Reis Kavazović's message read in hundreds of mosques in BiH: Villains do not represent the faith

Islam is a religion of peace. We Muslims, its followers, are constantly striving to establish peace within ourselves, in our families, and in the society in which we live. Our Muslim name and definition are defined by the word "peace" and its deepest meaning - imams in hundreds of mosques in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the diaspora announced during today's Friday prayer, reports the BiH news agency Patria.

This is the message that the Reis-ul-ulema of the Islamic Community in BiH, Husein ef. Kavazović, sent to all believers in the country and abroad, after a young man from Sarajevo killed two soldiers of the Armed Forces of BiH with a firearm. A few days earlier, attackers killed nearly 130 people and wounded hundreds in Paris, and the media subsequently reported that the group was linked to the so-called Islamic State (ISIL).

The message of Reis-ul-ulema Kavazović, in which he explains that Islam is not a religion of violence but a religion of peace and tolerance, was conveyed by imams today during the weekly Friday prayer.

The message of the supreme head of the Islamic Community in BiH further states that "this peace within us and around us is our greatest strength.".

- God's words are: "And the servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them, they say, 'Peace.'" (Al-Furqan, 63)

In this one verse alone, we understand all the nobility of believers, sincere servants of God, who even wish peace upon the ignorant. They are the true nobles of the human race.
However, today this call is barely heard. We live in a time of noise caused and imposed by villains.

Brothers and sisters.
From the pulpits of our mosques, as many times before, we have spoken about the challenges we face. It is not the first time that the world, and Muslims in it, have been tested by the abuse of our honorable faith.
Let us remember that this happened to those who were better than us - the first generation of Muslims. They too were astonished by the brutality of the criminals, who spared no effort and feared neither justice nor its hand. For them, even the best Muslims, to whom the Prophet himself, peace be upon him, guaranteed Paradise (Uthman and Ali), were not good enough Muslims. They killed them!

Today, violence is spreading in the world. Many innocent people are suffering.

We raise our voice against it! We condemn the madness and crimes against people! We must not be silent and confused when innocents are killed, when terror and hatred are imposed. Let us not allow ourselves to be guided by the idea that the end justifies the means. The killing of innocents cannot be justified by anything.

Likewise, we must have no doubt that villains represent no one's faith, and certainly not that they belong to our community of goodness and peace. It is a sin to sympathize with them.

Furthermore, we cannot side with the murderers of innocent people in Gaza and Syria, who do so on behalf of world powers. Unfortunately, the most numerous victims of criminals and those who allegedly fight against them are Muslims. Out of the total number of innocent victims in the world, killed and perished in the last few years, over 85% are Muslims.

Brothers and sisters.
The primary goal of our faith is the well-being of humanity! Muslims should strive to protect the life, faith, reason, dignity, offspring, and property of every human being. To endanger any of these foundations is to endanger humanity.

Generations of Muslims have done their best to build a civilization based on goodness and understanding. Their nobility, justice, and devotion to God's word have contributed to millions of people finding peace within the embrace of Islam. We must nurture, preserve, and present this tradition to our neighbors and others.

Muslims have no right to remain confused and bewildered. Yet, we seem as if the force of evil and brutality we witness has surprised and paralyzed us. We must seek inspiration where we have always found it. Therefore, let us turn to the Prophet, peace be upon him, and his timely and beneficial guidance: "Whoever among you sees an evil, let him stop it with his hand, and if he cannot, then with his tongue, and if he cannot, then with his heart, and that is the weakest of faith."

I call on the authorities to forcibly stop all those who spread hatred and incite terror. I call on learned people to publicly oppose evil, to explain and condemn it. Now it is necessary for all of us to stand up and not allow evil to defeat us. Let us not allow fear to overcome our senses. Let us do everything in our power to oppose it.

I call on all well-intentioned people not to help the goals of the criminals with their careless reactions to their misdeeds. Let us not allow them to stigmatize our entire community. That is precisely what they are counting on.

I call on young people to protect and preserve their faith and community! You belong to it, even more than we older ones. Show pride and dignity, and just as our ancestors knew how to defend their values, so should you: wisely, patiently, and decisively.

I call on all those who think that injustice can be resolved through violence and terror, their teachers, inspirers, organizers, and sponsors, to come to their senses, repent, abandon the wrong path, and return to the fold of the community and the middle way.

Brothers and sisters.
In everything we do, let the words of our Lord be our guide:
"Whoever desires honor [power], then to Allah belongs all honor [power]. To Him ascends good word, and righteous deeds exalt it. But those who plot evils will have a severe punishment, and their plotting is without success." (Fatir, 10) - states the message of Reis-ul-ulema Kavazović, who also quoted God's words: "And when it is said to them, 'Do not cause corruption on the earth,' they say, 'We are but reformers.' Unquestionably, they are the ones who cause corruption, but they do not perceive." (Baqarah, 11-12)