President of the Student Parliament of the University of Sarajevo (SPUS) Haris Zahiragić confirmed that they will submit to the Senate an initiative for allowing break from classes and exams on Fridays, because of the Jummah prayer.
“I got support from the majority of students of social sciences, including two students who are not Muslims. At the session held on September 28 this year, I informed the Senate about my intention to include this issue in the agenda for the next session,” Zahiragić said.
The proposal includes giving students half an hour of free time during Friday, for Jummah prayer, and not scheduling exams or lectures during that time.
Zahiragić calls for the article 9 of the European convention on human rights, which guarantees the right for the freedom of thought, consciousness and religious beliefs, and the article 14 which prescribes prohibition of discrimination at any basis.
“Many students who attend Jummah prayer think they are discriminated because they have to choose between performing a religious duty and acquiring knowledge at lectures, which is why they actually enrolled in their faculties,” Zahiragić added.
Those who criticize this initiative claim that the SPUS is wasting time on this issue, instead of dedicating time to other issues, real issues that students are dealing with. Zahiragić says that the idea for this initiative is one year old, but that SPUS insisted on dealing with more important issues before.
Zahiragić encountered a number of problems during presentation of this proposal. He said that one part of professors and deans agrees with the proposal, while the rest of them do not care and continue scheduling lectures and exams during the time when Jummah prayer is held.
Also, some members of the Senate who were against this request, although it has not been officially submitted yet, said that this is something that the Islamic Community and bodies of authority in the Sarajevo Canton should deal with. Zahiragić disagrees.
“The relationship between religious communities and the state, in a secular country such as BiH, is regulated with contracts between religious communities and their institutions and the country. Bosnia and Herzegovina never signed such contract with the Islamic Community, like they signed it with the Orthodox and Catholic church,” said Zahiragić, adding that the University should try to adjust the schedule to students, regardless of their religious affiliation.
(Source: klix.ba)
