Aliya Izetbegovich belongs to those historical figures who stood at the beginning of the founding of the state. Although he entered world history thanks to this fact, at the same time his role in regional events is rather ambiguous. The state of Bosnia and Herzegovina is not the least obligated to Izetbegovic for its existence, but we would like to know other aspects of this person’s life. So, let's take a closer look at the biography of Aliya Izetbegovich.
The origin of the genus Izetbegovich
Aliya Izetbegovich’s grandfather was a Muslim aristocrat of Slavic origin, Iset-run Yahich, who lived in Belgrade and served the Ottoman Empire. It was from him that the name of the future president of Bosnia and Herzegovina went. But after the Ottoman Empire was forced to recognize the independence of Serbia and in 1868 to withdraw its troops from it, Iset-run had to move to Bosnia with his wife, Turkish Sydyk Hanym. Here in the city of Basanski Shamats, they had five children, including Mustafa, the father of Aliya Izetbegovich.
In 1878, Bosnia and Herzegovina transferred as a condominium to the actual subordination of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but Iset-Beg and his family decided not to move from these places anymore. In 1908, Austria-Hungary finally annexed the region. Meanwhile, Izet-Beg began to enjoy great authority among local residents, who, like him, were mostly Slavic Muslims. This is evidenced by the fact that Izet-run was elected mayor in Basanski Shamac.
Soon, quite turbulent times began. The Serbian patriot Gavrilo Principle committed a terrorist act in 1914, killing the crown prince Franz Ferdinand in the main city of Bosnia Sarajevo, which then belonged to the Austro-Hungarian crown. This fact provoked the First World War. Iset run helped save the forty Serbs who were being pursued by Austrian forces in connection with this case.
The son of Iset Beg and the father of the future president of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mustafa, was educated as an accountant. In World War I, as a citizen of Austria-Hungary, he fought in the army of this state. On the Italian front, Mustafa was seriously injured, provoking a state close to paralysis, in which he spent about 10 years.
However, Mustafa married a girl named Hiba, married to them before the birth of Alia, they had two sons and two daughters.
The birth and first years of life of Aliya Izetbegovich
Aliya Izetbegovic was born in August 1925 in the Bosnian town of Basanski Shamats. After his birth, things with a large family did not go very well. His father Mustafa was engaged in trade at that time, but two years after Aliya was born, he was forced to declare bankruptcy. And the next year the family moved to the largest city in the region - Sarajevo.
The political situation in the country
At that time, the territory of present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina was part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, formed after the end of World War I in 1918 due to the merger of the Kingdom of Serbia with the Balkan part of the disintegrated Austro-Hungarian Empire, which included Bosnia. The unification occurred under the scepter of the Serbian monarch Alexander Karageorgievich, who, however, was greatly curtailed in his rights.
Beginning in 1921, the king took on more and more authority, until four years after the birth of Aliya Izetbegovich (1929) he made a coup. As a result of this coup, Alexander Karageorgievich received dictatorial rights, and the state adopted a new name - the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Then he banned the activities of all political parties and organizations.
Fearing centrifugal tendencies, the king increasingly curtailed the rights and freedoms of his subjects. The state was divided into districts - banovans that did not territorially correspond to historically formed regions, divided them into parts. The goal of Alexander Karageorgievich was to unite the entire multinational and multi-religious population of the country into a single ethnic group - the Yugoslavs. Achieving this, the monarch did not disdain even repressive methods, which, of course, caused rejection among the general population. This ultimately led to the assassination of the king by Croatian nationalists in 1934. The new government has embarked on a rapprochement with the fascist bloc (Germany and Italy).
Youth
It was in such a tense atmosphere that the future president of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina began his political activity. By then, party activity was already permitted. At the age of fifteen, Aliya Izetbegovich joined the organization of religious and political character “Young Muslims”. The following year, Nazi troops attacked Yugoslavia. The country was actually occupied, and a partisan liberation movement broke out in it, led by the communist Tito and the monarchist Mikhailovich. Bosnia became part of the newly formed state of Croatia, which was a satellite of Germany.
Despite this, in 1943 Alia Izetbegovich graduated from high school. After that, he entered the agricultural college. His activity in the Islamic division of the SS Khazhar dates to this time. But soon the Nazi forces were expelled from the territory of Yugoslavia, and in the country with the support of the Soviet Union the Communists came to power, led by Joseph Broz Tito.
Dissident period
After graduating from technical school, Izetbegovich was called up for military service. There, a young Muslim activist began widespread religious propaganda. For this, and also for participating in the Young Muslims organization, which was banned by the communist regime, in 1946 he was sentenced to three years in prison.
In 1949, Izetbegovic was released. In 1956, he graduated in law, graduating from Sarajevo University. In the same year, his son Bakir Izetbegovich was born.
After graduation, Izetbegovic worked as a legal adviser in several transport companies. At the same time, he did not forget about political activity, actively taking part in the functioning of Muslim organizations of a semi-legal nature.
Books
In 1970, he issued the Islamic Declaration. It is thanks to this book that the whole world has learned who Aliya Izetbegovich is. The Islamic Declaration called for the establishment of a Muslim society in the Balkans, which was very bold in the realities of the communist regime. Even many modern scholars consider this work permeated by Muslim fundamentalism.
In 1983, Izetbegovic was sentenced to 14 years in prison for attempting to recreate the Young Muslims organization. Even while in prison, he managed to write and submit to freedom his second significant book - “Islam between East and West.”
The prison bars could not stop the flight of thought of such a person as Aliya Izetbegovich. The books of this politician were popular among the Muslim population of the multinational Yugoslavia.
Time for a change
At the same time, by the end of the 80s of the 20th century, significant changes were outlined in the political life of Yugoslavia, like all countries of the socialist camp. Society began to democratize. In 1989, Izetbegovich was released ahead of schedule.
Although the country still had a communist regime, by then a multi-party system was already allowed . This allowed Izetbegovic the very next year after his release to organize a new political force, which became known as the "Party of Democratic Action". Advancing from this organization, he became a deputy, and then chairman of the Presidium of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which at that time was part of Yugoslavia. In fact, Izetbegovic became the head of this Yugoslav republic.
War
In the early 90s, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), like other republics of decaying Yugoslavia, became the scene of a bloody war. In 1991, this republic, headed by Izetbegovic, who assumed the presidency, proclaimed its independence. This went against the interests of Croatia and Serbia, who planned to divide BiH among themselves.
The war has gained terrifying proportions. In its course, Izetbegovic was even arrested, and actually captured by the Yugoslav troops, but was then released in exchange for their free retreat from Sarajevo.
In 1995, the Bosnian Muslims, united with the Croatian forces, inflicted a major defeat on the Serbs.
In the same year, with the active mediation of the United States, the Dayton Agreement was signed between the leaders of Bosnia, Serbia and Croatia, which actually ended the Bosnian war.
New Bosnia and Herzegovina
It was the Dayton Accords that laid the foundation for the political system of modern Bosnia and Herzegovina. This state has become a de facto confederation consisting of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska and Brcko District.
Since 1996, Bosnia and Herzegovina has become a parliamentary republic, and the post of president has been abolished. In the renewed state, Aliya Izetbegovich received the post of member of the Presidium, being on it until 2000.
Death
Alia Izetbegovic died in October 2003 in the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the age of 78. Death was caused by severe heart disease. He was buried in Sarajevo at the Kovachi cemetery.
In 2006, the grave of the first president of Bosnia and Herzegovina was blown up by vandals.
A family
Alia Izetbegovic was married to a woman named Khalida. Like any faithful Muslim woman, she kept in the shadow of her husband, not leading a public life.
In 1956, their only child was born to them in Sarajevo, their son Bakir. Since 2010, Bakir Izetbegovic is, as before, his father, a member of the Presidium of the Muslims of Bosnia. He has a daughter, Yasmina, who is the granddaughter of Aliya Izetbegovich.
Overall performance assessment
As you can see, Aliya Izetbegovich was a rather ambiguous political figure, but, of course, he made a significant contribution not only to the history of the region, but also to world history as a whole. On the one hand, during the Second World War he collaborated with fascist organizations, and also gained fame as an Islamic propagandist whose activities bordered on fundamentalism. Also, to a large extent, his position, however, as well as many other political figures of that time, contributed to fueling the bloody Bosnian war.
On the other hand, it was largely thanks to his efforts that a young independent state - Bosnia and Herzegovina - was born. In addition, the ability to negotiate was the quality that contributed to the conclusion of the Dayton Accords and thereby ending the war.