Mufti calls for equality of Muslim community in Slovenia

Ljubljana – Mufti Nevzet Porić said that authorities should eliminate discrimination between religious communities so that “the Islamic community will be treated as an equal community in the Republic of Slovenia” as he addressed Muslim believers during an Eid al-Adha service at Ljubljana’s mosque on Saturday morning.

Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of the Sacrifice, is the holier of the two major Muslim holidays and also marks the end of the annual Hajj pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca.

Porić also addressed the Muslims living in Slovenia with an Eid al-Adha message broadcast by public broadcaster TV Slovenija on Friday evening, urging solidarity.

He said that with the war in Ukraine, rising energy and food prices, the anticipated recession and a possible new coronavirus wave in autumn, the times are uncertain.

The mufti thus urged people to get more closely connected as a community to better help those in need.

During this morning prayer at the Muslim Culture Centre Ljubljana, the mosque’s formal name, he said moral values such as trust, justice or courage are losing out with violence, lies and injustice being increasingly present.

He also remembered the 1995 Srebrenica genocide in Bosnia-Herzegovina, from where the majority of Muslims living in Slovenia come, expressing sympaties with the relatives of the victims.

Although Saudi Arabia lifted Covid restrictions in Mecca this year, no Muslims from Slovenia embarked on the Hajj due to administrative obstacles the country imposed.

The Hajj is a symbol of people’s equality before God. “Let us be an inspiration to create a society of equal opportunities for all. This should be especially seen in the distribution of goods that are needed for decent and normal living,” the mufti said in his televised message.

Eid al-Adha morning prayers were also held at another 16 Slovenian towns where the Islamic community is organised, but Ljubljana is the only one with a mosque.

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