Islamophobia is not a slip of the tongue – it is politics: Local logistics for a global project of hate

By: Amina Čorbo-Zećo

In the contemporary geopolitical matrix, shaped by authoritarian world leaders like Aleksandar Vučić, Benjamin Netanyahu, Viktor Orbán, and Vladimir Putin, a common ideological basis is clearly recognizable – the application of politics based on hate, crime, and Islamophobia. What then to say when the United States vetoed the request for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza?

These leaders build their regimes on the construction of the "Other" as a threat, particularly directing rhetoric towards Muslim communities, thereby strengthening nationalist narratives and justifying repressive measures. Netanyahu pursues a policy of apartheid in Israel, using Islamophobic discourse to marginalize Palestinians and justify Israeli occupation.

Orban builds his policy of "Christian Europe" on the rejection of multiculturalism and migrations that primarily come from Muslim countries. Vučić uses similar narratives, especially in the Balkans, where Bosniaks are increasingly demonized and portrayed as a destabilizing factor.

At the regional level, politicians like Milorad Dodik, Dragan Čović, Andrej Plenković, and Zoran Milanović act as contractors for this ideological matrix. Today, we witness Dodik openly denying the genocide in Srebrenica and using Islamophobia to incite the secessionist aspirations of Republika Srpska.

Čović uses the rhetoric of "Christian values" to justify the segregation and marginalization of Bosniaks in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He has donned the gloves of a 'European champion', found partners in the so-called Trio, who pamper him, while unconditionally supporting Dodik. Plenković and Milanović, although declaring themselves as Euro-Atlantic oriented, often bypass or downplay the Islamophobic and nationalist pressures supported by their regional allies.

This coordination within the Balkans is not isolated from global trends, especially in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is part of a broader strategy that promotes Islamophobia and nationalism, enabling authoritarian regimes to consolidate their power through the ideology of hate and restructure geopolitical relations. Liberals in Europe have thoroughly destroyed the idea of freedom, which makes the path to power and authority easier for Orbán and his ilk.

All of this often comes with the tacit or direct blessing of powerful Western actors, who, in the name of "stability" and "the fight against terrorism," turn a blind eye to the growing abuses.

Therefore, forces within Bosnia and Herzegovina must urgently consolidate and stop tacitly allowing their partners to run wild in their efforts to turn our country into what an increasingly uncivilized world desires.

Finally, the fact that we did not have a communiqué after the session of the Peace Implementation Council Steering Board, but only a statement from Christian Schmidt, clearly indicates that there is no consensus around BiH – which can be devastating for the future of our country, especially at a time when BiH politics is more adrift than ever.