Politics, Faith, and the University

The issue of secularism in a country is not a matter of rigid stance, but of the refined feelings of people elected by the will of citizens to enact just and humane laws in their name. This is especially important in societies composed of communities with different religious habits. Bosnian society is precisely like that, which is its great advantage, and on the other hand, requires additional effort in maintaining good relations among communities.

From this perspective, the initiative of the Student Parliament to exempt students from academic obligations during Friday prayers should be viewed.

This is a matter of legally framing religious freedom and obligation, not politicking between the Student Parliament, the Cantonal Government, the Sarajevo Mufti's Office, and the Senate of the University of Sarajevo. It concerns the right and obligation of all Muslims, not just students; the right and obligation of Muslims throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina. If it were not about politicking, the initiative would have been directed to the legislative body, representatives of religious communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Interreligious Council, and all those who could contribute by proposing amendments to laws that deny these rights.

It is evident that the initiator of the initiative, consciously or unconsciously, ignores the fact that Muslims also study in other cities of Bosnia and Herzegovina and that, for example, their religious rights are much more violated in Republika Srpska – something that the respected Reis Kavazović has publicly spoken about. I could list many examples that prove this is political manipulation and not a genuine fight for human rights. Supporting this is the opinion obtained from the Ministry of Education, Science, and Youth of Sarajevo Canton, signed by Minister Elvir Kazazović, a member of the same government that showed complete intolerance towards non-Muslims just three days earlier.

The Minister believes that the request from the initiative is not contrary to positive legal regulations, so he refers the Senate of the University of Sarajevo to make a decision that organizes the teaching process in a way that it is interrupted during Friday prayers. However, the Minister did not comment on the eventual inspection of work within the forty-hour work week, as prescribed by law.

My opinion is that this issue should be resolved at the level of the legislative authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, through amendments to the Law that conflict with the initiative's request. The Senate of the University of Sarajevo is not competent to resolve this issue; rather, the legislative bodies and the people we have all elected to ensure legality on our behalf are.

As long as this is not the case, I believe this is primitive nationalism that is being attempted to be articulated through very bad, aggressive moves, the purpose of which is to undermine Bosnia and Herzegovina and further divide and radicalize citizens of the entire country, because this is a message being sent again from the capital. The main question is, in whose interest and on whose behalf are the individuals directly involved in this activity working?