President of the Republic Nataša Pirc Musar, in the manner of Tanja Fajon, pays more respect to non-Christian religions. She often does not mention Christians, does not give them the same degree of respect as others, and does not attend masses for the homeland. A large part of the Slovenian population is thus blatantly and deliberately neglected by her.
On the occasion of the Islamic holiday of Qurban Bayram, Nataša Pirc Musar wrote that it is “the final act of a period that Muslims devote to reflecting on life and the world and our role in it.” “As you wrote, we are not alone in the world, we coexist with people of different faiths, cultures and beliefs. I sincerely believe that we can learn a lot from each other and that we, human beings, exist in this world to help each other and to listen to each other,” she stressed, adding that dignity should not be denied to anyone, as this is what makes us mindful and sentient beings.
The four-day celebration, which is linked to the pilgrimage to Mecca, began with morning prayers on Wednesday, led by Slovenian Mufti Nevzet Porić. Bayram prayers were also offered in other parts of the country where there is an active Islamic community. The doctrine of Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, teaches us that ethical and moral values are “the foundation of mutual respect and thus of society as a whole,” according to Pirc Musar. “Qurban Bayram is therefore about overcoming selfishness and strengthening solidarity with those in need. All this reflects our common commitment that by working together, we can better face the challenges of today’s world,” she said in her message, according to the Slovenian Press Agency.
Catholic Church has been left without a representative
While it is right for the President of the Republic to show respect for other religions, one would have expected her not to forget about the country’s most widespread denomination. After all, Europe, and therefore also Slovenia, was founded on Christian foundations, and if we do not respect this ourselves, no one will do it for us. Many people expected the Catholic Church to have its own representative for the next four years, especially in light of the fact that the Golob government’s amendment provides for only one representative of the religious communities (previously, there were two). But Pirc Musar appointed Klaudija Sedar, nominated by the Evangelical Church, from among the representatives of the registered religious communities.
And to further illustrate the difference between Pirc Musar’s treatment of the two aforementioned religions, here is her Easter message: “The Easter holidays are based on hope for new beginnings, on happiness and peace. Let this be a message of encouragement to everyone for friendly communication, empathy, solidarity and justice. I wish you all happy and blessed Easter holidays and lots of interpersonal kindness.” And her Qurban Bayram message: “Qurban Bayram is the final act of a period that Muslims devote to reflecting on life and the world and our role in it. I sincerely believe that we can learn a lot from each other and that we, human beings, exist in this world to help each other and to listen to each other. Dear Muslims, I wish you an enjoyable and fulfilling celebration.”
Two types of congratulations from the President, two completely different messages: she did not even mention Christians in her Easter message, while she addressed the representatives of the Islamic faith with a respect that Christians did not receive.
Then, as the birthday of our country approached, a new disappointment followed, as the country’s top officials, including the President, were absent from the Holy Mass for the Homeland, even though it is a Slovenian event of special significance. However, it must be acknowledged that the President of the Republic, unlike Prime Minister Robert Golob and the Speaker of the National Assembly Urška Klakočar Zupančič, at least had a justifiable reason for her absence, as she was visiting the Council of Europe in Strasbourg at the time. Nevertheless, she upset many by later appearing as a guest on a commercial television programme. Namely, the viewer could easily have gotten the feeling that the intention was to infuse the atmosphere of the Slovenian Statehood Day with the spirit of partisanship and the memory of the Yugoslav dictator Josip Broz – Tito, which is extremely inappropriate at a time when we are commemorating the day when we got our country and started to write our own destiny.
She did not speak out against the abolition of the National Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Communism
In a recent open letter to the Slovenian public and responsible politicians, the Assembly for the Republic raised, among other things, the question of why the President is ignoring the religious citizens of our country. “She has been to the Vatican and to the Forum, why doesn’t she come to the Holy Mass for the Homeland? Why does she not stand up for the burial of the silenced and exhumed victims of the Revolution, the Roma and the Slovene Home Guard and other victims, just as she stands up for the victims of the Holocaust, Srebrenica, etc.?” Among other things, the representatives of the organisation were also critical of Pirc Musar because all victims deserve a decent burial. However, we also did not hear any criticism from her side when it came to the abolition of the National Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Communist Violence. They also asked if, in light of euthanasia being pushed by the ruling party, she would stand up for the right to a human life worthy of living, adding: “Do the victims affected, and all religious and other citizens, to whom the ideas of religion, a human being and a nation of the world, as well as the right to be treated equally, not have the same rights as everyone else – to not to be excluded as second-class citizens by those in power?”
Well, it will undoubtedly be interesting to see how she compares to her predecessor Borut Pahor on Christmas Day, when politicians from the left generally wish us a happy holiday. At the start of her term in office, she said that she would try to be everybody’s President. But it is increasingly becoming clear that, unfortunately, this is not the case.
Ana Horvat
