BOSNIAKS ON THE EDGE OF POLITICAL ABYSS WHILE THEIR REPRESENTATIVES ATTACK SANTA BECAUSE DODIK AND ČOVIĆ DON'T HAVE BEARDS YET!

Written by: Rasim Belko

---

I remembered, in this whole story about Santa Claus, an old man who told me that for over 40 years in Tito's Yugoslavia, he never missed Friday prayer and that all those years no one looked at him askance. He told me once, 'I never faced criticism, I would go, perform my prayer, and return to work. I never took a party membership card, but I never renounced my faith either.'

 

However, the bloody disappearance of Yugoslavia took away the atheist communists and the good old days. It brought neo-communists dressed in religious-ethnic democratic suits, who want to dictate the destinies and rules of behavior for children, their parents, and old men like my grandfather.

That's probably why, these days, as if on a broken tape, the story about Santa Claus has been brought back into focus. About the chubby man with a white beard and red suit who brings gifts to children, which, thanks to religious neo-communists, are increasingly modest and more expensive.

Sworn to multi-ethnicity and multiculturalism, which, despite all their efforts, truly exists, some have decided to be great Muslims and deny Muslim children the right to the joy of this gift. They say it's discrimination.

And these are the same ones who have been on the scene for two or three decades and who should have ensured that the parents of these children are not discriminated against as unemployed, as former employees of companies destroyed by predatory privatization, as parents who fear whether their children will be molested, robbed, or killed on the street. Because, for political leaders, the primary discrimination is due to Santa Claus.

This discrimination serves as a mask, because it is precisely these Bosniak political leaders who have brought the entire nation into a position of oppression. A prelude to disappearance. And to hide all their political tricks, dangerous paths, and deals by which they led that nation, perhaps the most democratic in the world, they are now pushing it to the brink of radicalism. And only after the Bosniak people have shed the shackles of radicalism accumulated over years due to terrorism.

And while I was thinking about Santa Claus discriminating, I read the message from the reis-ul-ulema Husein ef. Kavazović, who said today in Zenica: 'The current moment calls for the mobilization of a broad front and the involvement of our prominent figures of this time to counter the negative tendencies that bear a strong resemblance to those of 1941 and are deliberately trying to sow discord and hatred among our population.'

What bad prominent figures in the worst of times. But even they must realize that the path they are treading and leading an entire nation down is not a long one. The path they are treading is precisely the highway to hell, towards which they have been directed since the nineties. And what they had to go through to survive is one thing, but the fact that they are now choosing such a path is dangerous for the survival of the Bosniak people.

There are many messages in the reis's address today that should reach the academic and political leaders, primarily of the Bosniaks, but the reis was addressing all of us who share the living space in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Reading these messages, I had to ask myself, if the reis calls for unity, for solidarity in the fight against fascist evil that divides people, where is the sense in singling out Muslim children from their peers in the institutions of this country? The claims that there are politicians in this country who would be satisfied with a 'fildžan džemahirija' (a micro-ghetto where they would be lords and gods) are too frequent. However, I still think something more dangerous is at play, and that is the political impotence of Bosniak political leaders to cope with all the tasks they have as representatives of a nation. And instead of fighting against secessionism, visible anti-Bosnian fascism, instead of finding solutions to defend against hybrid warfare, they turn to fighting against Santa Claus.

It is up to the Bosniaks, but also to the Bosnians and Herzegovinians, primarily academics, to answer for themselves, and then for society, which path they will take. Will we all together respond as ef. Kavazović said: 'We will not allow people to be divided by skin color, ethnic or religious affiliation, by the names they bear, or by any other basis. They are all 'our people' and should be treated equally as distinguished creations of God, and the only difference among them should be - how human they are.' Or will we respond by fighting against Santa Clauses, Valentine's Day, International Women's Day...

The difference in paths is clear, and only the malicious and the blind cannot foresee the end.

In summary, this country has never been fertile ground for extremists to grow, regardless of their religion or nationality. And therefore, it must be prevented that anyone, no matter their name, sows the seeds of fascist evil in it, because history teaches us that it is precisely Muslims, Bosniaks, who pay a great price for fascism and other 'isms'.

And instead of being more Muslim than the reis, Bosniak academics and political leaders should engrave his messages today on the walls of their bedrooms. So, every morning when they wake up, they know that the salvation of this country and their people lies in uniting with progressive ideas and nations, not in flirting with fascism.

If they really want to prevent discrimination, they should roll up their sleeves and engage in an open fight by political means to bring this country into the safe harbor of NATO, among the democratic and progressive EU member states. If they are so willing and have the knowledge to fight, they should devise rules and paths for the state to be a state, so that their political partners Dodik and Čović do not push it down the cliff.

And we will easily deal with Santa Claus. Because that chubby man is not just an ordinary fantasy with a white beard, sleigh, and reindeer. He has become a huge challenge for all those for whom a quality lunch is a luxury, and a salary covers little more than what a soup kitchen provides.

And finally, I remembered the series 'Lud, zbunjen, normalan' (Crazy, Confused, Normal), when Izet's actors put on Chetnik and Ustasha uniforms, and master Meho gets scared. Then he explains, 'I'm not afraid of Chetniks and Ustashas,' I'm afraid of the white beard!'