Counter-spin: Sulejman Rexhepi through a spin ended in hate speech

Author: Teofil Blazhevski

The head of the Islamic Religious Community (IRC), Sulejman Rexhepi, in a speech at the village Arnakija Skopje, during the ceremony for the reconstruction of a mosque on 14.03.2019, stated the following:

We will not allow obstruction and prevention of the construction of mosques. We will never be silent. We hope, Godspeed, that better times will come, and we will construct mosques everywhere, we have people and location of village Lazhec, Bitola region, where for more than 100 years they have not had a mosque. Imagine, what kind of life we share with this wild nation. This is the reason why these nameless and wild people have no identity and will never have one, although we want to help them. They cannot be helped, soulless people never come to their senses.

[Source: “Kanal 5” – The head of the IRC: The Macedonian people are wild and therefore have no identity, 09.04.2019]

The head of the Islamic Community Sulejman Rexhepi – according to the video that we could review, which confirms the spoken words in other media, as well as the application for Hate speech to the Helsinki Committee, causes a complete twist of the truth; spinning.

It is true, that these concerns hate speech, but here we will clarify the spin which the hate speech derives from.

Rexhepi first made a generalization concerning the construction of mosques in the Republic of North Macedonia, claiming that “mosques are being obstructed and their construction is not allowed.”

Then, as in the case of Lazhec, where there is no evidence of halting the process of the construction of a mosque, Rexhepi says vulgar words for the entire nation, arguing that the Macedonian people are “wild animals and that precisely because of that they have no identity and will never have one.” Regardless of the fact that they – the Albanians, wanted to help the Macedonians, but since they are soulless, it is impossible.

The spin is obvious. There is no nation that can be characterized as “wild animals”. There is no “nation without an identity”, “heartless nation”. Stereotypes, insults and chauvinism. Regardless of whatever Rexhepi is upset about, does not give him the right to use hate speech, which comes through another spin- a confirmation that another case is being abused.

Namely, Rexhepi himself recently stated that there are 700 mosques in the Republic of North Macedonia. That number is found in his letter – in which he threatens the Government of Republic of North Macedonia, stating that if problems with denationalization are not solved, they will be forced to inform believers about the long-standing discrimination that was being conducted on the IRC and the believers in the country, to which the government responded.

Hence, the question is the following – if there is discrimination against believers and IRC, why were 700 mosques built? According to recent research published by Birn/ Prism, in the country, from 2004 to 2014, almost 350 mosques were built, and the number was the same for churches, monasteries, chapels …

Taking all this into consideration,Rexhepi cannot, from a case or two, generalize, or twist the truth/spin and use hate speech. Hate speech, as noted by the Helsinki Committee, used by a high and influential leader, is especially dangerous and not permitted. Because the road from hate speech to criminal activities is not so distant at all.

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