Bičakčić: Islamic Community in BiH must be a moral corrective, resolve contract with the state and pass restitution law

(Patria) - The Islamic Community must preserve the symbol of moral verticality, must be a moral corrective and preserve its leadership in religious renewal and education - emphasized Edhem Bičakčić, President of the Assembly of the Islamic Community (IZ) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in a Bayram interview for MINA Agency.

Bičakčić was elected president for the mandate period 2022-2026, and upon taking office, he announced that the priorities in his work will be persistence in resolving the issue of the contract between the Islamic Community and the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as resolving the issue of the restitution law.

„Upon taking on this responsible duty, which was a great honor and delight for me, I believed that from the perspective of the Constitution of the Islamic Community, I should provide guidelines on what the Assembly, in my opinion, could do in the next four years. Of course, the issue of signing the contract with the state became a priority,” said Bičakčić.

Namely, the Catholic and Orthodox Churches have signed contracts with the state, and the Islamic Community has been awaiting the resolution of this issue since 2015, when the Council of Ministers unanimously adopted and submitted this contract to the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina for consideration and decision-making.

„States in the former Yugoslavia have largely resolved this issue with religious communities; it turns out that only Bosnia and Herzegovina has not regulated it, and perhaps this is the most significant in our country, considering the fact that we are a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society, and that coexistence, if it exists anywhere, exists in Bosnia and Herzegovina. These are the tasks ahead of us, and we will try to achieve them,” he said.

He stated that the services of the Rijaset of the Islamic Community have already initiated certain activities to achieve "open negotiations and an eventual attempt to harmonize unresolved issues".

Speaking about the issue of the restitution law, Bičakčić emphasized that the adoption of this law is one of the conditions for Bosnia and Herzegovina's path to the European Union.

„The Islamic Community has always advocated for a restitution law, but we have not had such a law since the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement. Transitional laws, privatization of property, and apartments have been adopted, and the restitution law logically follows in that package. Neighboring countries have implemented it, we have not. The Office of the High Representative has suspended the potential adoption of entity laws, requesting that they be adopted at the state level. However, it has never provided sufficient support for this to actually happen, nor have the holders of political power put it on the agenda, so today we have an inherited situation, and the inherited situation was usurpation, expropriation, confiscation, and seizure of waqf property,” stated Bičakčić.

He also reminded that there are examples of the sale of waqf property by those who are not the actual owners.

„These are criminal offenses. I believe that many will be held accountable before the law. I believe we will succeed in getting this law passed. If construction occurs in the meantime, then compensation follows, but this issue can also be resolved today. The Islamic Community, naturally, wants to ensure the management of waqf property according to the following waqfnamas,” he said.

He emphasized that, precisely through the restitution law, waqf property would be put into service of society, which is its primary purpose.

„It would be used primarily as assistance for education, then for the care of the elderly, and a number of other intentions in which the Community takes on a large part of the responsibility. Since it is the bearer of these activities, it must provide an adequate financial basis for them. Waqf as an institution should come to life and be recognized in our legislation. Generally, endowments are discussed, but waqf is something special. Waqf is waqf; people understand it here, but our legislator does not understand it; this word is simply being driven out of our vocabulary. Even the names of cities that had waqf are being erased. Waqf clearly bothers someone here, and we must fight to ensure it is an important concept in our tradition, culture, and in the core of the Islamic Community's work,” believes Bičakčić.

In Tešanj, a cornerstone for the first photovoltaic power plant was recently laid on a waqf plot, a project intended to establish a new model for the development and financial sustainability of the Islamic Community, and Bičakčić also spoke about the Community's potential in this regard.

„The Islamic Community has the potential and legal possibilities to engage in a number of activities, including this one, which is a profitable investment today – to invest surplus funds and achieve returns in a short period. The Islamic Community has recognized this again, and the state has not. But this is a good example, and it is also a good example because the story comes from Tešanj, which is an entrepreneurial environment, where people strive to find ways independently to follow global trends and flows,” said Bičakčić.

The newly elected president of the Assembly of the Islamic Community also spoke about the direction the Islamic Community should take, emphasizing, first and foremost, the need for "Islamic solidarity".

„The Islamic Community has existed under various conditions and regimes. We have survived everything, and today we have regained much of what is necessary for basic functioning, but there is still much work to be done. We need to ensure, as I call it, Islamic solidarity, so that all our communities have equal conditions. The diaspora is a significant category; the better we work with our diaspora, the more we can count on this significant potential of our people in the future,” said Bičakčić.

Referring to the numerous ills that mark everyday life and erode our society, Bičakčić emphasized the need for moral renewal.

„We are faced with a number of challenges, which come through the spread of information, via social networks, the open society, and the like, and our society must be resilient to these challenges. In this regard, the Islamic Community has a great educational and upbringing role. The role of our imams, religious teachers, and muallims is very significant – to preserve the basic being while simultaneously building a person capable of coping with the challenges that surround us, from which we cannot escape, we cannot remain closed. We will be open, but we must show resilience to the negative influences that come. People have not coped with the challenges of freedom, which is now almost absolute, thinking that everything is allowed. We must be prepared to deal with that,” emphasized Bičakčić.

Finally, he extended a Bayram message to all Muslims.

„Kurban Bayram is a time of sacrifice; Muslims welcome it in freedom and faith that they will build a better future. Bayram šerif mubarek olsun,” said Edhem Bičakčić.