A member of the New York City Council from District 22 announced that the request to rename 12th Street, between Broadway and 31st Avenue in Astoria, to “Ali–pashaShabanagić Way” has been approved.
The street is home to the renowned Ali-pasha Mosque, a waqf of the Islamic Community, and the Plav-Gusinje Cultural Centre in New York. A press conference and an official unveiling of the street sign are expected in the coming days. City officials, members of the City Council, and District representatives are expected to attend the event.
The initiative was launched by Bosnian women in New York through the organization “Collective Work of Sisters”, led by President Zara Kandić and Aida Šarkinović.
Ali-pasha Šabanagić is recognized as a prominent historical figure and humanist, a symbol of resilience, and a respected gazi(veteran warrior). He was the last descendant of the notable Šabanagić beg family. Born in Gusinje in 1828, his father was Hasan-beg, son of the well-known Đul-beg Šabanagić.
In 1888, Ali-pasha was assassinated at the entrance to Rugovska klisura, a steep and strategic canyon near the Peć Patriarchate. The attack was carried out by a mercenary named Mahmud Rugovac. Ali-pasha’s grave is located in the cemetery of the Bajrakli Mosque in Peć. In Gusinje, the riverside area of Vrujaonce hosted Kršla, the historical residence and administrative center of the Šabanagić family, serving as a stronghold and seat of local authority. The Đul-beg Mosque also stood there.
Large springs near Gusinje are named Ali-pasha’s springs, and since a few years ago, a city square in Gusinje has been called Ali-pasha’s Square.
Astoria and the wider Queens area have, over the past few decades, become one of the most important hubs for the Bosnian and Sandžak communities in the diaspora. Families arrived from Plav, Gusinje, Rožaje, Bijelo Polje, and other parts of the region, bringing their traditions, language, faith, and identity.
Over time, the community began to grow and establish institutions, including, mosques and masjids, sports and cultural associations, humanitarian organizations, educational programs for children, language workshops, media and digital content, and mutual solidarity.
Astoria has become a kind of small courtyard for people across the Atlantic, a place where nostalgia became infrastructure and identity a project for the future. It is no coincidence that Astoria is the first to write such history, reported Radio New York.
