Islamic Community of BiH responds to Austrian minister: Nobody pays Muslim women to cover up

The Islamic Community of BiH considers the statement by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Austria, Sebastian Kurz, as reported by the media, to be inappropriate, in which he stated that "in Sarajevo and Pristina, women are paid to walk the streets fully covered, in order to change the image of the city".

"The Islamic Community of BiH has no knowledge of anyone paying Muslim women in BiH to dress in a certain way and holds the position that everyone has the right, including Muslim women, to dress in a way they choose," reads a statement from the Public Relations Office of the Riyaset, which further states:

"We consider Minister Kurz's efforts to have EU institutions pay more attention to the Western Balkans to be well-intentioned and we understand his concern about the current situation, but we think he did not find the right example to illustrate it. We know that the election campaign in Austria is underway and that everyone resorts to harsh rhetoric, but just as we advise politicians in the Balkans, we think it would be best for the rest of Europe as well not to politicize religion and the religious feelings of individuals and not to drag them into the political arena," the Islamic Community of BiH stated at the end of the announcement, reports Patria news agency.