THREATENING MESSAGE TO SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH IS ANOTHER NAIL IN BiH’S COFFIN

ISTOČNO SARAJEVO, OCTOBER 2 /SRNA/ – The chauvinistic messages sent to Serbs and the Serbian Orthodox Church /SOC/ are yet another nail in the coffin of BiH, a state that is increasingly losing its meaning, sociologist Vladimir Vasić told SRNA, stressing that such outbursts must not be tolerated or protected.

Vasić noted that the ongoing political and social crisis in BiH has for months been spilling over onto individuals, resulting in ever more frequent displays of inappropriate, hate-driven behavior, particularly targeting the SOC. He described the threatening letter sent by Dževad Hasić from Tuzla prison to Serbs and the SOC as morbid and sick, adding that in 21st-century BiH, such grotesque messages are sadly no longer surprising. "What is surprising is that, even 30 years after the war, some people still haven’t confronted their hatred and hate speech," Vasić said. He argued that such individual actions best reflect the true state of affairs in BiH, especially in the Federation, and highlight who is undermining the idea of coexistence and who decides who is welcome and who is not. "Serbs in the FBiH have almost disappeared; their numbers keep shrinking, yet their centuries-old holy sites still seem to bother someone. The church in Tuzla, for example, was built in 1882, but it seems some self-styled patriots don’t wish to acknowledge a history in which Serbs left a deep mark," Vasić pointed out. He expressed hope that institutions would respond and emphasized that the practice of justifying such messages must stop, reminding of the case of the imam from Kozarac. "It is now up to politicians and representatives of religious communities. We must not allow such incidents to be relativized or excused," Vasić said. From Tuzla prison, Dževad Hasić sent a threatening letter to Serbs and the Serbian Orthodox Church, declaring they are not welcome in that city, and threatening that the Orthodox priest would be converted to Islam while the cross would be replaced with the crescent and star. The Islamic religious community has not condemned these threats.