The president of the Veterans Organization of the Army of Republika Srpska, Slobodan Župljanin, believes that the wartime Muslim leader Alija Izetbegović is not the “peacemaker” as he is portrayed in the Federation of BiH, but rather the main culprit for the numerous sufferings of the Serb people during the Defense and Patriotic War.
- As war trophies, Izetbegović accepted the severed heads of Serbs from the mujahideen and did nothing to stop such atrocities, which violated all international conventions and the rules of warfare – Župljanin told Srna.
According to him, Izetbegović was the key figure who could have prevented the armed conflicts in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but unfortunately, his radical Islamist ambition for creating an Islamic state in areas where Serbs, Croats, and Muslims had lived for centuries prevailed.
- His ambitions were not realized, but the price was too high. Too much unnecessary blood was shed—Serb, Croat, and Muslim alike. The ideological ambition to impose a Sharia-based state in the heart of Europe overshadowed all peace initiatives and pleas to avoid conflict, and unfortunately, he was supported by the irrational backing of so-called free and democratic Europe – Župljanin pointed out.
He noted that it was confirmed that Izetbegović was under investigation by the Hague Tribunal but, due to numerous manipulations and abuses, he never faced justice and was not convicted. Župljanin expressed the belief that, had he faced trial, Izetbegović would have been convicted of the most serious forms of war crimes.
- Alija Izetbegović, the creator of the “Islamic Declaration” and a member of the notorious “Handžar Division” during World War II, the importer of mujahideen into Bosnia, a close friend of Osama bin Laden, and a so-called peacemaker who sacrificed peace for an independent Bosnia and Herzegovina, is well known to both the domestic and broader public for his radical Islamist orientation – Župljanin emphasized.
Župljanin added that in recent days, due to Christian Schmidt mentioning Alija Izetbegović in the context of war crimes, an unprecedented reaction from the Bosniak community has emerged, directed against Schmidt, whom they had previously supported.
- These are double and unprincipled standards from the Sarajevo elite, which still fails to understand with whom and how they should discuss the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina in conditions of peace and stable democratic development – Župljanin concluded.
Numerous Bosniak officials from the Federation of BiH sharply criticized Christian Schmidt for stating that a common curriculum in education is necessary and that the textbooks contain “unacceptable images” of former Army of Republika Srpska Chief of Staff General Ratko Mladić and Muslim wartime leader Alija Izetbegović.
The OHR later clarified Schmidt’s statement, noting that Alija Izetbegović “was a key figure in achieving peace and the Dayton Agreement, and through his actions, he saved many lives.”
Source: RTRS
