The Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) said on Saturday that Bosniaks and the country itself are the targets of a “systematic Islamophobic campaign” led by radical right-wing groups.
In a statement, the community did not name specific individuals or institutions, but said radical right-wing politicians, domestic and international, along with pseudo-scientific publications, are attempting to fabricate an “imaginary Islamic threat,” solely because a significant portion of BiH citizens identify as Muslim.
The statement stressed that Islam plays in Bosniak political, public, and cultural life a role similar to that of Christianity among other ethnic groups in the country, as well as in other regional and European secular societies.
The community expressed concern over the influence of individuals perceived as openly hostile to Islam, noting that they are given platforms in state institutions and media without official condemnation.
“While we respect the right to public political and social debate, it cannot justify the promotion of exclusive ideologies that polarize Bosnian society and undermine fragile trust and peace-building processes,” the statement said. It criticized efforts to blame genocide survivors for seeking to build a democratic and open society.
The Islamic Community said that Bosniak political representatives only seek rights they are willing to guarantee to all other citizens and ethnic groups in Bosnia and Herzegovina.