The Interreligious Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has announced that the statements of the former head of the Islamic Community (IC) in BiH, Mustafa Cerić, about the establishment of a "Bosnian Orthodox Church" are malicious and irresponsible.
"The individual Mustafa Cerić assumes the right to propose, even suggest, ways of regulating and organizing churches and religious communities, which is a malicious and irresponsible statement by an individual," the Interreligious Council said in a statement published in the media.
They added that "a natural person, in this case Cerić, assumes the right to express ideas related to the establishment of the so-called Bosnian Orthodox Church in the public space, through newspaper portals and social media."
The Interreligious Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina believes that such statements, made in public, "with obvious intent contribute to the creation and deepening of distrust and the disruption of interreligious relations."
"Cerić participated in the establishment of the Interreligious Council and is expected not to express such views," they emphasized in the statement.
They also condemned "any attack on common values and called on all actors in society to clearly distance themselves from malicious and irresponsible suggestions and statements by individuals."
It was emphasized that such statements "in no way reflect the views of any church or religious community individually, nor the position of the Interreligious Council in BiH."
It is known, they further stated, that the Interreligious Council in BiH acts as "a joint platform of churches and religious communities that, through their continuous and affirmative activities, build relationships of mutual respect and trust between people, regardless of their worldview and religious affiliation."
They emphasized that the Interreligious Council in BiH bases its activities on respecting the uniqueness of each church and religious community, and on joint engagement in the service of the common good.
The Interreligious Council in BiH was established in 1997, and is composed of leaders of the Islamic Community in BiH, the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC), the Catholic Church, and the Jewish Community in BiH.
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