SELECTED QUOTES

  • "It is a fact that the indigenous Bosnian population, former Bogomils, the natives who at one point may have even identified with the Turkish rule, experienced a great cultural renaissance during its time, gained political significance, and yet did not renounce their homeland, Bosnia."

    Bosniak Adil Zulfikarpašić, 1994.

  • "It is incomprehensible to us Bosniaks – Muslims, that Serbs – Orthodox Christians or Croats – Catholics want to annex Bosnia to Serbia or Croatia, treating it as a province, and even less understandable is the agreement to carve up our homeland."

    Bosnian views, 1962.

  • "Now it seems to me – and I must state this with the reservation of subjective feeling – that my path, my liberalism, were real, because in my subconscious, and later through full engagement, I was a Bogumil, a Bosniak, and a Muslim, and this all together shaped my personality. There are those who approach religion because they seek certain tolerant traits in it. I experienced Islam in my youth, and at that time it awakened all that is tolerant and positive in my feeling. I experienced Islam as a tolerant faith, and that fact alone was enough for me to later embrace it sincerely. Therefore, tolerance certainly comes through such a view of faith, and that is how I viewed it."

    Bosniak Adil Zulfikarpašić, 1994.

  • "A person like me has never parted from Bosnia, has never politically left Bosnia. A person who created Bosnia within his circle and carried it in his heart, and who has been actively involved in politics since the age of fifteen, has no boundaries in terms of years. As long as I am able to do something for my country, I will do it, I will do it my entire life."

    Adil Zulfikarpašić, Style newspaper, 24.06.1994, page 4.

  • "I have always been proud of being a Muslim, being a Bosnian, being a liberal, being a democrat, and as such, I have succeeded both as a businessman, a politician, and as a European."

    Adil Zulfikarpašić, Vox newspaper, issue 7, October 1990, page 29.

  • "My stance is that everything should be sacrificed for this country, and I have always acted accordingly. I do not want to say that I did more than others, but I know I gave the maximum of my abilities, although I do not think I should be proud of it. It is a normal, natural, and patriotic duty – to give your all for your homeland."

    Adil Zulfikarpašić, Večernje novine newspaper, 06 May 1994, page 6

  • "My life’s desires have always been to do as much as I can in my life for my country, for my beliefs, my faith, and the society from which I come. This will always remain the orientation of my life and all my activities."

    Adil Zulfikarpašić, Sabah (New York) newspaper interview, issue 183 (27 June 2001), page 15.

  • "The national consciousness of Bosnian Muslims has become a nightmare for many, especially for those who have assigned Muslims a role of some kind of pariah, a second-class position. They cannot and will not reconcile with the fact that the national Bosnian consciousness opens up vast spaces for emancipation, cultural progress, national awareness and strength, and the possibility to become a decisive factor in their own country."

    Bosnia and Bosniakhood Symposium, Sarajevo, 1990, page 7.

  • "Bosniakhood is, for us, our true and only national identification."

    Bosnian views, 1963

  • "Some deny our Bosniakhood, some refute it, and some even mock it. Yet, it is as old as Bosnia itself, as strong as the land, and it has remained in the souls of many of its sons throughout history. It will stay with us Muslims, regardless of everything, as long as we exist in this world."

    Bosnian views 1963

  • "For us Muslims of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosniakhood is more than a regional sentiment, more than a geographical term, more than a cultural-historical uniqueness, although it encompasses all of these aspects.

    Bosnian views, 1963

  • "While the Croatian people have a strong desire for their own state, often subordinating methods of struggle, leadership choices, and alliances to this idea, the Serbian people have an insatiable thirst to be the Piedmont, the protector, and defender of Serbdom and all Serbs, regardless of whether these ideas clash with the political and geographical visions of other nations. The Muslims of Bosnia and Herzegovina have one goal – equality. They want to be equal and treated as equals, not more than they are capable of offering to their neighbors."

    Adil Zulfikarpašić, Nedeljna borba interview, 22-23 September 1990, page 5.

  • "When I arrived to emigration, I saw that there was no institution in the world where one could learn something about Bosnia, its language, its culture. We Bosniaks were more or less completely isolated, and this bothered me. Since childhood, I had been collecting books; I had a large library in Foča, several thousand books. I also had a library in Sarajevo. The library in Foča burned down with the house in 1942, and the one in Sarajevo was stolen. It was, so to speak, in my blood to collect materials and books, and when I came into possession of material resources, I decided to donate my private library, which consisted of tens of thousands of books, as a foundation for the Institute and then begin to systematically build it."

    Adil Zulfikarpašić, Panorama of views, concepts, phenomena, and opinions, 2001, page 171.

  • "From the first day, I considered that the Bosniak Institute must be a place where anyone from Bosnia or anywhere else can find information about Bosnia, its history, literature, past, and present. I formed the Bosniak section, which makes up the core and largest part of the institute's library, but I also created other sections – Serbica, Croatica, Emigrantica, Islamica, and Turkica, as well as the complete Yugoslavica."

    Adil Zulfikarpašić, Panorama of views, concepts, phenomena, and opinions, 2001, page 171.

  • "In Zurich, I started collecting books again when my financial situation improved. When I worked as a journalist, I wrote book reviews for some magazines, and those books were given to me as gifts. This way, I acquired a considerable number of books, but I must admit that I always secretly desired to create a library, or rather, my own institute. In exile, we saw that there was no center solely dedicated to Bosnian history and Bosnian literature. When my financial situation improved and I had the means, I bought a house and apartments in various parts of the world where I worked. I decided to establish a Bosniak Institute in Zurich because I had the opportunity to buy a house from my acquaintances right next to the University. The house had six floors, not particularly large, built 60-70 years ago, but it had enough space for the things I had planned. So, I bought the house and hired architects to arrange it according to my plans."

    Adil Zulfikarpašić, book “Misao, pogledi i sjećanja”, 2001, page 98.

  • "It occurred to me that I should, while I am still alive, expand my Bosniak Institute, partially relocate it, and build a new one in Bosnia, in Sarajevo. When I decide on something, I become excited about it and strive with all my might to make it happen. In several cases known to the public, I saw that Bosnia's cultural treasures had been destroyed. The economy and infrastructure of Bosnia were hit the hardest, and immediately after that, culture. I was afraid that later some surrogate, some kitsch, would replace the real culture of native Bosnia and Bosnian science, so I tried with all my strength to realize this idea of mine and to establish my institute in Sarajevo."

    Adil Zulfikarpašić, book “Misao, pogledi, sjećanja”, 2005, page 159-160.

  • "I hand over the Institute to the hands of the young generation and to Bosnia and its peoples, because I am convinced that the doors of this house are open not only to Bosniaks-Muslims but also to the peoples of other faiths with whom we must live if we want to exist in love and peace."

    Adil Zulfikarpašić, Oslobođenje, 25 May 2001

  • "My ambition is for the Bosniak Institute to be a scientific and cultural institution that will attract Bosnian intellectuals to research here and to help in education and acquiring knowledge about Bosnia and Herzegovina."

    Adil Zulfikarpašić, Sarajevo, 2007

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