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As urged by dear Bošnjaḳ brothers living in Italy, we want to focus in this article on an issue that is often marginalized by mainstream media. Even the digital Ummah seems not to pay the due attention to it. What is happening in Bosnia-Herzegovina?
Any mention of Bosnia-Herzegovina inevitably recalls the genocide of Srebrenica, which recently marked its 30th anniversary (July 11, 2025 – 15 Muharram 1447).
Over 8,000 Muslims were slaughtered within just a few days: a figure in comparison to which the staggering death toll in Gaza over the past two years can almost seem small. May Allāh swt elevate the souls of the Bosnian and Palestinian martyrs, victims of the injustice and evil that keep plaguing this world.
The spirit which led to such a massacre was believed to either be vanished or, at least, effectively contained, so that it could no longer do harm. Yet, upon closer inspection, it has never truly left the stage and today it is threatening to make the Bosnian scenario return to the past, placing Muslims at a crossroads, with the risk of choosing the wrong path – the path of the “misguided of jihād”.
The embodiment of that spirit can be seen in the face and name of Milorad Dodik (Милорад Додик), the notorious president of the so-called Republika Srpska. Through his nationalist attitude, Dodik has thus far succeeded in hindering the full realization of the project of coexistence and integration among the diverse communities of Bosnia-Herzegovina, which was launched after the bloody civil war.
In particular, Dodik has shaped the perception of the Serbian population within the enclave in a strongly anti-Muslim direction. In recent years, he has intensified his rhetoric to the point of making it systemically “Islamophobic”, accusing Bosnian Muslims of being a threat to the “Christian nature” of Republika Srpska and portraying them as agents of an aggressive political Islām that is incompatible with Europe.
This narrative is not only baseless, but profoundly dangerous, echoing the same logic that led to the Srebrenica genocide and to the destruction of the country’s social fabric in the 1990s.
Bosnian Muslims – like those in the Sandžak region of Serbia, in Montenegro, Kosovo, or North Macedonia – have no intent to dominate or oppress. Rather, they fear, no less than Serbs or Croats, the resurgence of armed extremism. Indeed, the “misguided of jihād” are attempting to exploit Dodik’s Islamophobic views and words for their own gain, calling for terrorism and violence in the name of the defense of Bošnjaḳ rights.
On the other hand, under the pretext of defending the rights of the Serbs, Dodik has aligned himself completely with the fundamentalist camp led by Serbian President Vučić, Orbán’s Hungary, and Putin’s Russia, seeing them as guarantees for his political survival. In return, Dodik has remained committed to destabilizing Bosnia-Herzegovina, with the aim of creating a parallel Serbian state loyal to Moscow rather than Sarajevo, and entirely disconnected from Europe.
Fueling ethnic and religious tensions, exploiting public discontent, and polarizing the national discourse are all functional strategies in service of this goal – strategies that Dodik continues to use unscrupulously, openly mocking the sentences to prison and the bans from public office that have been issued against him.
In such a scenario, as the largest group in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Muslims are being called to a great maturity test. Dodik’s provocative strategy is clear: to exacerbate tensions until Muslims react in a disorderly and emotional way, and then accuse them of being enemies of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s unity, of peace, and even of Europe itself.
The trap is obvious, and Muslims must not fall into it by responding to extremism with more extremism. Instead, what is needed is to maintain a high moral ground. As the Qur’ān teaches: “Let not the hatred of a people lead you to injustice. Be just: that is nearer to piety” (sūrat al-Māʾidah, 5:8).
This āyah is not a call to inaction, but to a clear-sighted, patient, and balanced firmness – one that knows how to distinguish between the defense of rights and blind revenge, between justice and partisanship. Sabr, wasatiyya, and of course, tawakkul: this is the path to follow, so as not to fall into the trap of either Dodik or the “misguided of jihād”.
At a time when many observers fear a new spiral of conflict in the Balkans, the attitude of our Bošnjaḳ brothers can become a beacon of light for the entire region.
This is a difficult trial, but also an extraordinary opportunity to show that it is possible to be strong without being violent and firm without being arrogant, while remaining proud to be Muslims and to represent Islām in Europe.
May Allāh (swt) guide them on the straight path.
Jihād senza Spada 