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SARAJEVO, April 10 (FENA) - Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bakir Izetbegović hosted today a meeting attended by the Raisu-l-ulama of the Islamic Community in BiH Husein effendi Kavazović with a delegation of the Islamic Community, comprised of Sarajevo Mufti Enes effendi Ljevaković, Tuzla Mufti Vahid effendi Fazlović, Banja Luka Mufti Osman effendi Kozlić, Mostar Mufti Salem effendi Dedović, Director for the Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora of the Riyasat Razim Čolić, Head of the Raisu-l-ulama Office Rifat Fetić, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Council of the Congress of Bosniak Intellectuals and President of the Bosniak Cultural Community ‘Preporod’ professor Senadin Lavić, President of the Board of the Bosniak Cultural Community ‘Preporod’ professor Sanjin Kodrić and President of the Association of Independent Intellectuals "Circle 99" Adil Kulenović.
The meeting was also attended by the Chairman of the BiH Council of Ministers Denis Zvizdić, Minister of Civil Affairs of BiH Adil Osmanović, Minister of Human Rights and Refugees Semiha Borovac, First Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH Šefik Džaferović, First Deputy Chairman of the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH Safet Softić, FBiH Vice President Melika Mahmutbegović, Vice President of RS Ramiz Salkić and Head of the Homeland Coalition's caucus in the National Assembly of RS Admir Čavka.
The overall situation and relations in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region were considered at the meeting.
The participants paid special attention to the relations between the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Islamic Community and its members in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the growing Islamophobia and anti-Bosniak propaganda, the security threats that Bosnia and Herzegovina faces, the attempts of historical revisionism and the denial of aggression and genocide in Bosnia Herzegovina, and the position of returnees in the entity of RS.
The participants of the meeting adopted the following conclusions:
We ask without delay that the basic agreement be concluded between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina as one of the traditional religious communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina with which the state has not signed an agreement yet.
We strongly condemn unfounded allegations of radicalization and the intensification of violent extremism among Bosniaks. The ultimate intent of such xenophobic and Islamophobic claims is that the global public arena is misled by false notions about Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in particular its citizens who happen to be Muslims, as a pervading security threat, and thus politically delegitimize them.
Bosniaks are autochthonous European nation that have always inherited the civilization values of tolerance and a culture of common life that they will never give up. Although genocide was committed against them, the Bosniaks never sought retribution with the same measures of evil and violence they were exposed to numerous times in the last century, and have never resorted to revenge or extremism, but they always consistently persisted in truth and justice.
We strongly reject the insulting, abusive and totally groundless claim of plans for the creation of an Islamic state on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bosniaks are permanently committed to the preservation and strengthening of integral Bosnia and Herzegovina as a democratic, multi-ethnic, European, secular and civil state based on the rule of law, a member of the European Union and NATO.
We also strongly reject the obvious attempts to try to reduce Bosniaks to the status of a religious group by emphasizing the Islamic aspect of the identity of Bosniaks. Islam has played an important role in the constitution of the modern national identity of Bosniaks, but they are primarily European people with all the rights that belong to them.
We urge representatives of other nations to opt for a secular state of Bosnia and Herzegovina and stop with the introduction and imposition of religious features and symbols in public and state institutions at all levels of government.
We firmly reject any attempt to equalize the defenders of the country with the aggressors and creation of artificial balance by staging and forcing criminal proceedings against the defenders of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Only truth and justice can be the foundation to genuine reconciliation and the return of trust.
We strongly condemn the glorification of joint criminal enterprises to which the Bosniak people was exposed in the past war and which received their epilogue in the judgments of the Hague Tribunal, as well as glorification and the awarding of medals to convicted war criminals.
We ask the RS authorities to stop systemic discrimination against returnees in the entity. It is unacceptable that Bosniaks and Croats in RS are treated as second-class citizens. We ask that Bosniak children in that entity be allowed to have their education in their Bosnian language. We demand equal treatment, without discrimination on ethnic basis in employment in the institutions of RS.
We ask the authorities at all levels to provide financial and all other necessary support for reintegration, sustainable return and more efficient implementation of Annex VII of the Dayton Peace Agreement through systemic solutions.
We ask that entity of the Federation of BiH, in the cantons where this has not yet been done, ensures constitutional and any other kind of equality of all peoples and citizens, stated the BiH Presidency.
(FENA) S. R.
