Reis Kavazović: No compromise on one's own identity

In an Eid interview for Preporod, reisu-l-ulema Husein ef. Kavazović talks about what it's like to be the reisu-l-ulema of Bosniaks, reforms in the organizational structure of the Islamic Community, the relationship with the mešihats and the diaspora, the role of the Islamic Community's media, discrimination against Bosniak returnees, the consequences of sectarian violence in the Middle East, and other current events, reports the Patria News Agency.

Dear reisu-l-ulema, thank you for this interview and for the time you have dedicated to Preporod on its 45th birthday. What is it like to be the reisu-l-ulema of Bosniaks?

Reisu-l-ulema: First, I would like to congratulate you, the editorial staff, and the readers on the 45th anniversary of Preporod's publication. I believe this is an important anniversary, and I am convinced that Muslims in our region perceive it as their own. I don't think it's necessary to emphasize the closeness our people have with Preporod. Preporod has the status of a trusted newspaper.

This is also an opportunity to remember the people who managed to launch Preporod in difficult times: the late Husein ef. Đozo and the first editorial team. Their work in Preporod is indelible, and they deserve immense credit for awakening our people from lethargy, lack of information, and ignorance. Today, Preporod enjoys the status of a trusted newspaper among our people, which is a great asset for the future, but it also calls for responsibility from editors and journalists in terms of their commitment to preserving this trust.

The Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina brings together the largest number of our Muslims and is an important institution for our people. This defines the position and role of the reisu-l-ulema within it and among the people. Today, it has completed forms of existence (founding documents, organizational and functional structure, etc.), and a large number of people are involved in its work, directly or indirectly.

We are a community of good, we gather people for good, and we teach them to strive for good. It is a great responsibility, but also an honor, to lead such a community and to strive to preserve and improve its recognition.

We will have to address membership and the organization of membership fee collection.

According to many indicators, the Islamic Community in BiH enjoys great trust among the local Muslims. This is particularly evident in their commitment to fulfilling zakat and sadaqat al-fitr. How can this trust be preserved and further developed?

Reisu-l-ulema: Perhaps I can best answer this question with the saying that trust is hard to gain and easy to lose. The trust that Muslims have in the Islamic Community in BiH is a heritage that we must preserve and nurture with great care and responsibility. Because it was not acquired quickly or easily. It is based on centuries of work and action by several generations of its activists among our people, on their insightful and courageous listening to the pulse of the people here, their sentiments and needs.

Therefore, both today and in the future, the reisu-l-ulema, muftis, imams, religious teachers, muderrises, and other activists must be oriented towards Muslims, fight for and represent their interests wherever necessary, and be uncompromising, persistent, brave, and dignified in this endeavor. At the same time, we must insist that Muslims remain attached to their values, based on Islamic teachings about God, the world, and humanity. Trust is a dynamic process; it cannot be maintained on past merits but is forged in every era, and therefore, how the hammer strikes within the Community is important.

The Islamic Community has undergone significant administrative and structural transformation, and this process is still ongoing. Are you satisfied with the reform activities and results so far, and what remains unfinished?

Reisu-l-ulema: The adopted constitutional changes have introduced a certain degree of innovation into the organizational structure of the Islamic Community in BiH. The process is ongoing and, as you said, still continuing. Some new parts of the administrative structure have been formed at the highest level, while others have undergone transformation. We are working on organizing the so-called middle organizational level of the Community, which includes muftiates, mešihats, and the diaspora.

The scope of work in the Community has increased, which is what we wanted to achieve with these changes. More time will be needed for a serious analysis, and it will likely be possible once we have fully implemented all our ideas. All these efforts should be reflected in the functioning of the džemats and the satisfaction of the needs of our Muslims, which was the goal of these changes. In the coming period, we will have to address membership and the organization of membership fee collection. This is one of the fundamental issues on which our independence and autonomy from external influences are based. It also underpins the spiritual growth and preservation of the spiritual heritage of Bosnian Muslims.

On various occasions, you have emphasized that no one in the Islamic Community should suffer consequences for expressing their opinion. However, many overlook that freedom of thought goes hand in hand with responsibility and respect for certain norms and a culture of dialogue. It seems we have difficulties in properly exercising our freedom; some want freedom without responsibility, while others give up their freedom under the pretext of lack of freedom? 

Reisu-l-ulema: We must always start from the simple fact that humans are beings who, in order to develop, must be free from any form of coercion. No one has the right to coerce others in matters of freedom of thought and speech. At the same time, we must know that norms must be respected in a society. Freedom, in itself, is closely linked to responsibility for what we say and do. Freedom of thought and speech must remain intact, while respecting the dignity of both the speaker and the person being spoken to or about. What is unacceptable is the imposition of opinions from a position of coercion, without legal limitations, as well as the spread of hatred and attacks on people's dignity. Through freedom of thought and speech and responsibility, we can avoid totalitarianism and anarchy; I see no other way.

From time to time, some voices are heard questioning the relationship between the center of the Islamic Community in BiH in Sarajevo and the mešihats, the diaspora in general, the position of the reisu-l-ulema among the Muslim communities in the Balkans, and so on. What is your view on this issue, and what is the intention of the Rijaset regarding the principles on which spiritual and institutional relations should be improved and harmonized, both with the mešihats in Sandžak, Croatia, and Slovenia, as well as with the communities in Montenegro, Kosovo, and Macedonia?

Reisu-l-ulema: The Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina is the mother religious community of Bosniaks and other Muslims in the homeland and the diaspora. Its headquarters are in Sarajevo. I don't know which voices you are referring to, but I know that membership in our Community is based on the principle of freedom and voluntariness. The Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina has no pretensions to represent all Muslims of the Balkans. Therefore, it is not a Balkan community of Muslims. Initially, it encompassed Muslims who inhabited the territory over which Austria-Hungary, and later the Kingdom and Socialist Yugoslavia, established effective control.

We want good cooperation with other communities in the Balkans.

Relations within the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina are regulated by the Constitution. The position of muftiates and mešihats, as the middle organizational level, is clearly defined, and the people who lead them are responsible for matters within their jurisdiction. Mešihats have a special position in the hierarchy of the Community, which is more than evident from the fact that they have their own statutes and assemblies.

This pyramid of Community organization arose from the demands of the time and the circumstances in which our Muslims found themselves. The reisu-l-ulema is at the head of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina and represents it, but he is not the community, and that is clear to everyone. The Rijaset assists the work of all parts of the Community, both professionally and financially, which is our obligation and which we will continue to do.

To be perfectly clear, the leadership of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina will never agree to have the position of parts of the Islamic Community outside Bosnia and Herzegovina decided by individuals. For us, the will of all believers, all our Muslims living in that area, will be decisive. What happened in Serbia, when a coup attempt was made within the Community, we would respect if the believers there had explicitly and very clearly expressed their desire to separate from the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We have an obligation to provide assistance to every one of our Muslims and every džemats when requested, and we will continue to do so. We want to establish good cooperation with other communities in the Balkans, which we recognize and consider fraternal. We are not responsible for the situation within them.

Unfortunately, religious structures in the regions of Serbia and Montenegro still do not communicate in the best way. Instead of focusing on believers, they are demarcating territories. The Islamic Community is not a state creation. They must stop this immediately, sit down, and, within their jurisdictions, agree on the accumulated matters. Most Muslims in both Serbia and Montenegro are Bosniaks. They are not, nor should they be, anyone's property, nor sheep, to be herded now into one community and now into another. This must stop immediately.

Sectarian conflicts in the Middle East harm everyone.

Are you satisfied with how the Islamic Community and the local Muslims are dealing with the challenges and consequences of conflicts in the Middle East, sectarian interpretations of Islam, and violence?

Reisu-l-ulema: Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina and surrounding countries have developed their own worldview, based on the values of faith, and have formed their own tradition and religious organization. Of course, we are not entirely immune to external influences and attempts to question all of this. However, an organization with its hierarchy and organizational structure can cope with the challenges it faces. Unfortunately, the diseases of the Middle East and the chaotic sectarian approach to faith have brought many problems to all Muslims in the world. The abuse of religion, used to justify policies in the Middle East in mutual national and sectarian rivalries, harms everyone.

The images we see these days, of Muslims fleeing from Muslims and seeking refuge with non-Muslims, are the clearest example of the barbarism that Muslims have fallen into. These images remind me of Muslims fleeing from polytheists to Christian Abyssinia. In such a state is the Muslim world, or at least that part which can call itself the heart of Islam.

Such communities cannot be a role model for anyone, especially not for us. We must find support in our own spirituality and tradition and build our own path. Apart from the first community of Muslims established by the Prophet (peace be upon him), we have few other choices and role models. Our ancestors have shown that it is possible to build our own community, and we can follow them in this.

The Rijaset has issued a statement on the issue of denying the Bosnian language. Parents of Bosniak children in the RS still live in a state of discrimination in education. Their eyes are also turned to the Islamic Community. How can a solution be found?

Reisu-l-ulema: The denial of the Bosnian language, and thus of our people, in areas with a Serbian and Croatian majority in our homeland, has been legalized unconstitutionally. Bosniak policies that have alternated over the past twenty years have accepted this discrimination without ever seriously addressing this issue and the violation of the state's constitution, even though almost all of them spoke about the Bosnian language in their action programs. These days, I have heard absurd ideas about accepting some kind of compromise solutions. It must be said loudly: There is no compromise with one's own identity, nor with any part of it. These are suicidal ideas. No one who compromises on this issue will have the Muslims and the Islamic Community on their side. Each of us must do what is our duty. The Islamic Community will do everything to ensure that this issue is not swept under the rug. Representatives and leaders of all political parties elected by Bosniaks will have to resolve this issue with their political partners from the Croatian and Serbian peoples.

It seems to me that vital issues are beginning to be addressed at the state level.

Are you satisfied with the attitude of elected political officials and party leaders towards the values and interests of the people and the state?

Reisu-l-ulema: I have a stance on this as a citizen of this country. It seems to me that vital issues are beginning to be addressed at the state level. The impression is that agreements are slowly being reached through dialogue, and that encourages me. We are far from sufficient, of course, but the direction is good. The policies that were welcomed as a breath of fresh air are showing a short fuse. Time will tell if it was an adventure.

The discord among Bosniak political leaders is well-known. While other nations are raising their banners and carrying them to the top of the hill, ours is still furled because our political leaders cannot agree on who will carry it. Parties are still dominated by leaders, not by serious democratic debate where the interests of the people and the state are discussed, rather than the leader's stature and his infallibility and pride. This will probably continue for some time until a new concept of political action is offered.

You have often called on Muslims and those in responsible positions in BiH to turn to each other and see the situation they are in, to show mutual solidarity and understanding. The Islamic Community, through the Office for Social Welfare, strives to be close to those in need and unfortunate, but it seems there is never enough of this care. How can a socially sensitive society be built?

Reisu-l-ulema: We are all in the same boat. As the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, both those on deck and those below deck depend on each other. Our faith upholds the teaching about the need for mutual solidarity among people. This encouragement should be materialized through an organization that can yield results. Social work within the Community should be nurtured and developed by working with our children from an early age, in mekteb and school. The resources we have should be available to those who are unable to care for themselves. Here, I completely exclude the lazy people who exist among our people. They should not deserve any attention or compassion. The Islamic Community will improve its social work and cooperate closely with other non-governmental organizations of a similar orientation.

Ahead of us is the time of sacrifice (kurban) and pilgrimage (hajj), of sacrifice and drawing from the spiritual springs of Islam, the time of Eid. In addition to the traditional Eid greeting and message that you, as reisu-l-ulema, convey, what would you like to draw the attention of Muslims and all our fellow citizens to on this occasion?

Reisu-l-ulema: The challenges ahead should stimulate us to approach the solutions to the problems we face with even greater responsibility. It is very important that we all contribute to the progress and development of our people and our community as a whole. We must reduce our dependence on others to the minimum. It is good to build friendly relations with everyone, to treat brothers brotherly, but we need our own direction and our own goals. We must cherish our own values, even if we face more difficulties in doing so.

This will be better for our people in the long run. We must know that at times, even the best friend may wish to impose their will, consciously or unconsciously. We should be our own people, open to others to the extent that it aligns with our interests. To achieve this, we must put in more effort and be prepared for sacrifice and renunciation. Those nations that are prepared for this are free and deserve the respect of others.