The Party of Democratic Action (SDA) of Sandzak stated yesterday that it expresses concern because the regime in Serbia wants to install threats, insults, and violence against the Bosniak people as acceptable norms of social behavior.
The statement adds that such an atmosphere led to the genocide of Bosniaks in Srebrenica in July 1995.
“The lyrics of the song ‘Turkinja se pred dzamijom klela (‘A Turkish woman swore in front of the mosque…’) are just one of many manifestations of chauvinism and national intolerance toward Bosniaks in Serbia. The performance of a song with such content, in the presence of the President of Serbia and other high-ranking government officials, represents a grave insult and threat to Bosniaks,” the statement says.
The SDA of Sandzak called on the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, “to publicly condemn this occurrence and implement appropriate measures to prevent further negative consequences.”
Zukorlic’s condemnation
After the song containing lyrics offensive to the religious feelings of Muslims – among them: “A Turkish woman swore in front of the mosque that she only loved a Serb” – was performed during the event “Great People’s Celebration in Pozega,” organized by the tabloid Informer, Serbian minister Usame Zukorlic responded.
Zukorlic stated that as a believing Muslim, leader of a party that gathers Muslims across Serbia, and a member of an inclusive Government, he expresses deep concern and disagreement with the offensive singing about Muslim women and mosques in TV Informer’s program.
“Islam, a religion of peace, dignity, and coexistence, must not be the subject of insults and disparagement in public space. Muslim women and mosques in this country can only be spoken of with the utmost respect and esteem. I believe in a responsible Serbia, where all peoples and faiths are respected. I call on the competent institutions to urgently review this case and take appropriate measures against those directly involved in this unacceptable act.
My voice remains the voice of the people, of truth and justice, especially of those who do not have access to the media but feel deep pain and humiliation when their faith and dignity are insulted. That is a line that no one in this country may cross, and that all people must defend, regardless of their faith,” said Zukorlic.
Nationalism and chauvinism under the tent
The event titled “Great People’s Celebration in Pozega,” organized by the regime tabloid Informer on the occasion of the opening of a new highway section, instead of being a celebration of infrastructural progress, turned into an event colored by nationalist rhetoric and messages of intolerance.
During the program, the performance of a song with the lyrics “A Turkish woman swore in front of the mosque that she only loved a Serb” was recorded, which provoked outrage among Bosniaks and other citizens of the Muslim faith, as well as widespread condemnation on social networks.
Informer, which for years has been known for its inciting rhetoric, spreading of disinformation, and promotion of interethnic intolerance, once again demonstrated how nationalism is used as a tool of populist mobilization and a cover for deeper social problems. While institutions boast of major infrastructural projects, they simultaneously turn a blind eye to hate speech that is normalized through “entertainment” programs.
What makes it even more serious is the fact that Informer, despite its editorial policy that often insults and marginalizes Bosniaks and Muslims, continues to receive budget support from local governments – including the City of Novi Pazar, whose population is overwhelmingly Bosniak. This leads to the absurdity that one Bosniak-majority city is, with the money of its citizens, co-financing a media outlet that, at its events, promotes insults directed at those same people, N1 writes.
