Waqf Directorate Calls on Representatives: Do Not Support Law That Causes Greatest Harm to Waqf Property

(Patria) - The proposal for amendments to the Law on the Sale of Apartments with Tenancy Rights will be considered at today's session of the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina – a law that has, without a doubt, caused one of the greatest and most severe damages to waqf property in modern history.

– This law allows for nationalized waqf apartments to be alienated and sold to holders of tenancy rights, to whom these apartments were allocated during the former totalitarian regime. The consequence of such unjust and deeply discriminatory legal solutions is the permanent confiscation of as many as 463 waqf apartments, causing irreparable damage to waqfs, both material and spiritual – announced the Waqf Directorate of the Islamic Community in BiH today.

The law, consciously or unconsciously, has prioritized holders of tenancy rights over the actual, original owners – the owners of waqf property.

– To rectify this historical injustice, the Waqf Directorate has repeatedly sent initiatives to the Government of the Federation of BiH, proposing amendments that would provide for fair compensation to the original owners, either through the allocation of replacement apartments or through other appropriate forms of compensation. However, the Government of the Federation of BiH has not shown even minimal willingness to address this issue seriously and responsibly.

We received no response to the latest initiative sent to the Prime Minister, which also included a request for a meeting. The Waqf Directorate has simply been ignored – the statement reads.

The amendments to the Law proposed today once again completely disregard the issue of the rights of the original owners of the apartments and continue the established practice of favoring holders of tenancy rights – without any obligation, responsibility, or respect for the actual owners.

– We do not dispute the need for amendments to implement court rulings, but we pose a legitimate and extremely serious question: how long will waqf property be sold off without adequate compensation, without any responsibility and without justice? – the statement says.

The Waqf Directorate hereby calls on the Government of the Federation of BiH to finally respond to our initiative, open a dialogue, and urgently initiate the process of rectifying this historical injustice.

– Waqf property is not just a legal issue – it is the foundation of our cultural, spiritual, and religious identity. Therefore, we call on all representatives of the Parliament of the Federation of BiH not to support the proposed amendments to the Law until this issue is resolved through comprehensive amendments that will include the right of the original owners to fair and full compensation – the Waqf Directorate announced.