Bosnia Muslims Condemn Hardline Foes of Shorts

An official of the Bosnian Islamic Community, Amir Karic, said his institution condemned verbal attacks on two teenage girls this week in Sarajevo by a member of the Wahhabi movement, who reportedly insulted them for wearing shorts during Ramadan.

“We condemn any kind of violence towards anyone, because everyone has the right to make their own choice,” Karic said. “At the same time, we cannot be expected to take responsibility for the behaviour of one individual in the street.”

Sarajevo: Girls in shorts / Photo by Almir Panjeta, Slobodna Bosna

Slobodna Bosna said that two 17-year-old girls were insulted on Monday by a man who shouted from a passing car that their outfits were inappropriate.

The weekly newspaper said the man warned the girls that it was the holy month of Ramadan, when they should be fasting, not strolling around in shorts.

The journalist, Almir Panjeta, says he drew angry comments from readers for writing about the topic while on social networks he faced open threats.

“I was accused of spoiling the image of Sarajevo, of giving too much significance to the case, while many even accused me of making the story up,” Panjeta told Balkan Insight.

“The ‘Sharia police’ does not formally exist here, but we can see some of their activity and it is nothing new, as other girls contacted me after this article saying they had the same experience,” Panjeta added.

The so-called Sharia police is a colloquial expression used to refer to members of the Wahhabi movement who preach randomly to people on the street about their behaviour.