Open Letter to the Ambassador of the State of Israel, Ms. Galit Peleg Dear Ambassador Peleg, Your condemnation of the Nazi salutes in Široki Brijeg is justified. Such acts are shameful and must be clearly and unequivocally sanctioned. There is no dilemma about that. Fascism and antisemitism are not matters of opinion, but civilizational red lines. What raises concern, however, is the tone and framework in which Bosnia and Herzegovina is implicitly portrayed as a place where antisemitism has firm ground. That is simply not true — historically, socially, or morally. Bosnia and Herzegovina does not carry antisemitism in its nature. It carries universalism. More than five centuries ago, this country opened its doors to Sephardic Jews expelled from Spain. They were not received as strangers, but as neighbors. The Jewish community here was not merely tolerated — it was an integral part of society. That is a historical fact. It is therefore unjust and politically dangerous to use isolated incidents by individuals as an argument to characterize an entire society. Bosnia knows what hatred based on identity means. It has survived ideologies that sought to tear it apart precisely on the basis of ethnic and religious exclusivity. For that very reason, there is no space in its essence for nurturing antisemitism. It is particularly troubling when, alongside strong condemnations of one incident, the rhetoric of political actors who for years have systematically undermined this state, insulted its citizens, and denied its institutions is ignored or relativized. Figures who are given space and legitimacy in Tel Aviv — Milorad Dodik among them, often portrayed as a favored partner of Israel. If we are to fight hatred, we must do so on principle — without selectivity and without political double standards. Ambassador Peleg, ask Dragan Čović and Amir Kabiri, the Israeli investor who took over Mostar's "Aluminij" and the "Zrinjski" football club without any problems, to condemn anti-Semitism in Široki Brijeg! Bosnia does not ask you to love it. It does not ask for political alignment. But it has the right to expect that no harm be done to it — directly or indirectly — through narratives that strengthen those who seek to reduce this country to a space of division, nationalism, and separatism. Likewise, Bosnia has the right to advocate for the freedom, truth, and justice of the Palestinian people. Support for Palestinian rights does not mean hostility toward Jews. Solidarity with civilians in Gaza does not mean antisemitism. Bosnia, which has itself experienced siege, destruction, and the suffering of civilians, has the moral right to speak about universal principles of international law, the protection of civilians, and the right of peoples to dignity and freedom. The fight against antisemitism must be grounded in truth, not prejudice. And equally, the struggle for Palestinian rights must be understood as advocacy for universal justice, not as an expression of hatred. Bosnia and Herzegovina can be a partner in the fight against every form of racism and extremism. Its history of coexistence confirms this. Its multiethnic reality confirms this. Its enduring aspiration for freedom and the dignity of every human being confirms this. We expect that you recognize this truth — without simplifications and without false assumptions. Respectfully, Mufti Mustafa Cerić

Otvoreno pismo ambasadorici Države Izrael, gospođi Galit Peleg

Poštovana ambasadorice Peleg,
Vaša osuda nacističkih pozdrava u Širokom Brijegu je opravdana. Takve pojave su sramotne i moraju biti jasno i nedvosmisleno sankcionisane. U tome nema dileme. Fašizam i antisemitizam nisu pitanje mišljenja, nego civilizacijske granice.

Ali ono što izaziva zabrinutost jeste ton i okvir u kojem se Bosna i Hercegovina implicitno označava kao prostor u kojem antisemitizam ima uporište. To jednostavno nije istina, ni historijska, ni društvena, ni moralna.

Bosna i Hercegovina u svojoj naravi nema antisemitizam. Ona u svojoj naravi ima univerzalizam. Ova zemlja je prije više od pet stoljeća otvorila vrata sefardskim Jevrejima protjeranim iz Španije. Nije ih primila kao strance, nego kao komšije. Jevrejska zajednica ovdje nije bila tolerirana, bila je dio društva. To je historijska činjenica.

Zato je nepravedno i politički opasno da se izolirani ispadi pojedinaca koriste kao argument za širu kvalifikaciju cijelog društva. Bosna zna šta znači mržnja zasnovana na identitetu. Preživjela je ideologije koje su pokušale da je rasparčaju upravo na osnovu etničke i vjerske isključivosti. Upravo zato nema prostora da u svojoj suštini njeguje antisemitizam.

Posebno zabrinjava kada se, paralelno s oštrim osudama jednog incidenta, prešućuje ili relativizira retorika političkih aktera koji godinama sistematski potkopavaju ovu državu, vrijeđaju njene građane i negiraju njene institucije. Kojima se u Tel Avivu pruža utočište, Miloradu Didiku kao miljeniku Israela. Ako se borimo protiv mržnje, onda to činimo principijelno, bez selektivnosti i bez političkih dvostrukih standarda.

Ambasadorice Peleg, tražite od Dragana Čovića i Amira Kabirija, izraelskog investitora koji je bez problema preuzeo mostarski „Aluminij“ i fudbalski klub „Zrinjski“, da osude antisemitizam u Širokom Brijegu!

Bosna ne traži od Vas da je volite. Ne traži političko svrstavanje. Ali ima pravo da očekuje da joj se ne nanosi šteta, direktno ili indirektno, kroz narative koji jačaju one koji ovu zemlju žele svesti na prostor podjela, nacionalizma i separatizma.

Jednako tako, Bosna ima pravo da se zalaže za slobodu, istinu i pravdu palestinskog naroda. Podrška pravima Palestinaca ne znači neprijateljstvo prema Jevrejima. Solidarnost s civilima u Gazi ne znači antisemitizam. Bosna, koja je i sama iskusila opsadu, razaranje i patnju civila, ima moralno pravo da govori o univerzalnim principima međunarodnog prava, zaštiti civila i pravu naroda na dostojanstvo i slobodu.

Borba protiv antisemitizma mora biti zasnovana na istini, a ne na predrasudi. I isto tako, borba za palestinska prava mora biti shvaćena kao zalaganje za univerzalnu pravdu, a ne kao izraz mržnje.

Bosna i Hercegovina može biti partner u borbi protiv svakog oblika rasizma i ekstremizma. Njena historija suživota to potvrđuje. Njena multietnička stvarnost to potvrđuje. Njena trajna težnja ka slobodi i dostojanstvu svakog čovjeka to potvrđuje.

Očekujemo da i Vi prepoznate tu istinu, bez pojednostavljivanja i bez lažnih predrasuda.

S poštovanjem,
Mustafa Cerić