Bosnia-Herzegovina

Headscarf controversy in Bosnia-Herzegovina

In Bosnia-Herzegovina is currently a fierce debate about the Wearing of the headscarf in judicial authorities. Muslim lawyers want a ban, not condone, bandanna-critics say this would have been necessary.

Shop with Hijjab in Sarajevo

For over 20 years, Aldina Suljagić-Piro already her headscarf, called a hijab. The 33-year-old graduate lawyer from the ostbosnischen city of Tuzla fight openly for her right to Wear the headscarf in the courtroom. But for Muslim women in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the local courts are working or intend to, and at the same time, from religious reasons wear a headscarf, this could in the future probably will be impossible. Because of the High court and Anwaltschaftsrat Bosnia-Herzegovina made its decision by September 2015 confirmed in the senior staff of the judicial institutions of the country, it is to be noted, that the staff a ban on the wearing of religious symbols to comply with would, in a way that a Declaration of this Council. This regulation of the Council refers to the legal regulations at various levels of government on the prohibition of the presentation of any kind of religious, political, national or other affiliation in the judicial authorities of the country.

Bosnia has a long Tradition of inter-religious coexistence

For Aldina Suljagić-Piro and her colleagues is a real slap in the face, especially because prior to this decision, no public debate was conducted. “I am sorry that the Council has not felt it necessary before he has the regulation has, in itself, a way of opening people with a headscarf to get to know and be convinced, that no single reason or cause for such a degrading Act”, said Suljagić-Piro DW.

“Without the headscarf I would not be I“

Although the ban is on all religious symbols refers to, so also Christian crosses, has the most unrest among the Muslim population suggested. Because the headscarf was not a religious Symbol, says the young lawyer Aldina Suljagić-Piro. The hijab is the “identity of a Muslim and an Islamic duty. “Without the headscarf I would not be I,” she says.

Thus, it is not the only academic with a headscarf in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the thinks so. Dževada Šuško is Director of the Institute for Islamic Tradition of Bosniaks. The fear now is that the women with headscarves, which are already in courts in Bosnia-Herzegovina to work, your Job may be lost. According to your

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Information, there are currently about 20 such women. Nevertheless, it is glad, that this is a discussion on the headscarf was initiated. “If we are in a democratic country, then it is very important to have a public debate about a question, which is evident with the position of the religious communities in the public space has to do“, stresses Šuško. The historian and political scientist, says that such debates about the headscarf in Germany, but in a different context, since Islam in Bosnia-Herzegovina, not only since some decades but for centuries, is present. The debates would have been a socialist context, because the country in the last century, a part of socialist Yugoslavia was. “In Bosnia-Herzegovina, there is this understanding that the Religion is not at all present should be in a public space.”

“Return to the dark ages”

Just as an understanding of Religion in society and secularization represents the Orientalistin and author Jasna Šamić, the decades between Sarajevo and Paris lives. You can find it well if religious symbols are banned would be from public Offices, and especially judicial institutions. “The Religion should finally be in the private sphere,” says Šamić. The headscarf, like today’s Muslims in Bosnia-Herzegovina, was a Import of fashion from Saudi Arabia and slopes thus also closely with the Salafist groups in the country together, says Šamić. For you is the meaning of the hijab in the public space, a “return to a freiheitsraubendem System or of the dark ages”.

This opinion of the German scientist for Islam Armina Omerika not understand. She even highlights that the decision on the observance of the ban on religious symbols and not at all to the secularization of the country beitrüge and it is also not the equality serve: “women have it difficult job to get him down. And if you now have a group of qualified women are explicitly due to their external appearance as to exclude, then you have a Situation in which the existing inequalities in addition to be deepened.” And what of the emancipation of Muslim women of my adds Omerika to have similar debates in Germany, even shown that a ban is just a lock might mean in the direction of emancipation. “Young women are qualified, they have the training, and then will give you the access to the labour market is denied.“

A statutory provision must be

Armina Omerika: “You need a legal regulation”

Omerika is the solution of the problem in a legal regulation of religious symbols.”This provision must, however, also taking into account the arguments take place, which is now in the Public trust have been,” says Omerika.

Lawyer Almedina Suljagić-Piro wil on her scarf keinsesfalls refrain: “Because of a decision of the High court and Anwaltsschaftsrates Bosnia-Herzegovina, and I will personally not give in and also do my plans on a own law firm up. On the contrary, these unpleasant events are for me an additional Motivation to my headscarf to justify and in my profession even more professional and better.”