DINNER SPEECH BY RAISU-L-ULAMA DR MUSTAFA CERIC
ON THE OCCASION OF ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY (1882/2002)
OF THE OFFICE OF RAISU -L-ULAMA AND THE INSTITUTION OF RIYASAT IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

    Brothers and Sisters,
    Ladies and Gentlemen,
    Excellences and Friends,

One the most influential Raisu-l-ulama of Bosnia and Herzegovina was Mehmed Džemaluddin  Čauševic. The forth in the line, he had witnessed the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the beginning of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.  He had been appointed as the Raisu-l-ulama of Bosnia and Herzegovina by the King's decree in 1913, but because of his disagreement with the policy of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, he resigned to the Raisu-l-ulama post in 1930.
Hence, he had survived the First Word War, but could not survive a policy, which wanted to deny the full autonomy to the Bosnian Muslims in their religious affairs. It is interesting to know that he wrote a special prayer for the King Franc Josef in which he was asking God for his long life and good health.  Knowing him as a strong character and his independent personality, and bearing in mind that he was an Istanbul student with rich experience and fresh memories, Raisu-l-ulama Čauševic had not written his prayer for the King Franc Josef out of fear or his personal gain. I am convinced that he had done this out of his deep awareness of the historical circumstances in Bosnia and Herzegovina at the time, but also out of his appreciation for the King Franc Josef who, as a Christian ruler, had shown the necessary respect and desirable tolerance toward Bosnian Muslims.

I have brought this example of the relationship between Raisu-l-ulama Čauševic and the King Franc Josef the First to show what was the prize, which the Bosnian Muslims had to pay in order to survive in a new, for them a very uncertain historical time. From that time till now Bosnia has witnessed many kings and rulers with different tempers and different intentions in relation to the Bosnian Muslims. However, one thing has remained constant: the ability of the Bosnian Muslims to preserve their Islamic identity and their Bosnian dignity. Even in times of great difficulties when some Bosniacs thought that their end was enviable, there came others who were able to find the right way of communication with the world and who knew who to define the right and proper place for the Bosniacs in Europe.

Today, nether Raisu-l-ulama Čauševic, nor the King Franc Josef I are here, but here are Bosnian Muslims who have great pleasure to have dinner tonight with Lord Paddy Ashdown, the High Representative of the International Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina on the occasion of One Hundred and Twentieth Anniversary form the establishment of the Office of Raisu-l-ulama and the Institution of Riyasat in Bosni and Herzegovina.

I believe that Lord Paddy Ashdown does not expect from the current Raisu-l-ulama to write him the kind of prayer Raisu-l-ulama Čauševic had written for the King Franc Josef, because this is not  a time of kings, nor the a time of subjects and their masters. This is a time of democracy and human rights in Europe and, I hope, in Bosnia and Herzegovina as well.

Therefore, we pray today to the Almighty God, the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth, that the United Europe live in peace, Bosnia and Herzegovina included, and that each and every individual and each and every nation finds its rightful place in the Community of different European religions.
We pray to the Almighty God that the rule of law prevail in the land of Bosnia and Herzegovina so that each and every individual and nation finds its peace of mind, especially those who want to come to their lost homes and, of course, that those who did wrong find their way to Den Hague so that the good people of each nation in Bosnia and Herzegovina may live at peace and without collective guilt.

Also, we pray to the Almighty God for all of those who have responsibility in the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina to perform their job with full conscience and responsibility so that our children may feel safe in their homeland.
And we sincerely pray to the Almighty God that the Islamic Community meet your rightfully expressed expectations in promoting peace, tolerance and reconciliation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, so may God help us all and give us strength to respect each other and do good deeds. Amen!