Bosnian President Mr. Bakir Izetbegovic on
Islam and Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Dr. Mozammel Haque
Mr.
Bakir Izetbegovic, the Member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina,
toured the beautiful new building of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies
(OXCIS), Oxford, on 28 October, 2013. The building was only in the planning
stages when he visited the Centre twelve years ago, that was in April, 2001, he
came with his father, Alija Izetbegovic who gave a lecture at the Centre
entitled “Bosnia on the Historical Border.”
Bosnian President at the Oxford
Centre for Islamic Studies
Mr.
Bakir Izetbegovic gave a lecture at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies,
Oxford, entitled “The Quest for Dignity, Freedom and Democracy in the Islamic
World: A Bosnian Muslim’s Perspective” at the Examination Schools, Oxford, on
28 October 2013. This write-up is based entirely on the lecture delivered by
the President of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
I am grateful to the Bosnian Ambassador in the UK, Mr; Mustafa
Mujezinovic, and his staff for their cooperation and I am also grateful to the
Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies for inviting me to attend the lecture.
Alija Izetbegovic
Bosnian President started his lecture with an
introduction to the former President of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Alija
Izetbegovic, saying, “In his rich and eventful life my father was many things:
a writer, a dissident, a statesman. If I had to describe the essence of his
vocation and commitment, I would say he was a fighter for freedom, equality and
dignity of Muslims, and for the proper understanding of Islam. He had visions
and dreams of the awakening of Muslims from centuries of lethargy, and of the
return of the Islamic world to the centre stage of history.”
He quoted from one of his early works, Alija
Izetbegovic wrote: “The entire Muslim world is in a state of ferment and
change. No matter what this world will look like after these changes make their
first upward cycle, one thing is certain: it will no longer be the world of the
first half of this century. The age of passivity and stagnation has passed
forever. For, a world of 700 million people, with tremendous natural resources,
occupying a first class geographical position, the world which is heir to
colossal cultural and political traditions and the bearer of the living Islamic
mission, cannot long remain in a position of subjection. There is no power that
can prevent the new Muslim generation from putting an end to this abnormal
state.”
Forty four years have passed since these words were written,
said Bosnian President Bakir Izetbegovic and continued, “The number of Muslims
in the world has since doubled. The economic power of the Ummah has grown
tenfold. The number of schools, students and teachers in some parts of the
Islamic world has increased hundredfold. The flourishing of the Islamic world
has begun to disrupt its ossified structures of power. We are witnessing social
fractures, revolutions and conflicts. Profound social and political changes
that have been fermenting for decades are finally moving in the direction of
creating free societies and democratic structures of government. A
well-educated, free-thinking generation of Muslims is yearning for free
societies instead of closed ones, the rule of law instead of the rule of one
person, democracy instead of authoritarianism, justice and fairness instead of
oppression and corruption. No force can stop this generation from winning
freedom, taking charge of their destiny and taking part in shaping the world of
the future. No matter all the staggering, mistakes, crises, and stalemates,
this process is irreversible and unstoppable.”
Inclusive Islam
Bosnian
President said, “The spirit of Islam is inclusive. It acknowledges all that is
good and progressive. It is not destructive. It builds and upgrades. Anything
that makes the world better and liberates human creativity cannot be against
Islam. Anything that is truly Islamic cannot be against freedom, progress and
the liberation of human potential.”
Muslim contribution to universal
culture and civilization
He
also mentioned, “In not so distant past, Muslims made colossal contributions to
the development of universal culture and civilization because that generation
of Muslims accepted, with joy and curiosity, and then cultivated, the knowledge
discovered in the conquered territories. One Byzantine emperor noted with
amazement that an Arab general, whom he called "barbarian,” sought, as a
term of armistice, the right to purchase Greek manuscripts. Cultural,
scientific, and technological ideas and advances could not be prevented from disseminating
even then, in the time when the territories and nations were strictly
separated.”
Formula of inclusiveness and integration
“There
is an intense battle of ideas and ideologies, which permeate, collide and
create synergies,” mentioned Mr. Bakir Izetbegovic and said, “Muslims must
engage in this battle. We must remain open to dialogue. We must not be poisoned
by the bitterness accumulated through centuries of physical and spiritual
domination by the West. We must not fall into the trap of radicalism. We must
not give in to the desire for revenge. We must not fear the other and the
different. We must not subscribe to the dangerous ideologies of isolation,
introversion and exclusiveness. We have to look for a formula of inclusiveness,
for a functional combination of the original Islamic values and the best of
values we consider Western and modern. European Muslims play a special role in
the quest for this formula of integration and inclusiveness because we are in
direct contact with and immersed in Western culture, and because we have a
special interest in reconciling the traditional within and the modern around
us.”
Europe is not the birthplace of
Any monotheistic religion
Europe is not the birthplace of any monotheistic
religion. President Izetbegovic mentioned, “When we talk about Islam and
Muslims in Europe, it is necessary to immediately refute the view that Europe
is exclusively Christian and that European culture is exclusively
Judeo-Christian. It is especially important to refute the dangerous fallacy
about the alleged cultural and civilizational conflict between the supposedly
progressive Christian Europe, on one hand, and supposedly retrograde
Islamic-Oriental threat, on the other hand.”
“Europe
is not the birth place of any of the great monotheistic religions. Jesus Christ
was neither born, nor did he preach in Europe. All three great monotheistic
religions came from the same source, from the same, relatively narrow
geographic region. Most importantly, all three religions brought nearly identical
messages and teach identical basic values. Islam is no stranger to Europe. Nor
is Islam alien to the spirit of Europe,” said Bosnian President
Islam intensely present in Europe
Quite
the contrary, he said, “there probably would not be what we know today as the
spirit of Europe without Islam’s contribution to the formation of European
identity and culture. Islam has been intensely present in Europe for over 1,300
years, having arrived in some of its parts more than two centuries before
Christianity. The Umayyad Caliphate was established on European soil in the
early eighth century. The Islamic state had reached heights in philosophy,
science, technology and state organization by the time Christianity expanded to
eastern, central and northern Europe. Islam influenced the formation of
spiritual and cultural identity in north-eastern Europe through the Golden
Horde and the Crimean, Kazan and Astrakhan Khanates; and in south-eastern
Europe through the vital and powerful Ottoman Empire.”
Humanistic revival in the West
Islamic
thought introduced historical science and scientific method and laid the
foundation of the Italian Renaissance. Bosnian President said, “Islamic thought
initiated the humanistic revival in the West, introduced historical science and
the scientific method, helped Scholastics reconcile philosophy with faith,
stimulated Western mysticism, laid the foundations of the Italian renaissance,
and directed modern European thought until Kant. Muslims were the bearers of
progress in that era. They were the bridge between the philosophy and knowledge
of the ancient Greece and the science of the Western world. Much has been
written and said, including at this Centre, about the contributions of Islamic
scholars to medicine, mathematics, astronomy, chemistry, geography,
architecture and finance. All of this clearly confirms that Muslims are the
co-creators, and thus co-owners, of European culture and civilization.”
Bosnia: A meeting place of ideas,
religions and interests
The
Bosnian Muslims, Bosniaks, are an indigenous European people who have been
Muslims for half a millennium. Although small in number, they carry a great
burden of history. Mr. Izetbegovic mentioned, “In their struggle for survival
and freedom, the Bosniaks have, in their own microcosm, passed through many
temptations and resolved some of the critical challenges that Muslims worldwide
face today and will face in the future.”
“Throughout
its existence, Bosnia was the point of contact of the East and the West, a
meeting place of ideas, religions and interests. Above all, it was a place of
largely harmonious coexistence of followers of the Abrahamic traditions. Unique
to medieval Bosnia was the existence of the indigenous Bosnian Church, which
was heretical and close to Catharism and Patarenism. Members of the Bosnian
Church, who were called “The Good Bosnians,” did not recognize sacraments,
liturgy, church hierarchy, icons, or statues,” he said.
Bosnia: a multi-cultural multi-religious society
Explaining
the multi-cultural and multi-religious character of the Bosnian society,
Bosnian President said, “What Bosnia really was – a multi-cultural and
multi-religious society – was built through centuries of peace, tolerance, and
respect for the other and the different. Sarajevo is a city with hundreds of
minarets, but also a city of many great churches and synagogues. Amid Catholic
cathedrals and a striking Orthodox church, there is a large Protestant and an
Adventist church. Located within one square kilometre in the historic part of
Sarajevo, these houses of worship almost physically touch and lean on one
another. “
“The
Bosnian language and the Bosnian script appear in the Charter of Kulin Ban of
1189, in which this ruler of Bosnia gave certain guarantees to the Republic of
Dubrovnik (Republic of Ragusa). The first vocabulary of the Bosnian language
was printed as early as 1631,” he mentioned. .
Bosniaks accepted Islam before the arrival of Ottomans
Speaking
about the Islamic faith of the people of Bosnia, the Bosniaks, President Izetbegovic
mentioned, “The Bosniaks had already begun accepting Islam before the arrival
of the Ottomans to Bosnia. The mass adoption of the new faith gradually
occurred during the first century of the Ottoman rule. The Bosniaks and Bosnian
Church had resisted – spiritually, politically and militarily – the East and
the West, the Vatican and the Byzantium, popes and kings. The Ottoman invasion,
however, was not understood as catastrophic because the Turks had in several
turns been allies of the Bosnian kings, and because Islam was, in many
respects, a natural extension of the faith of “The Good Bosnians.”
Mentioning
about the nature of the Ottoman rule, he said, “While the Ottoman Empire was
conquering territories, it was not enslaving peoples. It was not obliterating
their cultures or forcing them to convert to Islam. Non-Muslims were given the
choice of opting out of military service in exchange for a cash payment. They
were also given the opportunity to accept Islam, which they often took, and
with it military duty and a chance to progress to the top ranks of the Ottoman
Empire. After the withdrawal of the Ottoman Empire within the borders of
present-day Turkey, churches, monasteries, synagogues as well as countries,
peoples and cultures were fully preserved. Some historians, therefore, believe
the correct translation of the phrase “Osmanli Devlet,” which was the official
name of the state, should be the Ottoman Commonwealth, rather than the Ottoman
Empire.”
Bosnia under Communist regime
Talking
about the life and property of the Bosniaks under the Communist regime,
President Izetbegovic said, “The Communist regime that ruled for the following
nearly half a century brought some good to the Bosniaks: the nationalisms were
muffled, their lives were protected, they had a chance to educate themselves
and be part of the government and military establishment. They were not
entitled to owning significant assets. Factories, forests, farm fields and
larger residential houses they owned were expropriated. They had no right to
have their own ethnic name. In censuses they were classified as “undecided,”
their language had to be the Serbo-Croatian. They were not allowed to have
their Academy of Sciences or other national and cultural institutions.”
“Mosques,
madrassas and other institutions of Islamic education were shut down or
severely constrained. The Grand Mufti was de facto appointed by the Central
Committee of the Communist Party. Political parties (except the Communist
Party) were not allowed to exist. Free media was abolished. Those who resisted
the ideological terror of the Communist regime were imprisoned. The resistance
of the young Bosniak intellectuals who were organized under the illegal
organization “Young Muslims” was crushed with draconian measures and penalties.
Its leaders were executed or sentenced to decades in prison. The terror against
the Bosniaks that stretched throughout the twentieth century, changing only in
form and intensity, caused the bulk of them to seek refuge in exile abroad,”he
said.
President
of Bosnia also mentioned that about two million Bosniaks live in Bosnia today,
while twice as many went to Turkey, the United States and European countries
through several waves of emigration.
Complicated government structure
Speaking
about the complicated governmental structure of Bosnia and Herzegovina,
President Izetbegovic said, “The structures of government established by the
Dayton Peace Agreement are very complicated. The decision-making procedures
provide too many opportunities to block progress. This is why Bosnia is
seriously lagging behind on its path towards membership in the European Union.
Forces and actors that devastated Bosnia with military means are still strongly
present in its political life, and there is always the danger they will try to
complete their war aims by political means, by blocking the state and making
its institutions dysfunctional. This must be prevented, and stabilizing reforms
must be continued, with the help of the international community.”
Bosnia;
a crossroads of civilisations
Rebuilding
of the multiethnic matrix is needed. Bosnian President said, “The rebuilding of
the multiethnic matrix of Bosnia that was torn by force and crimes must be
completed. Bosnia is one of those places where relations and emotions from the
whole world entangle and untangle. It is a meeting point, a crossroads of
civilizations, a bridge between the East and the West. The restoration and
preservation of this microcosm is important not only for Bosnia and the
Bosniaks. It is of crucial importance for the whole world. It thus should be
supported by the whole world.”
President
Bakir Izetbegovic said, “ As Surah Al-Balad conveys to us “We created man into
hardship ... to climb the steep trail.” The struggle for freedom, dignity and
democracy is akin to climbing a treacherous steep trail. “The Bosnian
experience teaches that it is easier to climb this trail if you hold tightly to
the rope of faith, morality and knowledge; if you are forgiving; if you are not
afraid of freedom; if you are not afraid of the other and the different; if you
are inclusive; if you protect and nurture diversity; if you embrace change that
brings progress; if you can unite diverse forces around a common cause and if
you have leadership that is moderate, wise, patient and genuinely rooted in the
nation.”
We must harmonize our actions
with His (God’s) Will
Concluding
his lecture, Bosnian President said, “We belong to a living faith whose return
to the global stage will mark the twenty-first century, a faith that will have
to contribute to stopping negative global trends. The growing power of
humankind brings progress and prosperity. Yet, the selfish side of that power
cuts into the very substance on which our future depends – our physical habitat
and our spiritual essence. Our world is changing at a speed and in a direction
that is worrysome. There is ever more violence, alienation, injustice,
inequality, intolerance, pollution and depletion of natural resources. And
there is ever less goodness, justice, compassion, humanity, solidarity, healthy
relations and family life.”
“The
direction in which the world is going must be changed. Ideologies that do not
respect God, or are against God, are obviously not capable of doing that. It
can be done only by those who respect the One who created the world and the
order of things within it. The wondrous planet on which we live and die is
completely unique in the universe. There is nothing like it in the sight of the
most powerful telescopes. We are used to it, so this wonder no longer
astonishes us,” said Bosnian President and added, “Everything on this planet is
a testimony to the Almighty Creator’s touch and His intent to make a home for
us. He endowed us with a miraculous gift: free will in a world that is
completely determined. We must show appreciation and responsibility. We must
harmonize our actions with His Will. We must bear this gift properly, with
devotion. Particularly those of us He calls the Devoted.”
