Original article (in Bosnian) was published on 11/06/2026; Author: Nerma Šehović
What are the claims?
A student of the generation of the First Elementary School in Konjic sent messages about the need to introduce the Islamic system in her speech for the School Day.
What are the facts?
The speech of a student of the school in Konjic was manipulatively presented as proof that the transformation of BiH into an Islamic state is a comprehensive process.
On June 6, 2026, the Večernji list website published Matija Perić’s review of the “shocking messages” of the student of the generation in the elementary school in Konjic. The article is equipped with the following title:
WHY THEY WANT TO MAKE BIH AN ISLAMIC STATE: Worrying messages from a student of the generation from Konjic
The article begins with a comparison of the guest appearance of the member of the FBiH Parliament Haris Zahiragić on HRT, who allegedly “minimized the multiple trampling of political rights” in a show on this television, and the speech given by a 15-year-old student of the generation of the First Elementary School in Konjic at the celebration of the School Day. The speech was described as “a seemingly harmless episode of the destruction of the concept of secularism and the transformation of BiH into an Islamic state” and “one of the results of the long-standing influence of the Islamic community on children from an early age and the gradual incorporation of faith into institutions, which is contrary to the concept of secularism”. The following is stated about it:
When a 15-year-old girl says that she is against proms and suggests that there should be space for prayer in the school so that students do not have to choose between classes and spiritual needs that are more important to her than classes, then there is no doubt that the transformation of BiH into an Islamic state is a comprehensive process for which the question is whether and how it can be stopped.
The article further claims that the girl sent messages about the need to introduce the Islamic or Sharia system:
“Every school should have a space for prayer regardless of the religious affiliation of the students. Because a student would not have to choose between teaching and spiritual life, which is more important than teaching”, is the opinion expressed by H. R., forgetting that mosques and churches and Orthodox churches in her Konjic have always been places for prayer and that faith in school cannot be more important than the educational process for which schools exist.
H.R. ended her speech with messages of solidarity with the children of Gaza, who, she stressed, do not have the opportunity to go to school. “When you’re tired and thinking about giving up, think of Gaza and the kids who can’t go to school. That is why we value our peace and freedom,” said the student of the generation, with messages about the need to introduce systems that restrict freedom for many, and especially for all women who are considered less valuable in Islamic countries where religion and its laws are part of institutions.
The author puts his review of the messages of the student of the generation in the context of the triple murder on Christmas Day 2002 in the village of Kostajnica near Konjic, in which members of the Anđelić family were killed by a member of the Wahhabi movement, Muamer Topalović. He wrote that it was “absurd” that the girl called for “equal rights to religious services in schools for all students regardless of their religious affiliation” in the city where such a crime was committed.
Of course, it is not the fault of the girl who does not show compassion for the victims of those with whom she shares her living space, but those who are persistently working to turn BiH into an Islamic state and who, as this example has shown, are louder than the teachers who tried to warn about the collapse of the concept of secularism, which they are obviously unable to stop on their own. Representatives of educational institutions or public institutions who attended the girl’s speech have not publicly commented on this very dangerous event, although they were at the celebration. Her address, as well as the public support of her father Dino R., showed that the process of introducing religious requirements into public schools is no longer covert or sporadic, but an increasingly open and aggressive pressure on the secular character of education in BiH.
By the date of writing this analysis, the article has been published by ten websites in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
What did the high school graduate (not) say in her speech?
Večernji list, as well as other websites that republished the article, did not publish the recording of the speech of the 15-year-old graduate of the First Elementary School from Konjic, which she held on June 3, 2026 to mark the School Day. A recording of her speech was found on Facebook, where it was posted on June 4, 2026.
Dear all, I stand here today with great gratitude. Being a student of the generation is really an honor for me, but that title does not belong only to me. My parents are behind her most of all. They are my most sincere support, but also those who patiently endured everything that this time brought with it.
Then, a big thank you to all our teachers who have selflessly illuminated our way through these years. Special thanks to my classmate Saba Kuburić, teacher Muamera Habibi, as well as all my friends, classmates who pushed me forward.
I would just like to take this opportunity to leave two messages for the generations to come, but also for our school, so that in the future it will be an even better place for all of us. To begin with, we often focus on transient, external values. In the 9th grade, these are mostly graduation celebrations, which sometimes become a contest to see who has more or who is dressed more fashionably, or the school’s Miss competition, which visually evaluates children. We shouldn’t do that, because really every child is beautiful and God created us all with different advantages and qualities. I think that the joy of finishing elementary school could be realized in a much better way. The true value of a man is in his dignity. True inclusivity means that we create traditions where no child will feel inferior for who they are or choose a different path and choose not to attend such parties.
Secondly, the second is about space for everyone. Our homeland is beautiful in its diversity, so our school should be a place where no one has to rush, hide or balance between their school obligations and their basic, spiritual needs, regardless of which religion they belong to. I would like the school to recognize this in the future and provide a space for prayer for each student, where they will not have to choose between classes and what is far more important in the life of every believer than classes.
And finally, gratitude is the path to success. Whenever you are tired or feel on the verge of giving up, let us remember that somewhere in the world, such as Gaza and many other places, our peers do not have the opportunity to sit at school desks, let alone finish primary school. Let us be grateful for the peace and freedom we have and become the voice of those whose voice is not heard.
Thank you.
Therefore, the student of the generation did not call for the introduction of an Islamic state or the Islamic or Sharia system. She suggested that the school should provide a space for prayer for students of all religions and described BiH as a country “beautiful in its diversity”. She also didn’t say she was “against proms” or suggested they shouldn’t be held. She criticized material competition and said children should not be excluded if they do not want to attend such parties. She did not mention Islam or Islamic religious rites, nor did she suggest that BiH should be an “Islamic state”.
She also did not say, as incorrectly quoted in the article, that “a student should not choose between teaching and the spiritual life, which is more important than teaching”, but said that “every believer” has spiritual needs “more important than classes”. She did not say that every student is a believer, and therefore that religious needs are more important to everyone than teaching.
Although the introduction of space for prayer in public schools could be interpreted as a move that is not in line with the secular education system, it is clear that in the article of Večernji list, the words of the student of the generation were manipulatively interpreted and that messages that she did not send were attributed to her.
Irresponsible Writing about Children
The article is conceived as an expression of concern about the violation of the principles of secularism in public schools, by problematizing the speech of a 15-year-old student of the generation in one such school. But judging by the article’s design and interpretation of its messages, the author sees the alleged threat to secularism in public schools as part of an effort to replace the secular character of the state with an Islamic system. The twisting of her words and sensationalist allegations about the plan to “turn BiH into an Islamic state”, as well as the context in which the speech of the student of the generation was connected with the statements of Haris Zahiragić and the crime committed in a village near Konjic 24 years ago, create an image whose obvious goal is to spread the fear of “Islamization” allegedly imposed by Bosniaks.
But the fact is that religious organizations were quite involved in school life in BiH even before the speech of the student generation in Konjic. For example, Večernji list, which published an article by Matija Perić, repeatedly reported positively on the connection of the Catholic Church with schools (1, 2, 3). The subject of Religious Education has been part of the curricula in BiH for more than 30 years and through it the three largest religious communities have direct connections with schools.
The opinion of one student that schools should have space for prayer for all denominations is hardly a big step towards the abolition of secularism in BiH schools, or what scares the author of the article in Večernji list the most, towards “Islamization”.
In addition to manipulatively interpreting the speech of the student of the generation in Konjic, the author of the article also ignored ethical norms and professional journalistic standards when it comes to reporting on children. Article 18 of the Code of Conduct for Print and Online Media of the Press and Online Media Council states the following:
In dealing with children and minors, journalists and editors are obliged to be extremely careful, respecting good customs and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and starting from the best interests of the child.
Although he wrote that the girl was “not guilty”, the author presented her address as a demonstration that “the process of introducing religious requirements into public schools is no longer disguised or sporadic, but an increasingly open and aggressive pressure on the secular character of education”. It is quite clear that the best interest of the student of the generation is not to manipulate her opinions in order to depict the alleged open effort to make BiH an “Islamic state”.
According to the facts, we assess the claim from the article of Večernji list that a student of the generation of the First Elementary School in Konjic in her speech on the occasion of the School Day sent messages about the need to introduce the Islamic or Sharia system, which “restricts the freedom of many”, as fake news. There were no such messages in her speech. Other publications of this claim are assessed as the republishing of fake news.
The observation that the speech of a 15-year-old student against graduation parties and for the provision of space for prayer in schools is “undoubted” evidence of a “comprehensive plan” to turn BiH into an Islamic state is assessed as manipulation of facts. These parts of the speech are presented without the necessary context. We give the same rating to the quote that “a student would not have to choose between teaching and the spiritual life, which is more important than teaching”. The student actually said: “I wish the school . . . provide a space for each student to pray, where they will not have to choose between classes and what is far more important in the life of every believer than classes.”
