Learning to respect each other

“Religions have lived together in this land for centuries; Islam too has been mediated by the culture of this country, which is a Slav culture, I would almost say a European culture. During the period of Ottoman rule, many were Muslims in public, but Christians in their family: this moderate attitude also contributed to integration. Our roots are common, as demonstrated by many surnames. But many things changed for the worse as a result of the war”, says Cardinal VINKO PULJIC , who has been archbishop of Sarajevo since January 1991. The hostilities in Croatia began in August of that year, and the fighting in Bosnia-Herzegovina in November. The siege of the cities, Sarajevo included, began in the following April. In this situation, the archbishop raised his voice to defend the inalienable rights of the human person – without distinction of ethnic belonging or religious credo – and to mobilise all forces to help thousands of refugees and displaced persons. What happened with the outbreak of war? Many Muslims from Arab countries flooded into Bosnia Herzegovina. They brought with them a different mentality than that of our Muslims, and a culture that was more political than religious. Their economic and military aid was subject to precise conditions. I’m not against Muslims, but I am against this different culture that does not belong to us. How did the local Muslims react? They don’t want to takes sides in opposition to it, primarily, I think, so as not to lose particular benefits; some also hold their tongue because they are sympathetic to the cause, others because they are afraid. I was born into a Catholic family in this country; I went to school here and I worked together with Orthodox and Muslims: the question of Muslims’ national identity only began in 1992… What worries you most? During the period of Communism it was impossible to think of building churches in Sarajevo. Then the war came, at the end of which I asked more than once to be able to equip one or two parishes with a church of its own: the Jesuits, for example, are still deprived of their own church and celebrate in a cellar, more or less as in the Roman Empire… But while I failed to obtain permits to build churches, I saw new mosques arising without any difficulty. What is lacking today is reciprocity and hence equality: each identity, each civil liberty should be respected, but these disappear once Muslims become the majority. What do you think of the European position on the matter? That’s a big question: the silence of the West, its fear and its ignoring of the real situation… I drew the criticisms of the international community when I asked for equal measure for everyone. I remember, during the years of Communism, the slogan was: “We’re all equal”: but, actually, someone was always more equal than others… Today the same thing is being repeated, with the Americans who take a sympathetic view of the Muslims, the other face of Iraq, and with France, Britain, Russia and Greece supporting the Serbs… As Catholics we are the most ancient inhabitants of these lands: our roots long antedate the Ottoman Empire. This is our country: to live together, people need to learn to respect each other. What do you think of the Dayton accords? I survived for four years in a Sarajevo under siege, without water, without electricity, without heating, without food… When they were signed, the Dayton accords immediately won my support, because they put an end to a war in which I had witnessed so many terrible things; but the accords failed to create a just peace. 11 years later, the international community wants to close the question of refugees… Dayton divided Bosnia Herzegovina into two parts: the Repubblica Srpska and the Federation. De facto it legalized the conquests of the armies. As a result of this it recognizes Serbian rule over a large part of the territory, though the Serbs created this State by ethnic cleansing. Before the war my diocese had 528,000 Catholics, now it has 213,000: the international community has failed to support their return in any way. What’s the solution? If the international community does not want our land to remain a permanent hotbed of instability and a threat to peace, it must in the first place permit us to overcome the country’s partition. As bishops we propose a democratic, multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-religious State, structured in four cantons (Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Mostar and Tuzla). Within it, at the communal level, power would be formed proportionately on the basis of “one man one vote”; at the regional or federal level each of the three peoples would be represented; at the level of the State, there would be legal equality and guarantees of personal and civil rights and duties. Do you share the position of those who urge Bosnia’s membership of the European Union precisely to solve these problems? It is very important for our country to be integrated in the EU, for Europe to enter our country, and for a democratic climate, mentality and culture to be created.