A new report by the Islamic Community of Bosnia and Herzegovina has sparked strong reactions in Republika Srpska, accused of being another political maneuver to distort reality and deflect responsibility, according to statements by officials and commentators in Banja Luka.

Milorad Kojić, a member of the SNSD in the House of Representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina, described the report by the Commission for Religious Freedom as a “political pamphlet” aimed at foreign embassies to garner sympathy.

“It’s another attempt to misrepresent the work of the legislative power in Republika Srpska. The underlying message is clear: Serbophobia, rooted in Alija Izetbegović’s Islamic Declaration and amplified during the 1990s, has never ceased,” Kojić told Provjereno.

He cited the recent beating of Serbian children in Sarajevo as evidence of rising hostility and ethnic hatred, accusing the Islamic Community and political elites in the FBiH of remaining silent.

“There was no adequate reaction to this violence. Instead, they now accuse the RSNA of Islamophobia. This is a deflection tactic,” Kojić added.

The report, published by the Islamic newspaper Preporod, focuses on the transcripts of the 19th and 20th sessions of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska (RSNA) held in March 2025. It claims that these sessions contained “systematic discrimination and dehumanizing narratives” against Muslims and Bosniaks.

Božica Živković Rajilić, head of the Association of Women Victims of War in Republika Srpska, supported Kojić’s position and accused the Islamic Community of fueling ethnic tension.

“We’re not in the 1990s anymore, but their narrative hasn’t changed. They’re exaggerating to provoke international attention — but the global landscape has changed. The US, EU, and UN are no longer unified behind them,” Rajilić stated.

She emphasized that Republika Srpska guarantees full rights to all citizens regardless of ethnicity, and that the new Constitution is aligned with the Dayton Peace Agreement.

“Our Constitution acknowledges the sovereign Serb people but also protects the rights of all others. The FBiH should calm tensions — no one is threatening them. These accusations are baseless,” she said.

Rajilić also recalled inflated wartime claims:

“They said 200,000 women were raped during the war, but the final number was 830. This shows how their narratives are built on exaggeration.”

The controversial Islamic Community report appears to be part of a broader trend of ethnopolitical framing in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where each side seeks to control the narrative and influence international perspectives. In Republika Srpska, it is being viewed as yet another attack on its institutions, aimed at undermining its legitimacy and stoking division.