ALIJA IZETBEGOVIC GENERATING EXTREMISM

Kill Santa Claus, Kill Chetniks and Ustashe

AIM Sarajevo, 31 December, 1997

Sarajevo Santa Claus Festival organized by the Medjasi First Children's Embassy ended literally by the escape in direction unknown of ten Santa Claus who had arrived for the occasion from four states of former Yugoslavia. But, they did not flee from children but from the mob which competed "who can spit harder at Christmas" and which yelled "Kill! Kill! Thieves, Chetniks, Ustashe...". Among more than three thousand people who gathered at the Children's Square in Sarajevo which got its name in the memory of 1,602 children of this city killed during the war, there were a few times more parents than children. However, it is a fact that pushing, and shoving, and yelling, and beating, was started by several persons who had come in order to make a riot. One of them even pulled a knife at one of the associates of the Children's Embassy engaged in the organization of the Festival. About the First Children's Embassy and its intentions let us add that until that day it had distributed packages to weak-sighted and blind children, hard-of-hearing and deaf children, paraplegic children, wounded children, that it had visited children in 40 municipalities in both B&H entities.

A week before that, somebody who must have been insulted by the appearance of Santa Claus in the part of Sarajevo called Grbavica, threw a stone or a brick at the benevolent fatso in red... The official explanation was that this "somebody" was either drunk or drugged.

Two years ago Alija Izetbegovic, president of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) and the then president of B&H Presidency, declared that Santa Claus was a "communist fabrication". Just as an information, after Santa Claus Festival in Sarajevo, a sack was left with 1,200 names and addresses of youngsters who wished to meet Santa Claus in person and get a present from him.

Last year, on the occasion of New Year holidays, Izetbegovic made another statement and sent a letter to the media in which it was stated that the New Year as a holiday was not in the tradition of the Bosniac people and that it served only to some "nitwits to get drunk and make fools of themselves". And again, just as na information, the largest number of names in the mentioned sack, according to the words of secretary general of the First Children's Embassy, were those of Bosniac children (which is no news since, due to circumstances, the Bosniacs are the most numerous people in Sarajevo nowadays). Are all the mentioned occurrences surprising or can anything else be expected from the nation whose leader is capable of saying something like that? It should also be said that on the eve of the Festival, the Children's Embassy sent a letter to elementary schools which initially it had intended to visit with its Santas, and received the answer that secretary of the Canton ministry of education and culture conveyed the message of the minister to all the directors of schools that packages can be only Christmas or Bairam, and that New Year presents, as well as Santa Claus, had no business in schools. The new authorities have their new tradition, one could say, but it is certainly definitely evident from this small number of examples, that extremism is at work in B&H. It can be the result of the just ended war, but also due to rage because of the current social situation. But, since there are no mechanisms to control or direct it, the danger it implies is great. Maybe some day it will wear out, but it will be difficult to remove the consequnces. A poet would say "it will be as easy as to return a tear back into the eye, or seeds back into a dandelion or fire into the tip of a match".

In his speech during his recent visit to Teheran, Izetbegovic stated that "Islam is the best religion", and he confirmed this statement, provoked by the journalists, at the New Year press conference of the party he is the head of. At the same press conference Izetbegovic condemned the authors of the leaflet which had appeared just before Christmas and which appealed on the Bosniacs not to wish a merry Christmas to the Catholics. Izetbegovic also said that they should restrin themselves from their own interpretations of Koran, and disassociated his party and himself from the leaflet and the message it carried. This leaflet was thrown into the van of the Children's Embassy the driver of which was beaten up and the presents stollen, and the van was finally tipped over. Dusko Tomic, secretary general of Children's Embassy, believes that something like that would not have happened had Izetbegovic demanded that the authors of the leaflet be arrested. While the police is allegedly conducting an investigation about the authors of the leaflet, daily Oslobodjenje carries the letter of Adnan Peze, the man who is at the head of the organization which published the leaflet, who publicly claims that they are no "alleged" organization, but a properly registerd one at the relevant place, and that they are active on the territory of the entire B&H for two years already!

To Izetbegovic's proclamation of Islam the best religion, Cardinal Vinko Puljic reacted by saying that Izetbegovic could state the allegation about Islam being the best religion as a private person and that this could, of course, be his personal stand, but in the capacity of the chairman of the Presidency of a secular state with different religions, he could not and was not permitted to do anything of the kind. Cardinal Puljic expected Izetbegovic either to deny it or to apologise, but not only did this fail to happen but moreover, it was confirmed at the press conference. What sense is there in comparing religions in this way and underlining one as the best? Critics of Izetbegovic's speech tend to claim that in this way he has opened the door to extremists who have very quickly grasped the message and reacted to it. Indeed, to claim that Islam is the best religion implies approval, it is commented, of harassment of the other religions or other ideological convictions. In this case, it approves lynch or stoning of Santa Claus in Sarajevo, and planting of bombs in front of churches, houses, schools.

Kill Tomic or Marko Vesovic, put a bomb on the road where the Pope is passing or in front of the Catholic School Centre - these are just reactions to the ideological war Izetbegovic is waging against Santa Claus, New Year and other such things from the series of "communist heritage". Therefore, extremism is in operation, indeed, in full swing, although Izetbegovic claims that allegations about Islamic extremism is the result of western propaganda.

It is interesting that despite the official statements about century-long coexistence and tolerance which the leaders of the SDA swear by, nobody who has done anything against that coexistence has ever been forced to bear consequences for it. It is even more appropriate to ask to what extent the official authorities are truly ready to oppose any such appearance, because promises were given that there would be an official police investigation about the "unknown author of the controversial leaflet, and that same "author" is writing an open letter saying who he is, what he is and where he is.

It should be added to all this that a thunderous applause burst in the hall when Izetbegovic confirmed that Islam is the best religion. The most enthusiastic were members of the SDA who were until recently the leaders of the former communist party, and who claimed similar about atheism and at their time sent Izetbegovic and similar to him to prison. At the same time, the same Izetbegovic says that the greatest threat of B&H are extremism, Serb and Croat, and then Bosniac too, claiming that his political party will fight against it with all political and permissible state instruments!? Where is the clutch? Perhaps in the formulation of the president of the USA, Bill Clinton, who, according to Izetbegovic, during their confidential talks said not the criticism about its wish to dominate which was published in the press, but for the SDA encouraging words: "If you are in favour of united B&H, we are with you".

The question remains open why Clinton did not say to Izetbegovic, instead of "If you are...", "Since you are...", in other words did not he actually very clearly express doubt about Izetbegovic's policy, and could not have the American president quite clearly sent a similar message to Krajisnik and Zubak?

Therefore, "If you are firm in the stance that B&H is integral and united - we are with you", could be a message of all those who have visited Bosnia in the year which has just passed, from the mentioned American President, Holy Father the Pope, German chancellor Kohl, Princess Diane, British Tony Blaire, numerous leaders of the NATO, all the way to the Irish group U2, Milan Scala, Luciano Pavarotti. John Malkovich...

After all, if Izetbegovic says that Islam is the best religion, what will happen when another member of the Presidency replaces him? The next best religion or sacred object (the Catholic or the Orthodox cross), bombs in new places or explosions and stoning on a different date? Is that Izetbegovic's struggle for survival of B&H?

The mentioned Sarajevo daily, Oslobodjenje, conducted a poll concerning the latest developments asking its readers whether they celebrated religious holidays and whether they visited their friends and neighbours for hoilidays. The most radical among the answers was the one which says that there was no confirmation in any of the here existing religions that Santa Claus or New Year existed. "It is just a night when one year ends, and another begins. People have chosen to celebrate it, to drink, men to mix with women, to behave licentiously and obscenely. On that night people are at their lowest, and what is done at the New Year's eve has nothing to do with tolerance."

Although answers such as this are just in the minority, they obviously show how intolerance is produced, and eventually extremism. After everything Izetbegovic said about New Year and Santa Claus, can he be pardoned for producing such stands which, to say the least, lack understanding for the others and the different, especially of different religion.

Rubina CENGIC

(AIM, Sarajevo)