There is no Pride Parade in Bosnia and Herzegovina this year – for an imam from Sarajevo this means “a grain of happiness” in times of the Corona virus. After a wave of protests, the Grand Mufti of Bosnia and Herzegovina now publicly distanced himself from the imam’s controversial statements.

Last year Bosnia and Herzegovina hosted the country’s first ever Gay Pride event – under strict security measures and accompanied by counterprotests from conservative Islamic and Christian groups, the queer community marched through the Bosnian capital Sarajevo last September to celebrate Christopher Street Day.

The fact that this year’s Pride, planned for 23 August, had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, saddened many. Not so Muhamed Velić, one of the best known and loudest representatives of the Islamic community in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The imam, who lives in Sarajevo, was very pleased with the cancellation of the Pride. He posted on his Facebook profile, with over 73,000 followers, on August 6:

“The media inform us that the gay pride parade in Sarajevo has been postponed due to the Corona virus. In every misfortune and every tragedy there is also a grain of happiness, goodness and beauty. Thank Allah for everything. May dear Allah ensure that Corona and the Gay Pride Parade never return to our city and country! Amen”

The contribution triggered a wave of comments in social media. Thousands supported Velić. “We don’t need these parades, they should hide their shame, not be publicly proud of them and disturb ordinary people,” wrote a user from Bosnia on Facebook, for example. But also those who oppose the traditionally homophobic society raised their voices. On Twitter the lawyer and former journalist Senad wrote to Pećanin:

“What fascist trash lives in Sarajevo and still represents the Islamic community of Bosnia and Herzegovina!”

Branko Ćulibrk, one of the organisers of Pride, said that it is terrible that “Velić puts the current situation on one level with the Corona virus and the cancellation of Pride”. He told Fair Planet that last year the Interfaith Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina called for peace, tolerance and non-violence.

He hopes,

“that this time they also address the public, distance themselves from the statements of Velić and make clear the difference between the fight for basic human rights and the situation caused by pandemics”.

Obviously he was heard

A short time later the Grand Mufti of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Husein Kavazović, publicly distanced himself from the statements Velićʼ. Through his office he let it be known that the statements of the Imam did not reflect the position of the Islamic community in Bosnia. “This is his personal position and not the position of the entire Islamic community,” a Grand Mufti advisor told Radio Free Europe.

Husein Kavazović has been the spiritual leader of the Islamic community in Bosnia since 2012. In his application for the office, Husein had advocated inter-religious dialogue and a broader integration of women into the work of the Islamic religious community, among other things.

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