Reisu-l-ulema of the Islamic community in Bosnia and Herzegovina Husein ef. kavazovic, in an interview with the Austrian newspaper Der Standard, spoke about the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He said that it is important to him that there is equality for all citizens in every part of the country. According to him, collective identities and collective rights, which should be respected, cannot be a justification for discrimination.
“Unfortunately, we have a policy based on striving for the dominance of one ethnic identity and affiliation, and parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina are the exclusive property of only one nation,” he noted.
Kavazović emphasized that the Islamic community wants European values and civil rights to exist in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with respect for collective rights and particularities. However, as he stated, the Islamic community does not have political power and does not seek it. He also criticized the actions of foreign factors in the country.
“We are sorry that Europe, when it comes to Bosnia and Herzegovina, often abandons the aforementioned values and principles and tries to win over politicians who openly have a different view of the world and values compared to those on which they base their policy,” he stated.
He assessed that there is a feeling among Muslims and that the fear is increasing that those who survived the genocide will not be free in their country and that Europe will not accept them just because of their name and religious feelings. He reminded that Bosnia and Herzegovina is a dysfunctional country under constant blockades.
He also reminded that in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as in its surroundings, those in power are those who glorify war crimes, deny the genocide against Bosniaks in 1995, and those who do not hide their hatred for everything Islamic and Muslim, openly speaking about the fact that they will to separate from Bosnia and Herzegovina the areas that were ethnically cleansed during the war. He pointed out that there is no reaction to that.
Kavazović also pointed to anti-Muslim propaganda in the Balkans, according to which Bosniaks are majorizing someone and denying someone human rights. As he said, these are the same accusations that were used to justify genocide and other mass murders in the 90s. He also referred to the issue of religious nationalism.
“We can say with certainty that it is disastrous. Faith, not a religious leader, should be a corrective to society, its conscience, and not an instrument of government,” he pointed out.
As he stated, religious communities and institutions are not always at the level of their mission. As what he considers of greatest importance, he highlighted the strengthening of those forces that do not see religion as an obstacle to coexistence or as a means of dominating people. In an interview with Der Standard, he said that it is necessary to break numerous prejudices against religiosity, especially Islam.
