The Banja Luka Resolution

Since the inception and establishment of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), we Muslims have been observing with the highest concern how Ustashas and other officials with or without influence in government committed the gravest errors and crimes. The most basic rights of man are scrupulously offended. The security of life and property, the freedom of religion and conscience, ceased to be in effect and to be applied to a large segment of the population in these regions. The killings of priests and other leaders without trial or sentence, the shootings and harrasment of the population, frequently composed of innocent people, women and even children, the mass expulsion of entire families from their houses and even their beds, having only been given one or two hours warning, their deportations to unknown areas, the appropriation and plunder of their properties and possessions, the destruction of places of worship, frequently by the hands of the faithful themselves, the forced conversion to the Roman Catholic faith—all these are the facts which have brought out our disgust, which brings the aversion to any honest man and which have had a very deep impact on us, the Muslims. We never expected nor hoped, let alone desired, such methods of work and administration in our regions. In our difficult and uneasy past, we never, even under the gravest of circumstances, resorted to such an approach. We think that such atrocities should not be committed even against our fiercest enemies, for we doubt that we can find an equal for the things taking place now in our region in the history of any people.

The results of such politics—if we can give these deeds such a name—are absolutely terrible, and it is expected that any reasonable man would conclude the same. Religious tolerance, which had been sensitively observed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, despite its religious divisions, has been degraded in a frightening manner. The insults and provocations so frequently target us, the Muslims, that it has made us seriously reconsider things. A fraction of the Catholic priests consider that now is an appropriate time, and that they should use this advantage without any constraint or check. The conversion propaganda is so widespread that it resembles the Spanish Inquisition. Under the force of propaganda and without any reaction towards it by various public offices, the mass forcible conversion of the Orthodox Serbs has taken place. In this way, the ones who were denied any value as citizens and who were denied their national character became again citizens with full rights, simply because they converted to Catholicism. The equality of Islam, frequently stressed in writings and public statements, is questioned in life and practice. One frequently hears the Catholic Ustashas singing derogatory songs, insulting Muslim feelings and wishing for them the same destiny as that of the Orthodox Serbs.

Apart from the Ustasha army, not only the official part of their militia but also illegally organized groups as well, committed great insults and assaults against both the Orthodox Serbs and Muslims, and this caused the highest concern among us. The incident of the terrible murder of an imam, Edhem effendi Hodzić, here in Banjaluka, in the middle of the hospital yard and in the middle of the day, is a terrible example of the thuggishness of the Ustasha member named Josip Babić. What is the most pitiable fact is that it is unknown even today whether this criminal was arrested at all, let alone whether or not he received an exemplary punishment, as was demanded by the Muslims of Banjaluka and elsewhere.

We have many examples of Ustasha wearing fezzes while committing murders or slaughtering Orthodox Serbs. It was in Bosanski Novi where four trucks full of Ustasha crossed the river Sava (in Croatia proper) wearing fezzes. They slaughtered the entire Orthodox Serb population there. The same happened in Bosanska Kostajnica, where in a single day, 862 Serb Orthodox were slaughtered in the same way. Also in Kulen Vakuf, they did the same, and in that action a special role was played by Miroslav Matijević, an Ustasha from Vrtoca. There, 950 Serb Orthodox were slaughtered, leading the Chetniks to take revenge on 6 September 1941, when they set Kulen Vakuf on fire, for which 1365 Muslims (men, women and children) paid with their lives. We know that some Catholic Ustashas attacked Serb Orthodox shouting, "Push, Mujo, get them Huso, don't let them go Meho" and the like…

Now that the Ustasha have caused such a grave conflict between us and the Orthodox Serbs, we are called as soldiers to suppress this uprising, meaning to kill Serbs and vice versa, so that we will eradicate and exterminate one another without ever knowing when the conflict will cease or what kind of consequences it will have. This fight, which we did not provoke, became so widespread that many of our villages were burned and plundered, and their inhabitants—men, women and children—are wandering impoverished, hungry and thirsty, seeking help and protection from those who are able or unable to do so. They escape to our cities, which are already full, and it is very difficult to offer them any help. The protection offered to our people in villages is totally inadequate, especially in those regions which are under Italian occupation. The Italian army is watching without any action while Muslim villages are set on fire, as occurred quite recently in the villages in the counties Ključ, Petrovac and Sana. And even worse, those who are the perpetrators in these disorders are now living in security, wearing their uniforms, concerned predominantly with the plunder of Serb and Jewish properties and possessions. We see this best here in Banjaluka, where the property of expelled Serbs and Jews became the source of plunder and enrichment of individuals, their families and friends. We refuse with indignation the accusation that we want to take the properties of others. Here we support all Muslim actions which have the same aim, especially that of Sarajevo Muslims of 12 October 1941, and in accordance with this we demand that:

In Banjaluka, 12 November 1941.

The broader historical debate also reflects how postwar historiography reshaped the memory of World War II. Muslims participated on multiple sides of the conflict, including the Partisans, the NDH, and Chetnik formations, often driven by survival rather than ideology. Political narratives have frequently "fascisized" Bosnian Muslims for contemporary political purposes, while contributions to anti-fascist resistance have been appropriated by other groups.

Despite their limited political impact, the Muslim resolutions of 1941 remain exemplary documents of interethnic solidarity and moral resistance. Their memory has largely been preserved within Bosnian Muslim communities through commemorations and scholarly discussion, while broader public recognition remains limited. The resolutions stand as rare historical testimonies of attempts to uphold coexistence, human solidarity, and civic responsibility in the midst of genocidal violence.

"The resolution emphasized that Bosnians shared a common love for Bosnia and Herzegovina and should live together as brothers despite propaganda and conflict. It argued that violence and hatred destroy social order and threaten the survival of the state."

The text also discusses how history was reshaped after World War II, how Muslims participated on different sides of the war, and how political narratives have distorted their role. It concludes with an example of peaceful coexistence between Muslims and Serbs in the village of Baljvine, highlighting everyday human solidarity as the true basis for coexistence in Bosnia and Herzegovina.