The Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina condemns the shameful monument in neighboring Montenegro

The Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina condemns the shameful monument in neighboring Montenegro to Pavle Đurišić, commander of the Chetnik movement during World War II and a war criminal.

The Islamic Community is deeply concerned by the alarming trend of glorifying war crimes, rehabilitating war criminals, and the growing presence of open Islamophobia and even racism within the mainstream political, media, religious, and social spheres among certain Serbian elites in the Balkans. This trend, clearly rooted in the ideology of the so-called “Serbian World,” threatens to further deepen divisions between nations and states, and confirms that the warnings of the Islamic Community about the aims of the so-called Serbian Assembly’s declaration were justified. Those who glorify war crimes are preparing for new ones and they are ready to commit them again.

The Islamic Community therefore calls on all domestic and international stakeholders, especially Bosniak political leaders, to take these warnings seriously, to stand firmly against them, and to pursue policies that will protect Bosniaks and all other peoples of this region from the re-emergence of fascist, expansionist projects whose proponents no longer hide their hatred of Muslims.

While the Islamic Community welcomes the decision of Montenegro’s state authorities to remove the monument to a man responsible for horrific crimes against Muslim and Bosniak civilians during World War II, the Islamic Community also condemns the actions of certain Serbian Orthodox Church leaders whose conduct continues to hinder genuine cooperation between religious communities in this part of Europe.

Office for Public Relations
Riyasat of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina