Reis Kavazović: Bosniaks' property is being taken from under their feet, and this threatens us again if some German imposes a law on property

(Patria) - The Vakuf Directorate and the Mufti's Office of Mostar today organized the promotion of the book "Lakišića harem in the center of Mostar - duration and appropriation" at the Gazi Husrev-beg Library in Sarajevo.

The promotion was attended by the Reis-ul-ulema of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Husein-ef. Kavazović.

"We are in a time that, in a way, mobilizes our entire Muslim public again when it comes to vakuf and vakuf property. Probably the most blatant example of what happened to vakuf in our modern history is the case of Lakišića harem, but also the case of many other vakufs in our cities. Today we will have the opportunity to learn about the history of this vakuf, from the moment it was forcibly torn away from its origin, to this day, when at that location, by force, without legal basis, they want to impose something that does not belong to it," said Reis-ul-ulema Kavazović on this occasion.

As the Reis-ul-ulema added, "unfortunately, for more than a century and a half, Bosniak Muslims have been put in a position where their property is being taken from under their feet".

"This has been happening since those distant 80s and 90s of the 19th century, with the signature of some rulers at the time, the then German, and even today, some German may again impose some law on property, and we as a people will find ourselves in a similar situation. The paradigm of this suffering is Lakišića harem. Anyone who thinks that this case is unimportant somewhere is mistaken. It is the very essence of what is happening to our property," emphasized the Reis-ul-ulema in his address.

He pointed out that all authorities - those that were, foreign and ours, and those that are now, treat vakuf in the same way.

"They neglect it and try to leave it to oblivion, disappearance, erasure of what was vakuf. I thank the mufti, the people around him, I thank one man who showed responsibility towards vakuf, and that is Safet Oručević. The defense of Lakišića harem, as much as it depends on the people of Mostar, depends on all of us. Let's be vigilant, and let's not leave this example to those who want to do it in this way," said Reis-ul-ulema Husein-ef. Kavazović.

The book was discussed on this occasion by Dr. Senaid Zajimović, Director of the Vakuf Directorate, Mr. Salem-ef. Dedović, Mufti of Mostar, Safet Oručević, Director of the Center for Peace and Multietnic Cooperation Mostar, and Mr. Ilham-ef. Puce, Head of the Service for Religious Affairs and Education of the Mufti's Office of Mostar.

"In this country, few things are as continuous as vakuf. Vakuf and the appropriation of vakuf is the only continuous process in our country. Since the Ottomans left these areas, up to today, only the people, usurpers, actors who organize appropriations, seizures, or usurpations of vakuf property have been changing. The case of Lakišića harem and the work we are promoting today speaks precisely about this. The Islamic Community wholeheartedly supports the Mufti's Office of Mostar, which is fighting not only for the rights of Lakišića harem, but also for the rights of Bosniaks and equality. This is the defense of equality and national rights that are threatened. We in the Islamic Community will undertake all legal actions to try to prove that this is discrimination," emphasized Director Zajimović.

This book provides the wider public with a more detailed insight into the history and duration of Lakišića harem in Mostar, the chronology of its appropriation, along with documents from the archive, which will remain recorded and factually documented for future generations.

"The book was prepared to be a testament to perseverance in the fight for the equality of Bosniaks and the multi-ethnic character of the city on the Neretva. Although the term Lakišića harem refers to the former location of the harem, this issue transcends exclusively religious and spiritual significance and character of the topic. Only the unaware and uninformed can think so. We view Lakišića harem as an all-Bosniak national issue in the fight for the realization of the equality of Bosniaks in Mostar, whose political and social position has been marginalized throughout the past period, and Bosniaks have been placed in a subordinate role," pointed out Mufti Dedović.

The book points to the unjust and discriminatory attitude of the authorities towards Bosniak Muslims in the City of Mostar, as well as the policy of hegemony to which they are exposed in the Herzegovina region.

"This is not just a fight for one vakuf, this is a fight for dignity, a fight for justice, the position of Bosniaks in Mostar and Herzegovina, a fight against those who constantly try with their insolence to disrupt peace and coexistence in this city. After that comes a great legal battle that needs to be fought, to stop this, to find a solution," said Oručević.

The head of the Service for Religious Affairs and Education of the Mufti's Office of Mostar, Ilham-ef. Puce, said that the book proves the existence of Lakišića harem in the center of Mostar, which has never been fully exhumed, which has been usurped, and the Islamic Community has never received any compensation.

"The Islamic Community has been trying for decades to regain possession of at least part of the appropriated vakuf property in the Lakišića harem area. Unfortunately, the city authorities have persistently and systematically obstructed, ignored, and neglected the legal and legitimate requests of the Islamic Community. The book talks about the treatment of the Islamic Community in Mostar, and thus the treatment of the Bosniak people and the religious population, which the Islamic Community represents through its institutional work. Of course, we do not have a problem with cultural institutions of any nation, but we object to appropriation and unjust seizure," said Puce.

At the promotion, it was once again stated that the issue of Lakišića harem is not just an issue of Mostar, but an issue of the entire Bosnia and Herzegovina. The book "Lakišića harem in the center of Mostar - duration and appropriation" was published by the Mufti's Office of Mostar and the Majlis of the Islamic Community Mostar.