including Doctorate, do ...

(UofR). He has been associated with the ''Croatian Literary Journal''. Duraković is one of the co-founders of the Croatian Islamic Centre in Etobicoke, Toronto, the construction of which was finished on June 23, 1973. Its mosque is the oldest in Toronto. The minaret is Ottoman-style and it is the oldest minaret in Ontario. In 1990, Duraković was one of the founders of the Croatian Muslim Democratic Party, formed in

. Dr. Duraković is a retired Colonel in the US Army Reserve. He worked at the VA hospital in Wilmington, Delaware. Dr. Duraković also founded the World Life Institute, an international non-profit humanitarian organization based in Orleans County, New York. In addition, other World Life organizations inspired by Dr. Duraković have been established worldwide. World Life organizations can be found in Canada, Croatia and Denmark, Great Britain and South Africa.

Works

Poetry

*''Dark Sea-Weeds'' *''Smoke and Mist'' *''Paths of Ahasver''

Politics

*''From Bleiburg to Muslim Nation'' (Vedrina, Toronto, 1972) *''Status of Moslim People in Croatian National Community'' (Vedrina, Toronto, 1973)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Durakovic, Asaf 1940 births 2020 deaths Croatian physicians Croatian poets Croatian male poets Croatian Muslims People from Stolac Croatian nuclear medicine physicians Yugoslav expatriates in England Yugoslav military doctors University of Washington faculty University of Rochester faculty Yugoslav expatriates in Canada Yugoslav expatriates in the United States

Works

Poetry

Politics

See also

References