Sarajevo, January 13, 1999 (IKA/KTA) – In response to a letter by Reis-ul-Ulema Mustafa ef. Cerić that was published in the Sarajevo weekly Ljiljan yesterday, January 12, the archdiocesan ordinariate of Sarajevo issued a public statement signed by the chancellor of the Sarajevo Archdiocese, Msgr. Ivo Tomašević. This statement declares that the Catholic Church in Sarajevo respects the right of Islamic leaders and their faithful to offer the suggestions and comments on the presentation of their faiths by the mass media in Bosnia-Herzegovina. “We assume that this letter was motivated by dissatisfaction with the representation of Islam by these same mass media during the time of the celebration of the Catholic Christmas, which fell this year during the month of fasting of Ramazan. We are grateful to RTV Bosnia-Herzegovina and other secular media for their correct coverage of the Catholic celebration of Christmas and transmission of statements by Catholic officials,” states Msgr. Tomašević, emphasizing that the Catholic Church does not consider that “mentioning our terms for the founder of Christianity and Catholic dignitaries via these media represents proselytizing or an attempt to convert eventual viewers and listeners to Catholicism who are not Catholics. On the contrary, remembering the bitter experience from the period of socialism when all religions were mocked by the mass media, we feel that it is desirable to speak in this way about other religions in the mass media so that their followers can feel respected and not caricatured.”
The head of the Islamic community in Bosnia-Herzegovina criticizes RTV Bosnia-Herzegovina for using the terms “Jesus Christ,” “Holy Father,” “His Eminence the Cardinal,” and words which, in his opinion, belong to “the vocabulary of the Catholic confession and define the particular concepts of one religion.” He feels that Christian terminology can be used in religious programs but is unacceptable in informative and cultural programs that are intended for the general public. Reis-ul-Ulema Cerić also expressed his dissatisfaction with the coverage of Islam and the Islamic community on RTV Bosnia-Herzegovina.