Reisu-l-ulema Kavazović in an interview with Patria: We need a modern, liberal, and civic BiH

By Armin Aljović

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Not only during the election period, political upheavals in Bosnia and Herzegovina continued after October 7. Reisu-l-ulema of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina Husein ef. Kavazović says in an interview for the Patria agency that it is not up to religious communities to interfere in daily politics, but at the same time, it is unrealistic to expect them to ignore events in society, especially since they are interested in the daily lives of citizens.

And, explains Reis Kavazović, the Islamic Community wants a progressive Bosnia and Herzegovina in which the blue, European color must dominate. There is no doubt about that.

We are witnessing protests by citizens due to the unexplained deaths of two young men, Dženan Memić in Sarajevo and David Dragičević in Banja Luka. We do not know how these young men lost their lives, but desperate parents accuse the authorities of covering up the crime. Can we build a society at all if people are not guaranteed the right to life, or at least the right to truth as justice?

- The crime of murder is the gravest sin. Two hundred thousand innocent people, women, and children were killed in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Children were killed in cities and villages. We cry and mourn for the killed today, and very often we are still searching for them, while the murderers are either hiding or walking freely, before our eyes. That is why our society is full of sinful people, and that is why murderers have the opportunity to decide about our lives.

One of God's names is The Just (Al-Adl). Almighty Allah has sworn that the end for criminals will be more terrible than the crime they committed. This is justice that will surely come, and which we await. The loss of a child who was innocently killed is a pain that only parents can understand, and they will not find peace until the murderers are punished. The feeling of injustice only increases this pain. I pray to God that their sacrifice and the tears shed will at least somewhat atone for sins and awaken faith in people, which has been lost. The path to light is long before us. Only a small number have lit candles or lamps.

Three months have passed since the General Elections in BiH. It is still impossible to form a government in the Federation and at the state level. The political field in BiH is divided between national parties on one side and civic parties on the other. The former fear that a civic BiH would endanger the collective rights of the people. The latter, on the other hand, accuse national parties of dismantling BiH society, recognized for centuries for its multi-ethnicity. How do you view the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina?

- It is not up to religious communities to interfere in daily politics, and we are doing everything to protect the Islamic Community from politicization. However, we cannot and must not behave as if what is happening in the country does not concern us. We are very interested in the daily lives of citizens, because they include members and adherents of the Islamic Community. We are also interested in preserving and improving the state, because it is the only framework in which all civic and other rights can be realized.

We often hear in public discourse that some politicians claim that if something from their political wishes is not fulfilled, "there will be no Bosnia and Herzegovina either." We perceive these as malicious statements, aimed at relativizing and questioning the statehood of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Bosnia and Herzegovina, as a state, and the awareness of its statehood among most of its citizens, have survived greater and more dangerous challenges. It will survive, not because certain international factors wish it so. It will last because the majority of its citizens perceive it as their only homeland. I am more concerned about what kind of country it will be, how it will be organized, and how attractive it will be for future generations. We need a modern, liberal, and civic state. We need a European-oriented state with a Bosnian-Herzegovinian flair. The color that must dominate is blue, European. We in the Islamic Community have no doubts about this.

There are numerous examples of multi-ethnic countries, from Europe to the United States of America. In those countries, statehood comes first - the nation, and then all other determinants; religious, ethnic... Can one be a good believer and a passionate Bosnian and Herzegovinian at the same time? Does one exclude the other?

- Love for one's homeland is part of iman (Islamic faith). Not only can one be a Muslim and a good citizen of the country in which they live and a patriot, but it is an obligation. It is the duty of a believer to care for the common good. I am sure of the religious identity of Bosniaks. Our people have not been separated from their faith even by more aggressive projects. Neither fifty years of systematic atheization, nor systematic persuasion that one can live peacefully with others only by renouncing one's own identity, have succeeded in achieving that. We will overcome these new challenges to our Islamic identity as well, God willing.

However, I believe that we still have a lot to do to strengthen our national identity and build a modern nation. A nation is not a state; a nation is a culture, which carries within it: neighborliness, music, song, dance, literature, work ethic, faith, etc. What a believer cannot and should not be is a nationalist in the negative sense of the word.

The key problem of BiH is the departure of young people to the European Union. We know whose responsibility it is, but how to force the authorities to undertake urgent economic and social reforms to stop this tragic exodus? What can the Islamic Community of BiH do in this regard?

- We look with concern at the departure of young people from this country, especially the best educated ones. The Islamic Community has been warning about this for years. The Council of Muftis has long conducted its own analyses that pointed to this trend, and even then we called on the authorities to make this issue a priority of their actions, rather than focusing on further divisions and the continuation of conflicts.

We should look at how others have solved the same problem. We know that more investment is needed in villages, corruption must be eradicated, and motherhood supported... Also, experts tell us that countries that have faced identical challenges, such as Israel or Ireland, have abandoned the conventional concept of citizenship, especially one based solely on residency. It is regrettable that during and after the census, we saw not only that no steps were taken towards granting rights to people who have roots in this country and who perceive it as their homeland, but we saw how immature and nationalism-burdened policies are driving people out of citizenship and reducing their numbers.

But it is up to the state authorities to offer us a solution or at least show that they care. The Islamic Community, for its part, does what it can, especially to help those people living in areas from which they were expelled. We also strive to be with our diaspora and to connect even those who leave their homeland to it and to their roots.

Dodik and Čović build their political existence on intimidating their voters with Bosniaks. This can be read in the media every day. On the other hand, the German Minister of the Interior, Thomas de Maizière, spoke about Bosnian Muslims in an extremely positive context during a meeting with you in Berlin in mid-2017. Such messages come from many European countries. Who will the world believe?

- It is not good for relations here or anywhere to be built on fear, mistrust, and hatred. It has never brought good to anyone and never will. I hope that local politicians will also realize this.

We are proud of our diaspora, and wherever we travel or meet with ambassadors from numerous, especially European, countries, they gladly highlight the contribution of our people. They know how to appreciate it. We have recently appointed a mufti for European countries. Mufti Osman ef. Kozlić will be the chief imam for Germany and mufti for the countries of Western Europe, and his task is to demonstrate our commitment to further connect our people there, but also to be even better partners to the countries in which members of our community live and work or are citizens.

The BiH entity of Republika Srpska is almost ethnically cleansed of Bosniaks and Croats. In the Federation, Croats have the opportunity to enjoy the rights of the European Union through dual citizenship of BiH and the Republic of Croatia. What rights do Bosniaks enjoy in Bosnia and Herzegovina today?

- I think it would not be good for the future of the Balkans if Bosniaks began to feel as if they were being pushed into some kind of reserve on the margins of Europe, where they do not decide about themselves and their future. This would be especially bad after everything we and the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina were exposed to in the nineties. I think those who pursue such policies should seriously consider the possible consequences of their actions. Besides being numerically superior, if that is any advantage, we are in the most delicate position. This nation is threatened almost daily. They call us Turks, in order to revive political concepts from the 19th century; they point to our Muslim roots, in order to present us as a threat to Europe and to mobilize the far-right and extremists against us; we are blamed for conspiracies against others, and a special war is being waged against us... When we say that we will defend ourselves from aggression in the face of open threats, we are accused of being militant. We want all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina to also become citizens of the European Union. We are glad that some of our neighbors have achieved this thanks to their national name. But it is not good that one name is good for Europe, and another is not.