Resolution of Sarajevo Muslims

In the Second World War, the territory of modern Bosnia and Herzegovina became part of the Independent State of Croatia. An organized persecution of Serbs, of the Jews and of the Romani people took place on the whole territory of Independent State of Croatia (including Bosnia and Herzegovina) soon after it was established. Ustaše wanted to cause conflicts between Muslims and Orthodox Serbs in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Therefore, they recruited some members of Muslim population of Bosnia and Herzegovina to participate in the persecution of Serbs. They wore Muslim clothes and shouted Muslim names when they organized attacks on Serb population. Such activities resulted with armed conflicts between Serbs and Muslims. That was the reason why Muslims from many towns of Bosnia and Herzegovina declared their resolutions. Most notable are the resolutions of Muslims from Prijedor (September 23, 1941), Sarajevo (October 12, 1941), Mostar (October 21, 1941), Banja Luka (November 12, 1941), Bijeljina (December 2, 1941), Tuzla (December 11, 1941) and Zenica (May 26, 1942).[2][3][4]

The basis for the Resolution of Sarajevo Muslims was a resolution declared by El-Hidaje, an association of ulama from Bosnia and Herzegovina on its assembly held on August 14, 1941.[5] It was written by Mehmed Handžić[6] and Kasim Dobrača.[7] All Muslim resolutions of 1941, including the Resolution of Sarajevo Muslims, contain the following elements:[8]

• public condemning of the persecutions of the Serbs by Ustaše
• distancing from the Muslims who participated in such persecutions and protesting against the attempts to blame the whole Muslim population for the crimes of Ustaša
• presenting information about the persecutions of Muslims

The conclusion of the Resolution of Sarajevo Muslims included request for providing the security for all citizens of the country, regardless of their identity, punishing the individuals responsible for the committed atrocities and helping the people who suffered during disorder.[9]

The resolution was officially delivered to Jozo Dumandžić when he visited Sarajevo as minister in the government of Independent State of Croatia.[10] By the order of Ante Pavelić, Dumandžić unsuccessfully attempted to force the signatories of the resolution to recall their signatures.[11] Džafer Kulenović has also been ordered by Pavelić to force the signatories of the resolution to recall their signatures, but he failed too.[12]

Muslims who signed the resolution were exposed to explicit threats of the Ustaša regime. Jure Francetić, a World War II Ustaše Commissioner of Bosnia and Herzegovina, threatened to send all signatories to the Nazi concentration camps.[13]

After the Resolution of Sarajevo Muslims had been signed, Muslims from many other towns in Bosnia and Herzegovina signed similar resolutions in following months. On December 1, 1941, Muslims from Sarajevo submitted another protest against actions of Ustaše "under the fez as a Muslim symbol".[14] Some conservative Muslims realized that their resolutions did not have any effect on Ustasha regime, so they gave up hopes that such regime would protect interest of the Muslims.[15] In August 1942 they established the Committee for National Salvation and sent a petition to Hitler asking for "a region of Bosnia" under direct German patronage, supporting their request with the racial arguments.[16] They also asked Hitler to provide weapons for a Bosnian guard as nucleus of the army of "region of Bosnia" and that request pleased Heinrich Himmler and group of SS officers who already had plans to establish separate SS-Division composed of Muslims.[17] That plan was implemented in 1943 when the 13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar (1st Croatian) was established.

Yugoslav socialist-era historians emphasized that Muslim signatories criticized atrocities without attacking Ustaša's intention to exterminate groups of people.[18]

• Hadžijahić, Muhamed (1973), "Muslimanske rezolucije iz 1941 godine [Muslim resolutions of 1941]", Istorija Naroda Bosne i Hercegovine (in Serbo-Croatian), Sarajevo: Institut za istoriju radničkog pokreta, pp. 274–282
• Redžić, Enver (2005), "Bosnian Muslim Policies", Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Second World War, London ; New York: Frank Cass, ISBN 978-0-7146-5625-0, retrieved 20 October 2011, Resolution of Sarajevo Muslims', 12 October 1941. [Rezolucija sarajevskih Muslimana] Muhamed Hadzijahic, 'Muslim Resolution of 1941' [Muslimanske rezolucije iz 1941], in 1941 in the history of the Peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Donia, Robert J. (2006). Sarajevo: A Biography. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Press. ISBN 978-0-472-11557-0.
• Rijaset, Islamska Zajednica (2007), Ulema u odbrani života i čovjeka (in Serbo-Croatian), Rijaset Islamske Zajednice u Bosni i Hercegovini, archived from the original on October 21, 2011, retrieved 21 October 2011
• Rijaset IZ, Islamska Zajednica (2007), Rezolucija Zeničkih Muslimana za zaštitu Roma (in Serbo-Croatian), Rijaset Islamske Zajednice u Bosni i Hercegovini, archived from the original on October 26, 2011, retrieved 21 October 2011
• Cetin, Onder (2010). "1941 Resolutions of El-Hidaje in Bosnia and Herzegovina as a Case of Traditional Conflict Transformation" (PDF). European Journal of Economic and Political Studies. 3: 73–83. Retrieved 20 October 2011.

• Sarajevska rezolucija El-Hidaje (in Serbo-Croatian), Rijaset Islamske Zajednice u Bosni i Hercegovini, June 2007 [1941], archived from the original on October 21, 2011, retrieved 21 October 2011
• Dedić, M. (September 17, 2011). "Rezolucije iz 1941. godine: Muslimani su branili bosanske Srbe, Jevreje i Rome od ustaških istrebljenja [Resolutions of 1941: Muslims defended Serbs, Jews and Roma in Bosnia from extermination by Ustaše]". Dnevni Avaz. Retrieved 20 October 2011.