Alija Izetbegović and the idea of „Muslim state” in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 20th century (with particular reference to the „Islamic Declaration”)

Abstract

The article addresses the idea of a „Muslim state” in the thought of Alija Izetbegović – the president of independent Bosnia and Herzegovina and the author of the Islamic Declaration (1970), regarded as one of the key ideological texts of contemporary European Islamism. The aim of the study is to analyze Izetbegović’s views on the role of Islam in the social and political life of Bosnia and to determine to what extent his vision corresponded to the model of an Islamic state and to what extent to the idea of a pluralistic and democratic state. The author employs a historical and political analysis of sources, including Izetbegović’s writings, documents of his political party (the Party of Democratic Action), public speeches, and relevant literature. The study is placed within the broader historical context of social and religious transformations in Bosnia – from the Austro-Hungarian period to the breakup of Yugoslavia. The findings indicate that although Izetbegović declared his commitment to the idea of a multiethnic state, his vision was based on the primacy of Islamic values as the foundation of moral and political order. The Islamic Declaration contains postulates for the Islamization of social life while opposing atheist and secular systems. However, the analysis demonstrates that Izetbegović interpreted Islam in a distinctively Bosnian way-more moderate and adapted to European realities. The author concludes that Izetbegović’s concept of a „Muslim state” was primarily a moral and ideological project rather than a concrete political program for building an Islamic republic in the Balkans.