For days now in the public space, there has been a soap opera with a tendency to raise tensions, led by the self-proclaimed fighter for religious regulations, the notorious Sanin Musa.
This is a man who, for years, has been trying to attract attention in various ways, but mainly emphasizing the religious segment. For those hearing the name Sanin Musa for the first time, it might be clearer to say that this is a man who, for several years in Sarajevo, organized mini demonstrations in protest over the holding of the Pride Parade.
After that, he also founded a political party, which has no real strength or influence. However, Musa now and then tries through various moves, statements on social networks, and organizing various gatherings to attract attention by promoting himself and not caring about the consequences of his actions.
The latest in a series of actions tied to a man who at all costs tries to be at the center of attention is going to Siroki Brijeg, with the announcement of a gathering of 1.000 people who in that town should perform prayer, that is, namaz. Musa launched that idea after a video spread on social networks showing a woman in a public area, not far from a gas station in Siroki Brijeg, performing namaz, after which a man approaches her and chases her away.
Musa saw this as an opportunity for his engagement, announcing a defiant gathering and prayer in Siroki Brijeg.
In the mentioned town, there is no mosque, nor has there ever been one, and Musa saw the incident in Siroki Brijeg as an attack on the rights of Muslims to religious rituals. Yet it is precisely in that context that the question arises, to whom and why does raising tensions and organizing a trip to Siroki Brijeg for performing namaz suit? To Muslims, certainly not. To politics and those who want to further increase tensions between Bosniaks and Croats, certainly yes. And Musa is a politician in the making, desperately craving wider attention. His actions most resemble the services in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) that cause discord and new tensions.
Praying in public spaces was commented on almost a decade ago by the Islamic Community as well. Thus, the Mostar mufti Salem Effendi Dedovic in 2016 emphasized that this is unacceptable.
“Performing namaz in public spaces such as shopping centers, gas stations, and the like is not acceptable to us. We have cases where our people work jobs in nature, so even in nature, they look for some secluded place. It is not necessary for namaz to be performed in a place of worship, but there are some frameworks; an acceptable place must be found, which meets the criteria for namaz. These spaces we spoke about cannot be the ones where namaz must be performed at any cost,” Dedovic stressed at the time.
In the area of Herzegovina, and especially in the region of Mostar, there are dozens of mosques, but Musa intends to perform namaz in a public space, precisely in Siroki Brijeg.
In a country where everyone has and must have the right to religious freedoms, the moves that Musa makes do not contribute to civilized action for the purpose of religious rights, but serve to raise national tensions, to provoke, neglecting even religious responsibility. After all, Musa and those who proclaim themselves fighters for the rights of Muslims can show their concern for the community in a number of other examples, but lo and behold, they appear only where they can promote themselves personally, not caring about the consequences, Klix.ba writes.
