Bosnia’s Islamic Community condemns monument to WWII Chetnik commander in Montenegro

At the same time, the Community expressed deep concern over a dangerous trend of glorifying war crimes, rehabilitating war criminals, and the rise of open Islamophobia and even racism. They noted that these disturbing developments have become part of the mainstream political, media, religious, and societal discourse among Serbian elites across the Balkans.

“This trend, evidently rooted in the spirit of establishing the so-called ‘Serbian world,’ threatens to deepen divisions among peoples and states. It confirms that the Islamic Community’s fears about the implementation of the declaration by the so-called Serbian Assembly were justified. Those glorifying war crimes are preparing new crimes and are ready to repeat them,” stated the Public Relations Office of the Islamic Community in BiH.

Given this, the Islamic Community calls on all domestic and international actors, especially Bosniak politicians, to take these warnings seriously and actively oppose them. They urged authorities to adopt policies that will protect Bosniaks and all other peoples in the region from a revived fascism tied to expansionist nationalist projects whose proponents no longer hide their hatred toward Muslims.

While welcoming the reaction of Montenegro’s state authorities to the removal of the monument to the war criminal responsible for horrific atrocities against Muslim and Bosniak civilians during World War II, the Islamic Community criticised certain Serbian Orthodox Church leaders. They accused these religious figures of obstructing cooperation among religious communities in this part of Europe.

The statement concluded with a call for genuine interfaith collaboration as a key element in countering rising hatred and division.