The state known to millions of people around the world as Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia – does not exist anymore. Yugoslavia burned out in a terrible fire which no one could have extinguished. On its ground, at the ashes of common state, seven new countries emerged. Among them is Bosnia and Herzegovina which revived its statehood. I am coming from Bosnia and Herzegovina and I will tell you today about difficult faith of my people who survived an exterminating war.

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A MYTHICAL HERO FROM A BLOODY EPOPEE FROM THE END OF 20TH CENTURY: Alija Izetbegović, on April 9, 1995, congratulated to representatives of Serbian people and he paid his respect because “they represent consciousness and the other, unstained cheek of Serbian people.”

He said at the 2nd Assembly of Serbs that “the aim of legal government of Bosnia and Herzegovina is a democratic Bosnia and Herzegovina, or what we like to say it, state in which no one will be persecuted for its religion, nation or political conviction. I believe that is the essence of civilization,” Izetbegović noted.

As it can be seen, it is not easy to talk about Alija Izebtegović. As much as he was simple, he was also a complex person. For defenders of Bosnia, who he lead to a difficult fight against much stronger enemy, but also for all oppressed in the world who dream about freedom, Alija Izetbegović is a mythical hero from a bloody epopee from the end of 20th century. His enemies identify him with Milošević and Tuđman, and describe him as a protagonist of a bloody collapse of Yugoslavia. For his opponents, who “forget” that the politics does not lead to heavenly fields of good and virtue but to muddy puddles, with many kicks and injuries, Alija Izetbegović was an inconsistent politician who, as they like to say, thought one thing in the morning, and the second thing in the afternoon. For international diplomats who came to Bosnia and Herzegovina to quickly finish the job and reap the glory on its misfortune, Izetbegović was crafty wise man with whom you never know what will happen.

After fight for freedom and Dayton peace full of compromise, Alija Izetbegović had to face even harder challenge- to maintain independence. Because, at the political scene in post-war time there were still Serbian leader Slobodan Milošević and Croatian president Franjo Tuđman, creators of Yugoslavian war and architects of two great-state concepts. Two of them were still obsessed with idea of division of Bosnia and Herzegovina only now with different methods. Izetbegović identified them strongly warned international community on danger which threats Bosnian independence and pointed to untamed appetites of neighbors, who did not come to terms with losing territories in Bosnia and Herzegovina even after Dayton. Izetbegović’s prognoses were carefully listened to in Ankara, Rabat, Riyad, Teheran, Kuala Lumpur, all around Islamic world.

The Dayton agreement

In the conferences of Islamic countries, at Izetbegović’s initiative, Serbian terror in Kosovo was discussed. He pointed to the problem of Muslim Sanjak in Serbia and danger hanging over the Muslims in Milošević’s state. In the summit of the Organization of Islamic Conference in 1997 in Teheran, president Izetbegović carefully analyzed the condition of Muslim ummet. Although aware of the danger that he could be misunderstood in Islamic world, from the rostrum in Teheran he openly said that “the West is not spoiled, nor degenerated, nor rotten.” For him, without any doubt “Islam is the best,” but “we are not the best” and he pointed to all advantages of the West with all “dark sides of their progress.” <sup>[1]

1]</sup> Forgive me, for I will now be very open. Nice lies do not help, but sour truths could be a cure. The West is not corrupted or degenerated. The ‘Rotten West’ of a self-deceiving communism paid a high price for this. The West is not rotten. It is strong, educated and organised. Their schools are better than ours and their cities are cleaner than ours. The level of human rights in the West is higher and social care for the poor and less able, better organised. Westerners 2 are, most often, responsible and accurate people. Those are my experiences with them. I know, as well, the dark sides of their progress, and I am not letting them out of my sight. Islam is the best – this is the truth – but we are not the best. Those two are different things and we always switch them. Instead of hating the West, we should compete with it. Did not the Qur’an order us to do just that: ‘Strive to achieve the virtue of deeds…’

…Now a few words about the Bosnia that I have come from. I mentioned the East and the West. Bosnia is positioned between these two, on the Big Border, as we like to put it. Every tenth Bosnian died in the past war. We paid a high price for our right to survival and freedom. That is why you should not let new injustice happen in Bosnia. Tell everyone that Bosnia is a holy country to you, because it has been drenched with the blood of innocent people, your brothers in faith. Some Western countries are our friends. You will recognize them by the fact that they are helping Bosnia, supporting its integrity. Cooperate with them on this historical mission, infinitely important for many reasons for us and for you, and for the civilized world as a whole. Because Bosnia is a great experiment that concerns every man and every woman in the world.”