21st Anniversary of Alija Izetbegović's Death Marked by Reciting Fatiha and Laying Flowers

(Patria) - The 21st anniversary of the death of Alija Izetbegović, the first President of the Presidency of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the first president of the Party of Democratic Action, was marked by laying flowers and reciting the Fatiha at the Šehidsko mezarje Kovači cemetery in Sarajevo.

The anniversary commemoration was attended by SDA President Bakir Izetbegović, members of the Izetbegović family, delegations from various levels of government in Bosnia and Herzegovina, representatives of the diplomatic corps, SDA members, and numerous citizens.

President of the SDA Main Board Safet Softić, addressing those present at Kovači, said that "the life of that honorable man was spent in the struggle for his own ideas and highly moral goals."

- Today we also remember his funeral, a magnificent event, when tens of thousands of Bosnians and Herzegovinians, together with friends from all over the world, under the open sky, in the rain that fell all day, saw off this great man to the Hereafter, reciting prayers and supplications for his Eternal Reward. Perhaps today more than ever, we need to talk about Alija, not to defend him, but to defend ourselves, our struggle, our dignity, and our future – Softić said, among other things.

He emphasized Izetbegović's role in the defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina, his role as the first President of the Presidency of a sovereign and independent country; his leadership, enriched by morality and courage, as one of the most important factors for the survival of the state.

That is an indisputable historical fact, Softić said.

- These days we are witnessing the dissemination of untruths about Alija Izetbegović. In this regard, it is best to quote him himself – said the Vice President of the Party of Democratic Action, referring to Izetbegović's statement from December 1999, when he told members of the party's Main Board that after the bloody war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the frequent exhumation of mass graves, the Bosniak people neither commit nor invoke revenge.

President Izetbegović, Softić emphasized, left a great mark in various fields of human activity – he was a statesman, writer, humanist, religious and social thinker, and above all, a good man.

With his abundant wisdom, as a true thinker, he knew how to fathom the secrets of the human heart, and with his unique personal charisma, as a true leader, he knew how to win souls, to spur action, always striving for good, Softić stated.

He reminded that Izetbegović always thought for the benefit of the community; as a Bosniak Muslim, he was interested not only in where his people were going but also where they should go.

- He never reconciled with the existing state of affairs; he was an intellectual devoted to the values of the modern world – freedom, democracy, education, and science, but always aware of his Muslim and Bosniak identity.

Today, as we mark the 21st anniversary of his death, we witness that his works, thoughts, and ideas are remembered and studied both in the East and the West, but we should never forget that Bosnia and Herzegovina is at the center of his idea and, as such, remains the best place for its understanding – Softić said.

In his address at Izetbegović's grave, Safet Softić recalled Alija's words, which he wrote summarizing his own life: "If I were offered to live again, I would refuse. But if I had to be born again, I would choose my life."


Alija Izetbegović, the first President of the Presidency of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, was born in 1925 in Bosanski Šamac and died on this day in 2003 in Sarajevo due to heart failure.

The citizens of Sarajevo and the entire country remembered his funeral for the massive presence of admirers on a day when an unusually heavy rain persistently poured over the city and an atmosphere of respect prevailed from many who wished to see him off as a historical figure.

Alija Izetbegović died on this day in 2003.