Islamic studies expert Darko Tanasković stated that the response of the Islamic Community of BiH regarding the Declaration from the All-Serb Assembly represents a continuation of its political, unitarist, and anti-Serb activities.
“The statement by the Office for Public Relations of the Riyasat of the Islamic Community in BiH regarding the perceived dangers of implementing the ‘Declaration of the All-Serb Assembly’ aligns with the remarks recently made by the Bosniak member of the BiH Presidency, Denis Bećirović, at the UN Security Council session on the situation in BiH,” Tanasković said.
Bećirović, Tanasković noted, went so far as to label the Declaration from the All-Serb Assembly as a blueprint for the annexation of Republika Srpska, using the term “Anschluss” to liken it to Hitler’s 1938 annexation of Austria into the Third Reich.
“The Islamic Community’s involvement in this matter, which can hardly be considered religious or spiritual, should come as no surprise and represents a continuity of its political, unitarist, and objectively anti-Serb stance,” Tanasković said.
He recalled that when Husein Kavazović replaced the widely discredited Mustafa Cerić as head of the Muslim faithful in BiH in 2012, there was hope that Kavazović would lead the Islamic Community in a manner more befitting its religious mission, which he initially promised.
“However, it has become evident that Kavazović gradually intensified his public rhetoric, increasingly stepping into the realm of politics. This shows that, unfortunately, the Islamic Community’s anti-Serb agenda, veiled as ‘pro-Bosnian’ patriotism, remains a historical constant and is not dependent on the individual leadership at the top,” Tanasković stated to Srna.
Tanasković reminded that, in 1969, the Islamic Community of BiH removed the attribute “religious” from its official name, transforming it from “Islamic Religious Community” to “Islamic Community.”
He explained that this change was justified at the time as an unnecessary redundancy, with the assumption that the Islamic Community was inherently religious.
“However, it was clear to some even back then—and likely to all today—that this omission was part of a broader, long-term project to involve the Islamic Community in social and political processes,” Tanasković explained.
He pointed out that this was no coincidence, given the official political decision at that time to recognize the Muslim nation, whereby the Islamic Community began to serve not only as a religious institution but also as a representative of national interests—a role it maintains to this day.
“In other words, the recent statement from the Islamic Community denouncing the ‘All-Serb Assembly Declaration’ is not news. What would have been news is if the Riyasat had remained silent,” Tanasković remarked.
He emphasized that the anti-Serb political actions of the Islamic Community leadership are now entirely transparent.
“It is important that the situation is clear, and that the anti-Serb political actions of the Islamic Community leadership are fully exposed, encompassing a pattern of double standards, hypocrisy, and cynicism. This should simply be taken into account as needed,” Tanasković concluded.
Source: RTRS
