An Open Letter
03/08/2006
By
Svetlana Durkovic, The Organization Q
AN OPEN LETTER
On Sunday, 16 July 2006, at 6 pm, the Svjetlost-Menar Association organised a public lecture, held at the Bosnian Cultural Centre in Sarajevo , on the topic ‘The way to salvation from homosexuality' (the keynote speaker Harmin Suljić).
During the lecture, Suljić stated that according to the Sharia law, homosexuals should be thrown off a cliff, have a wall fallen on them and should be stoned. He also added that the community in Bosnia and Herzegovina supports this position, but given that Bosnia and Herzegovina is not a state where the Sharia law is in force, such measures are not carried out in our state.
Such public expression is a clear case of hate speech used in the name of religion. It represents the public incitement of hatred and intolerance as well as the incitement and encouragement of the public lynching of homosexuals. The Association for the Promotion of Culture Svjetlost-Menar thus must be held accountable as a legal entity registered in BiH. The keynote speaker must also be held personally accountable given that he misuses his position. Both Svjetlost-Menar and the speaker have publicly shown intolerance and used hate speech aimed at the whole gay and lesbian population in BiH, thereby violating the BiH Constitution, public safety, and the rights and freedoms of others.
Article 3, section 2 of the Law on Associations and Foundations of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina explicitly states that: ‘The aims and activities of any association cannot be in violation of the constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina nor of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, nor can they be aimed towards the forceful bringing down thereof or towards the incitement of the national, racial, religious and other hatred or discrimination prohibited by the Constitution and the Law.'
This hate speech was not addressed toward any specific person but toward the whole gay and lesbian population. Additionally, given that a few persons from the Organization Q are publicly out and are LGBTIQ activists, they may be in direct danger and may become potential targets of the direct followers of Harmin Suljić and/or by those motivated or inspired by this or similar public statements.
Discrimination based on sex/gender and sexual orientation is against the law and is punishable in Bosnia and Herzegovina under the Law on Gender Equality (Article 2) as well as under all four existing Criminal Codes (BiH, the Federation of BiH, the Republika Srpska, and the Brčko District). Bosnia and Herzegovina is a secular state , which, by its Constitution and signed international covenants, guarantees the protection of and respect for human rights for all its citizens.
We, hereby, call on all organisations to join us in requesting that relevant institutions take appropriate action, under the laws of BiH, against such hate speech and discrimination. Furthermore, we call on the Islamic community, as well as other religious communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina , to denounce publicly actions of such organizations which by their work render them fundamentalist. Such a public act and attitude will demonstrate the importance of their role as organizations creating BiH as a state that truly respects and promotes the human rights of all its citizens.
Sincerely yours,
Svetlana Đurković and Slobodanka Dekić
The Organization Q
Potpisi / Signatories:
-Centar za nenasilnu akciju, Sarajevo
-Omladinska mreza u BiH
-Žena i društvo, Sarajevo
-Jadranka Miličević, Fondacija CURE, Sarajevo
-Žene Ženama, Sarajevo
-Fondacija CURE, Sarajevo
-Žene u crnom, Beograd
-Helsinški odbor za ljudska prava Republike Srpske
-Centar za savremenu umjetnost, Sarajevo
-Ranko Milanović-Blank
-NVO GARIWO
-Selma Hadžihalilović, Sarajevo
-Dženita Derviškadić
-NVO Ženski centar Trebinje
-La Strada BiH
-UG "Kuća plamena mira" Tuzla
-Helsinški komitet za ljudska prava u BiH
-Media centar, Sarajevo
-Gender centar – Centar za jednakost i ravnopravnost spolova Vlade RS
-Damir Arsenijević
-Udruženje "Radio Kameleon-Otvorena mreža ljudskih prava i demokratije" Tuzla
-Besima Borić
-Asocijacija za seksualno i reproduktivno zdravlje XY
-Žene sa Une, Bihać
-Centar za rodne studije (Institut "Euro-Balkan"), Skopje
-Organizacija žena "LARA", Bijeljina
-Jasmina Husanović, Centar za stvaralački, istraživački i građanski angažman "Grad" Tuzla
-FORMA F, Mostar
-Dina Duraković
-Udruženje Logos
-Liberalno demokratska stranka Bosne i Hercegovine
-Tanja Miletić Oručević
-Husein Oručević, Media centar OKC Abrašević, Mostar
-Vijeće mladih, Jablanica
-Kampanja za prigovor savjesti
-UG Zašto ne
-Food not bombs kolektiv
-Centar za životnu sredinu, Banja Luka
-Akcija protiv SIDA-e, Banja Luka
-Omladinski TV
-Green Visions, Sarajevo
-Jasmina Sinanović, NYC
-Tanya L. Domi
-Deborah Lambillotte, Gender Action Group, Belgium
-COC Netherlands
-IGLYO
-Lezbijska organizacija Rijeka "LORI"
-Redona Dudushi, Tirana, Albania
-Em. Prof. Dr. Herman De Ley, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
-Maja Mujanović, France
-International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA)
-SPY - Safe Pulse of Youth - Siguran Puls Mladih, Beograd
-ILGA-Europe
-Izabela Filipiak, Berkeley, California, USA
-Žene na delu, Beograd
-Queer Beograd, Beograd
-Zoe Gudović, Act women, Beograd
-Asja Ćehović, Zenica
-Emina Bošnjak, Zenica
-Damir Banović, Sarajevo
-Ado, Göteborg, Švedska
-SOS telefona za žene i decu žrtve nasilja, Beograd
-Patria Jimenez, El Closet de Sor Juana, Mexico
-Gloria Careaga, Fundacion Arcoiris, Mexico
-Miro Miletić
-Dr.Tatjana Greif, SKUC-LL, Ljubljana
-Sören Andersson, President The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Rights
-International Working Group on Sexuality and Social Policy
-Interamerican Concertation of Women´s Human Rights Activists, CIMA, Costa Rica
-Ženska soba, Zagreb
-Renata Turkeš
-Global Rights: Partners for Justice, B&H Office
-Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Initiative, Global Rights, Washington, DC
-Lambda, Niš
On Sunday, 16 July 2006, at 6 pm, the Svjetlost-Menar Association organised a public lecture, held at the Bosnian Cultural Centre in Sarajevo , on the topic ‘The way to salvation from homosexuality' (the keynote speaker Harmin Suljić).
During the lecture, Suljić stated that according to the Sharia law, homosexuals should be thrown off a cliff, have a wall fallen on them and should be stoned. He also added that the community in Bosnia and Herzegovina supports this position, but given that Bosnia and Herzegovina is not a state where the Sharia law is in force, such measures are not carried out in our state.
Such public expression is a clear case of hate speech used in the name of religion. It represents the public incitement of hatred and intolerance as well as the incitement and encouragement of the public lynching of homosexuals. The Association for the Promotion of Culture Svjetlost-Menar thus must be held accountable as a legal entity registered in BiH. The keynote speaker must also be held personally accountable given that he misuses his position. Both Svjetlost-Menar and the speaker have publicly shown intolerance and used hate speech aimed at the whole gay and lesbian population in BiH, thereby violating the BiH Constitution, public safety, and the rights and freedoms of others.
Article 3, section 2 of the Law on Associations and Foundations of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina explicitly states that: ‘The aims and activities of any association cannot be in violation of the constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina nor of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, nor can they be aimed towards the forceful bringing down thereof or towards the incitement of the national, racial, religious and other hatred or discrimination prohibited by the Constitution and the Law.'
This hate speech was not addressed toward any specific person but toward the whole gay and lesbian population. Additionally, given that a few persons from the Organization Q are publicly out and are LGBTIQ activists, they may be in direct danger and may become potential targets of the direct followers of Harmin Suljić and/or by those motivated or inspired by this or similar public statements.
Discrimination based on sex/gender and sexual orientation is against the law and is punishable in Bosnia and Herzegovina under the Law on Gender Equality (Article 2) as well as under all four existing Criminal Codes (BiH, the Federation of BiH, the Republika Srpska, and the Brčko District). Bosnia and Herzegovina is a secular state , which, by its Constitution and signed international covenants, guarantees the protection of and respect for human rights for all its citizens.
We, hereby, call on all organisations to join us in requesting that relevant institutions take appropriate action, under the laws of BiH, against such hate speech and discrimination. Furthermore, we call on the Islamic community, as well as other religious communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina , to denounce publicly actions of such organizations which by their work render them fundamentalist. Such a public act and attitude will demonstrate the importance of their role as organizations creating BiH as a state that truly respects and promotes the human rights of all its citizens.
Sincerely yours,
Svetlana Đurković and Slobodanka Dekić
The Organization Q
Potpisi / Signatories:
-Centar za nenasilnu akciju, Sarajevo
-Omladinska mreza u BiH
-Žena i društvo, Sarajevo
-Jadranka Miličević, Fondacija CURE, Sarajevo
-Žene Ženama, Sarajevo
-Fondacija CURE, Sarajevo
-Žene u crnom, Beograd
-Helsinški odbor za ljudska prava Republike Srpske
-Centar za savremenu umjetnost, Sarajevo
-Ranko Milanović-Blank
-NVO GARIWO
-Selma Hadžihalilović, Sarajevo
-Dženita Derviškadić
-NVO Ženski centar Trebinje
-La Strada BiH
-UG "Kuća plamena mira" Tuzla
-Helsinški komitet za ljudska prava u BiH
-Media centar, Sarajevo
-Gender centar – Centar za jednakost i ravnopravnost spolova Vlade RS
-Damir Arsenijević
-Udruženje "Radio Kameleon-Otvorena mreža ljudskih prava i demokratije" Tuzla
-Besima Borić
-Asocijacija za seksualno i reproduktivno zdravlje XY
-Žene sa Une, Bihać
-Centar za rodne studije (Institut "Euro-Balkan"), Skopje
-Organizacija žena "LARA", Bijeljina
-Jasmina Husanović, Centar za stvaralački, istraživački i građanski angažman "Grad" Tuzla
-FORMA F, Mostar
-Dina Duraković
-Udruženje Logos
-Liberalno demokratska stranka Bosne i Hercegovine
-Tanja Miletić Oručević
-Husein Oručević, Media centar OKC Abrašević, Mostar
-Vijeće mladih, Jablanica
-Kampanja za prigovor savjesti
-UG Zašto ne
-Food not bombs kolektiv
-Centar za životnu sredinu, Banja Luka
-Akcija protiv SIDA-e, Banja Luka
-Omladinski TV
-Green Visions, Sarajevo
-Jasmina Sinanović, NYC
-Tanya L. Domi
-Deborah Lambillotte, Gender Action Group, Belgium
-COC Netherlands
-IGLYO
-Lezbijska organizacija Rijeka "LORI"
-Redona Dudushi, Tirana, Albania
-Em. Prof. Dr. Herman De Ley, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
-Maja Mujanović, France
-International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA)
-SPY - Safe Pulse of Youth - Siguran Puls Mladih, Beograd
-ILGA-Europe
-Izabela Filipiak, Berkeley, California, USA
-Žene na delu, Beograd
-Queer Beograd, Beograd
-Zoe Gudović, Act women, Beograd
-Asja Ćehović, Zenica
-Emina Bošnjak, Zenica
-Damir Banović, Sarajevo
-Ado, Göteborg, Švedska
-SOS telefona za žene i decu žrtve nasilja, Beograd
-Patria Jimenez, El Closet de Sor Juana, Mexico
-Gloria Careaga, Fundacion Arcoiris, Mexico
-Miro Miletić
-Dr.Tatjana Greif, SKUC-LL, Ljubljana
-Sören Andersson, President The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Rights
-International Working Group on Sexuality and Social Policy
-Interamerican Concertation of Women´s Human Rights Activists, CIMA, Costa Rica
-Ženska soba, Zagreb
-Renata Turkeš
-Global Rights: Partners for Justice, B&H Office
-Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Initiative, Global Rights, Washington, DC
-Lambda, Niš
