ŽIVKOVIĆ RAJILIĆ: ALIJA IZETBEGOVIĆ IS NOT A HERO BUT AN ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALIST AND WAR CRIMINAL

BANJA LUKA, AUGUST 9 /SRNA/ The president of the Association of Women Victims of War of Republika Srpska, Božica Živković Rajilić, told SRNA that Sarajevo is distorting the facts and that Alija Izetbegović is neither a hero nor a fighter for multiethnicity and equality, but an Islamic fundamentalist and war criminal.

Commenting on the glorification of Alija Izetbegović on the public broadcaster BHRT, Rajilić noted that even before the recent war in BiH, Izetbegović had been imprisoned because of his "Islamic Declaration." “He did everything to destroy the Christian peoples, primarily the Serbs, by bringing in mujahideen; therefore, he is not a hero, he is a war criminal and the instigator of the war,” Rajilić emphasized. According to her, Izetbegović sacrificed peace for sovereignty in cooperation with foreigners, especially Arab countries and the then U.S. administration, the so-called West, and some deep, dark forces, aiming for an Islamic BiH, which is impossible because it would require exterminating the Serbs, Croats, and everything Christian. She emphasized that Alija Izetbegović was a fundamentalist and a fighter for an Islamic Sharia-based BiH, opposed to any Christian norms and values. “After all, his origin is Christian, but he was ashamed of it and renounced it, which is why he brought real Arabs, mujahideen, to commit crimes in Sarajevo, Vozuća, and other places. He is a war criminal and the instigator of the war through his decisions, refusal of peace talks,” Rajilić stressed. She noted that a process against Alija Izetbegović was prepared at The Hague, but he died in the meantime, and former Hague prosecutor Carla del Ponte had spoken about this. “He was by no means a peacemaker; all of that is a distortion of facts and the creation of certain narratives known only to those who celebrated him last night,” Rajilić concluded. Last night, the main commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Alija Izetbegović’s birth was held at the Bosnian National Theatre in Zenica, during which he was presented as someone who advocated for multiethnicity and “as the first president of BiH.” The event was also broadcast by BHRT. The gathering was organized by the Government of the Zenica-Doboj Canton, and Stjepan Mesić was one of the guests.