Bosniaks in Zvornik are second-class citizens, but they bravely cope with problems

In Zvornik, the cultural-religious manifestation „Dani Hasana Kaimije“ began yesterday. This is just one segment in which Bosniaks, of whom there are about 15,000 in this municipality, are trying to organize and establish a normal life in this city. These are the days, they say, when their friends from all parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and even abroad, come to Kozluk, and they are very proud of that.

Mustafa Muharemović, imam from the city mosque in Zvornik, told the Bosnian news agency Patria that the intolerance towards Bosniaks is no longer felt in Zvornik, not even remotely, as it was felt just a few years ago. Incidents like the desecration of religious buildings still occur today, but Bosniaks go to the market and school unhindered during the day; several Bosniaks have started private businesses that employ their compatriots. Others live from agriculture, livestock farming, and mostly from the diaspora.

Just a few years earlier, being a Bosniak in Zvornik was not at all desirable. Until 2000, local Serbs shot at returnees with firearms, there were broken heads, and returnees' houses were mined. The goal was to intimidate Bosniaks and drive them away from their hearths again.

- The tense atmosphere in the city that prevailed until a few years ago is no longer felt - says ef. Muharemović.

- The local police equally try to protect citizens regardless of nationality, they prosecute cases of violence against Bosniaks, but there are still some delinquents who will send an ugly message - explains ef. Muharemović. He notes that returnees get great morale and drive from the fact that some institutions from Sarajevo, like the Islamic Community or the Federal Ministry for Refugees and Displaced Persons, have not forgotten this part of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

- That support is very important to us - he says.

A few months ago, an 81-year-old returnee was killed in the yard of a house in Kozluk near Zvornik; three years earlier, a Bosniak who was going to Eid prayer was attacked and seriously injured. Muslim religious buildings are often desecrated.

Nurija Čikarić, former chief imam in Zvornik, says that Bosniaks mostly cover up incidents and try to hush them up so that the situation does not worsen further.

During the aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina, about 2,300 Bosniaks were killed in the area of the Zvornik municipality. The bodies of about 560 of them have not yet been found. A large number of mass graves have also been discovered here, containing the bodies of killed Srebrenica victims.

For the crimes in Zvornik, dozens of cases are currently open before domestic and international courts. Local Serbs are being tried, as well as criminals who came to Zvornik from neighboring Serbia and killed Bosniaks, Patria writes.