Muharemović: Bosniaks in Zvornik attacked ten times this year, but there have been worse times

From January to December this year, Bosniaks in Zvornik have been attacked about ten times. That is, indeed, too much – says for the Bosnian news agency Patria (NAP) Muharem ef. Muharemović, imam of the city mosque in Zvornik, commenting on the latest desecration of an Islamic religious site in the city, where members of the armies of the Republika Srpska and Serbia committed some of the most horrific crimes against Bosniaks in 1992.

Hooligans desecrated the turbe of Hasan Kaimija in Kula Grad in Zvornik over the past weekend. On the walls of the turbe, hooligans wrote the words "balije", which is an offensive term for Bosniaks. They also left other messages telling Bosniak returnees that they are not wanted in Zvornik.

Two weeks earlier, hooligans wrote offensive messages on the city mosque Begsuja in Zvornik.

Earlier, returnee Ahmed Hasanović was killed in Kozluk near Zvornik, and a bit earlier, Nezir Dardagan was attacked in the city while heading to Eid prayer, NAP writes.

Such and similar incidents, although they may seem harmless, and attacks by a small group of hooligans, threaten the entire process of Bosniak return to Zvornik. Analysts warn that this will not only affect the lives of Bosniaks in Zvornik but also the lives of members of other ethnic groups, because reduced Bosniak return to Zvornik also weakens the overall economic situation in this town.

Ef. Muharemović says that the police have so far arrested and prosecuted only the murderer of returnee Hasanović, while he has no information on whether the hooligans who caused other incidents have been found and punished. According to information he received from the Zvornik police, the turbe of Hasan Kaimija was desecrated by a minor, so this prosecution will also be very difficult.

- Bosniaks in Zvornik are economically exhausted, and incidents like those that have been frequent this year only add salt to our wounds – says ef. Muharemović.

He calls on local authorities to do everything to improve the situation in the city regarding the safety of Bosniaks and their religious sites, NAP writes.