Statement of the Council of Muftis of the Islamic Community

At a time when Bosnia and Herzegovina is experiencing its most severe constitutional, political, and security crisis since the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement, the Council of Muftis of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, guided by the words of the Almighty in the Holy Quran, “ Allah invites ˹all˺ to the Home of Peace”, calls on all domestic and international actors to ensure peace and the rule of law throughout the entire territory of the country. It is the duty of all to guarantee peace and a sense of security to every citizen in every part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is deeply troubling that irresponsible political actions have led to a situation where the possibility of peace being threatened is even being discussed. Such policies have no future in this country. The future belongs to those who will build this nation for all its peoples and citizens, in a spirit of mutual trust and respect.

Messages suggesting that the peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot live together are shameful, as well as a call for new conflicts, persecution, and division. The truth is that Bosnia and Herzegovina has always been a place where diversity was respected and valued. All misunderstandings stem solely from the desire to create ethnically exclusive states on parts of Bosnian territory that would belong to only one of its peoples.

For the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is unacceptable that areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina where genocide was committed and from which Bosniaks were expelled could exist outside the constitutional, legal, and security framework of the state. State institutions are the guarantee of the survival of genocide survivors in their ancestral homes. It is clear to everyone in this country that any attempt to secede part of the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina would inevitably lead to conflict.

The Council of Muftis of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina strongly condemns the adoption of the draft of the new Constitution of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian entity, Republika Srpska, which clearly reveals the kind of future that is being planned for Bosniaks in that area, as well as for other non-Serb citizens, should state institutions be dismantled.

The Council of Muftis commends all imams and members of the Islamic Community, as well as the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, for their determination to preserve peace and resist provocations. We are all encouraged by the messages of citizens of all nationalities who have raised their voices against division and the spread of hatred. The firm stance of a large number of this country’s citizens to not partake in the reckless adventures of irresponsible politicians gives hope that we have learned the lessons of the past and that the mistakes of those times will never be repeated.