PROFESSOR SAFVET HALILOVIĆ PARTICIPATED IN THE WORK OF TWO INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIA, IN ANKARA AND ZAGREB

That the Faculty of Islamic Pedagogy of the University of Zenica has become a respectable educational and scientific institution is evidenced by the fact that professors of this faculty receive invitations to be active participants in international scientific symposia in various parts of the world. That's right, during the month of March this year, prof. Ph.D. Safvet Halilović, full professor at IPF, was an active participant in two international scientific symposia: in Ankara (Turkey) and Zagreb (Croatia).

On March 10 and 11, 2019, the 4th international symposium on the character and work of Haci Bayram Veli, a great Turkish scholar and educator from the fourteenth century, was held in Ankara. By the way, Haci Bayram Veli was the teacher of Sheikh Akshemsudin, a man who was the teacher and spiritual leader of the great Ottoman Sultan Mehmed Fatih II. Over fifty university professors, scientists, philosophers and writers from Turkey, Morocco, Mauritania and other countries participated in the work of this symposium. Professor Safvet Halilović gave a paper in Arabic on the topic: "Fī manāzil as-siddīkīne wa ar-rabbāniyyīn – Haci Bayram Veli nemüzedzen” (Degrees of siddikiyet and rebbaniyet, example of Haci Bayram Veli). The organizer of the symposium was several respectable educational and scientific institutions from the Republic of Turkey, headed by Ankara University (Ankara Üniversitesi). Professor Halilović had the opportunity to make a statement for the Turkish state television (TRT), which broadcast the report on this important symposium in several prime time slots.

Then, on March 29 and 30, 2019, an international symposium on Religion and Politics was held in Zagreb. The organizers of this large scientific meeting were: the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, the Mešihat of the Islamic Community in Croatia, the Faculty of Philosophy and Religious Sciences of the University of Zagreb, the Bosnian Academy of Sciences and Arts (BANU) and the Ibn Sina International Scientific Institute. About seventy scientific workers, writers, researchers, philosophers actively participated in the work of the symposium. The opening of the meeting was attended by dr. Husein-ef. Kavazović, reis-ulema of the Islamic community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, dr. Aziz Hasanović, Mufti of Zagreb and President of the Mosque of the Islamic Community in Croatia, Cardinal Josip Bozanić, Head of the Catholic Church in the Republic of Croatia, Monsignor Khaled Akasheh, Vatican Envoy for Interreligious Dialogue, representatives of the Orthodox Serbian and Jewish Community in the Republic of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, academics Asim Kurjak, Ivan Cvitković, Miro Jakovljević and representatives of numerous educational and scientific institutions from several European countries.

The aim of this scientific symposium was to question the relationship between religion and the nation, as well as the (mis)use of religion in the formation of extreme nationalistic consciousness, which at the end of the twentieth century was the cause of bloody conflicts, wars, persecutions and serious crimes (even genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina). Over thirty reports were submitted, and professor Safvet Halilović participated with a report on the topic: "Understanding the concept nation from the perspective of Qur'anic anthropology."

In the paper, it was pointed out that the Quranic teaching about man proclaims the equality of all people: everyone was created from one ancestor, that is Adam, peace be upon him, and his wife Hawa. The rich do not have any advantage over the poor, nor the white over the black or vice versa, because color, nation, language, homeland, etc. have no importance in God's true standards. There is only one criterion according to which values are determined and with which the advantage of one person over another is known: it is God-fearing or awareness of the Most High God, from which comes a person's willingness to carry out what He commands and stay away from His prohibitions. Also, it was emphasized that the division of people into different peoples, nations and tribes aims to get to know each other and cooperate for the common good. Therefore, the goal of this division is not war, confrontation and killing, but life in peace, harmony and mutual cooperation. This is extremely important, especially today, when we witness many wars and conflicts, the background of which is the desire for one nation to dominate other nations or for one nation to exploit the goods and resources of other nations.