PM Orbán invites Reis Kavazović to Budapest

Hungarian Ambassador to BiH József Negyesi visited today Reis-ul-ulema Husein ef. Kavazović and handed him a personal letter from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, in which PM Orbán clarified his earlier statements, to which the Reis-ul-ulema had reacted, reports Mina, as carried by the Patria news agency.

With this letter, the Prime Minister invited Reis-ul-ulema Husein ef. Kavazović to visit Hungary.

"With surprise, but with deep respect, I read your stance that was published in public. It is a great honor and I am very grateful that a person as respected as you considers my thoughts worthy of mention. This feeling does not change even despite the fact that your statement about my person and my opinions is essentially unfavorable," Orbán wrote in the letter to Reis Kavazović.

"I would like to take this opportunity to assure you that Hungary has the deepest respect for you, your followers, your people and your country, regardless of the fact that we have different interpretations of European history. I would like to remind you how my homeland and my people helped and supported all those in need during the war in the former Yugoslavia, naturally including Muslim families from Bosnia and Herzegovina. I confirm that Hungary remains interested in the friendship and cooperation of our peoples, and we will continue to do our work in that spirit," Orbán states.

Orbán: Islam does not belong to Europe

He also notes that relations with ef. Kavazović "did not start in the happiest way," and he "sincerely hopes that this will not stand in the way of mutual respect in the future."

"I am convinced that in the end it will turn out that many more things unite us than divide us," Orbán said, and invited ef. Kavazović to visit Hungary.

In the controversial interview, Orbán said that Islam "spiritually does not belong to Europe" and establishes the rules of "some other world."

According to him, Turkish workers who came to fill the branches of the German economy between 1960 and 1970, although mostly Muslims, "belong to the history of Germany, and therefore to Europe."

"But spiritually, Islam does not belong to Europe. It is a body of rules from another world," Orbán said, lamenting that he "has no right to express doubt" regarding Germans or French about the possibility of a multicultural society.

Ef. Kavazović: All ignorance is harmful

Reis-ul-ulema Kavazović, in reaction to Orbán's statement, said that "all ignorance is harmful, especially that which is publicly advocated by high political officials who have the social power and role to publicly influence the opinions of others."

"The fact that they possess somewhat greater knowledge of something does not give them the right to act as experts on everything else, and especially not on what most people know better," Kavazović emphasized.

"The Prime Minister of Hungary says that 'Islam never belonged to Europe, it came' and explains this by saying that through Turkish 'guest workers' Muslims are part of Germany and Europe, but that 'in a spiritual sense, Islam does not belong to Europe. It is a set of rules from another world.' It would be hard to assume that there are citizens of Hungary, for whom Europe is a unity of geography and history, who do not know that Islam truly 'came' to Europe, and especially those who do not know that Christianity and Judaism also 'came' to Europe," Kavazović said.

He also reminded that "it is hard to believe that those with higher education are not aware that in the vast areas of northern Europe, Islam was present several centuries before Christianity and that none of the three religions ever completely dominated Europe," Kavazović assessed.

Expressing his strong opposition to the arbitrary and harmful claims of Viktor Orbán, ef. Kavazović expressed regret that they were made and expressed hope that "similar claims about Islam, Europe and democracy will not be found in the addresses of high European political officials in the future," reports Al Jazeera.