KOŠARAC: FAITH MUST NOT BECOME TOOL OF CONFLICT UNDER THE GUISE OF CULTURAL EVENT

SARAJEVO, OCTOBER 27 /SRNA/ - It is unacceptable that the rhetoric of Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, which calls for unity "as one fist" and turns faith into a tool of political mobilization and conflict, is being promoted under the guise of a cultural event, Deputy Chairperson of the Council of Ministers Staša Košarac told SRNA.

Košarac said such rhetoric divides the world into friends and enemies, adding that it is particularly worrying that there has been no clear and unequivocal condemnation of these messages from Sarajevo.

He said the promotion of the book "A Walk Through the Streets of Sarajevo: BiH from the Perspective of Martyr Ayatollah Ali Khamenei", accompanied by a scandalous message from Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, raises serious questions about the political and ideological messages being promoted in Sarajevo today.

He reminded that the Serb people have particular reason to be concerned about such messages, because during the 1992-1995 Defensive-Patriotic War, Iranian influence, support for radical Islamist structures and the presence of foreign mujahideen left grave consequences.

"Crimes against Serbs, including brutal killings and beheadings, bear witness to the tragic consequences of extremist ideology. Republika Srpska will never forget these crimes and the suffering of the Serb people," he said.

Košarac stressed that Sarajevo needs to answer some simple questions - why these messages have not been condemned, and whether such rhetoric is acceptable to them when it comes from their political and ideological allies.

"Republika Srpska says clearly - we do not share the same civilizational and political values as the regime in Tehran, nor do we accept an ideology that divides the world into followers and enemies and turns religious affiliation into a basis for political mobilization and confrontation," Košarac said.

He called for respect for the freedom of religion, thought and expression, but warned that these rights must not be used as a cover for normalizing extremist rhetoric, glorifying violence or calling for religiously motivated conflict.

The book "A Walk Through the Streets of Sarajevo: BiH from the Perspective of Martyr Ayatollah Ali Khamenei" was promoted in Sarajevo last weekend, and a message from Ayatollah Jannati, a former representative of the martyred Imam Khamenei, was read out at the event.