Without Mehmed the Conqueror, there would be no Bosnia or Bosniaks today

Is there hope for a new Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror to emerge and save Bosnia and Herzegovina?

- I don't see anyone appearing even remotely.

What is the solution for BiH then?

- We need to be patient. We should not speak ill of our people. Our people are better than they are. We have been weaned off ourselves for hundreds of years. And very powerful regimes did that. Then we reached a time when we can decide for ourselves. We have never been in a position to think so freely about ourselves. It is clear that we are struggling now. Just as the process of our brains being washed was long-lasting, when we had to present ourselves as Serbs or Croats, or undecided, so will our recovery be a long-lasting process.

Although his health is quite impaired, one of the most prolific Bosnian writers, Isnam Taljić (60), has spent the last four years collecting material for the book "We Will Meet Again Under the Red Apple - A Novel about Sultan Fatih, Bosniaks, and Bosnia," which had its 40th promotion seven days before this text was written.

In an interview with the Bosnian news agency Patria (NAP), the great writer did not hide his fascination with the character and work of the Ottoman conqueror. He says that he gave more to Bosnia and Bosniaks than any other ruler after him; from modern buildings to a multicultural society and freedom.

Taljić believes that without Sultan Fatih, there would be no Bosnia or Bosniaks today.

- In the period when crusades were waged against Al-Andalus, wars were simultaneously waged against Bosnia. Fatih saved Bosnia when it was on the verge of collapse, and Bosniaks on the verge of extermination. He returned freedom and peace to Bosnia, and by issuing the Ahdnama to the Bosnian Franciscans, he instilled multiculturalism in our society - says Taljić. He believes it is regrettable that this great sultan is largely forgotten today in Bosnian institutions. Memories of him live on mostly in folk traditions, often distorted and devalued.

There is no reliable literature about Fatih even in Turkish archives. During Kemal Atatürk's reign, a large padlock was placed on the study of the Ottoman period. The story of this genius of his time, says Taljić, is very different from how it is presented today.

- We are used to being told that wars happen in these regions every 30 to 50 years. However, the truth is that from the arrival of Sultan Fatih in Bosnia until the Austro-Hungarian occupation, which is a period of about 415 years, there were no wars on the territory of Bosnia. There were incursions by some dukes from Serbia, but there was no war - says Taljić. He further explains.

- In the literature, you will find that Fatih introduced the law of fratricide, parricide... However, the fact that three of his sons outlived Sultan Fatih indicates that this law was not passed during his reign. He is also credited with the murders of some viziers, which is also not true - says the writer. There are hundreds of similar examples of falsifying the truth about Fatih. However, for him, this is not unusual. If it weren't for the women of Srebrenica, the story of genocide would already be more present from Serbia than the true story.

- You have a case where people who are now 15 or 20 years old do not know that until two decades ago, Skender Vakuf existed in BiH, because that place has now been renamed Kneževo. You can imagine how history has been rewritten from Fatih to today - says Taljić.

Comparing the difficult times in BiH before Fatih's arrival and the current situation of Bosnia and Bosniaks, Taljić says it is very similar. Difficult. However, one must be patient.

- One should not expect Bosniaks to be united. Because there is a hadith that says Allah Almighty did not grant two prayers of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). One of them is that his ummah be united. If we know that Bosniaks cannot be united, then Bosniaks should at least learn to be together, they should find a few common points: national interests, such as our language being Bosnian, our state being Bosnia and Herzegovina, and us being Bosniaks. After that, the other things will spread - believes Taljić.