Adil Zulfikarpašić
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Adil Zulfikarpašić (23 December 1921 – 21 July 2008) was a prominent
Bosniak The Bosniaks ( bs, Bošnjaci, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia, which is today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who share a common Bosnian ancestry, cu ...
intellectual and politician who was the vice president of the
Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Republika Bosna i Hercegovina, Република Босна и Херцеговина) was a state in Southeastern Europe, existing from 1992 to 1995. It is the direct lega ...
, during the
Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started ...
of the 1990s, under Bosnia's first President
Alija Izetbegović Alija Izetbegović (; ; 8 August 1925 – 19 October 2003) was a Bosnian politician, lawyer, Islamic philosopher and author, who in 1992 became the first president of the Presidency of the newly independent Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina ...
. After the war he retired from politics and opened the
Bosniak Institute The Bosniak Institute is an institution of culture and scholarship in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It has a museum and a gallery, a cultural centre and a library, a publishing house and a cultural centre. The institute is the result of its ...
, a museum in Sarajevo focused on the Bosniak culture. Although in the early period of his life he was close to the Croatian national idea, Zulfikarpašić over time advocated the position that Bosnian Muslims should build their own national identity and advocated the adoption of the Bosniak name. At first there was resistance to this idea, including within the leading political party of Bosnian Muslims - the
Party of Democratic Action The Party of Democratic Action ( bs, Stranka demokratske akcije; abbr. SDA) is a Bosniak nationalist, conservative political party in Bosnia and Herzegovina. History The Party of Democratic Action (SDA) was founded on 26 May 1990 in Sarajevo, ...
- the idea still prevailed in 1993, when the new name was adopted at the Bosniak Congress attended by the Bosnian Muslim political and cultural representatives.


Early life


Family

Zulfikarpašić was born on 23 December 1921 in
Foča Foča ( sr-Cyrl, Фоча, ) is a town and a municipality located in Republika Srpska in south-eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the banks of Drina river. As of 2013, the town has a population of 12,234 inhabitants, while the municipality has 18 ...
, a town along the
Drina The Drina ( sr-Cyrl, Дрина, ) is a long Balkans river, which forms a large portion of the border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. It is the longest tributary of the Sava River and the longest karst river in the Dinaric Alps whic ...
river in the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 unt ...
(now
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...
). He was a member of the
Čengić family The Čengić family ( sh, Čengići) was a noble Ottoman Bosnian family of Turkoman (ethnonym), Turkoman origin that produced several notable lords in the Bosnia Eyalet of the Ottoman Empire. Origins The family is of ethnic Turkoman (ethnonym), ...
through both parents. His father
Husein Bey Čengić-Zulfikarpašić Hussein, Hussain, Hossein, Hossain, Huseyn, Husayn, Husein or Husain (; ar, حُسَيْن ), coming from the triconsonantal root Ḥ-S-i-N ( ar, ح س ی ن, link=no), is an Arabic name which is the diminutive of Hassan, meaning "good", "h ...
was a landowner and an intellectual, son of Ali Bey Čengić and a grandson of
Zulfikar Pasha Čengić Zulfikar Pasha Čengić nicknamed Miljevina (died 1846) was an Ottoman Bosnian nobleman and a military leader. He is known for leading a penal expedition against the Montenegrin Drobnjaci tribe in 1812 and siding with the Sultan against the rebel ...
, after whom his paternal family was surnamed Zulfikarpašić. Zulfikaršašić wrote that he used a dual surname throughout his elementary school, but that his family dropped the "Čengić" from their surname while he was still in his youth. Husein served as a mayor of
Foča Foča ( sr-Cyrl, Фоча, ) is a town and a municipality located in Republika Srpska in south-eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the banks of Drina river. As of 2013, the town has a population of 12,234 inhabitants, while the municipality has 18 ...
for 25 years after the Austrian-Hungarian occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1878. Adil's mother Zahida married Husein when she was 18 years old, while he was in his late 80s. Husein never had several wives at the same time, and his previous three wives died. Zahida was his fourth wife and originated from the Ratalj branch of the Čengić family. Two of them had another son Sabrija and six daughters. The oldest half-brother of Adil was Alija who was 55 years older than him. Husein died in 1936 aged 102 or 104 years when Adil was 15 years old, while Zahida died in 1956. Adil's half-brothers were Alija and Hilmo, both of whom moved to the Ottoman Empire after Austria-Hungary occupied Bosnia and Herzegovina and changed their surname to Aq Qoyunlu; Ibrahim, Hasan, Hivzo, Hamdija, while Sabrija was his full brother. His half-sisters were Arfa, Fatima and Haša, and full sisters Zumruta, Hasiba, Hajrija, Hamijera, Fahra and Šefika,


Education and World War II

In his youth, Zulfikarpašić felt close to the Croatian national idea, rather than Serbian. He was also active in the
Croatian Peasant Party The Croatian Peasant Party ( hr, Hrvatska seljačka stranka, HSS) is an agrarian political party in Croatia founded on 22 December 1904 by Antun and Stjepan Radić as Croatian Peoples' Peasant Party (HPSS). The Brothers Radić believed that t ...
. While attending gymnasium in
Foča Foča ( sr-Cyrl, Фоча, ) is a town and a municipality located in Republika Srpska in south-eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the banks of Drina river. As of 2013, the town has a population of 12,234 inhabitants, while the municipality has 18 ...
he became a
leftist Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
and joined a certain group of the
League of Communist Youth of Yugoslavia , SKOJ mk, Сојуз на комунистичката младина на Југославија, СКМЈ sl, Zveza komunistične mladine Jugoslavije, ZKMJ , colorcode = red , founded = 1919 , dissolved = 1948 , succeeded by = League of S ...
(SKOJ). Eventually, he was expelled for disseminating communist literature, and had to continue his education in
Rogatica Rogatica ( sr-cyrl, Рогатица) is a town and municipality located in eastern Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 10,723 inhabitants, while the town of Rogatica has a population of 6, ...
. Just before graduation, he was expelled again with other ten colleagues without the right to take the graduation exam. However, a local politician helped to abolish these punishments, so Zulfikarpašić was able to continue his education at the Commercial Academy in
Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its a ...
. He was again expelled, and continued to educate in
Osijek Osijek () is the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of 96,848 in 2021. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja ...
and
Banja Luka Banja Luka ( sr-Cyrl, Бања Лука, ) or Banjaluka ( sr-Cyrl, Бањалука, ) is the second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the largest city of Republika Srpska. Banja Luka is also the ''de facto'' capital of this entity. I ...
, where he took private classes since his further education at commercial academies was forbidden. In 1938 he joined the
Communist Party of Yugoslavia The League of Communists of Yugoslavia, mk, Сојуз на комунистите на Југославија, Sojuz na komunistite na Jugoslavija known until 1952 as the Communist Party of Yugoslavia, sl, Komunistična partija Jugoslavije mk ...
(KPJ), when he was 17 yars old. In 1940 he enrolled at the High Commercial School in Belgrade because Belgrade had more active leftist politics than Zagreb. In 1941, he joined
Yugoslav Partisans The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian, Slovene: , or the National Liberation Army, sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska (NOV), Народноослободилачка војска (НОВ); mk, Народноослобод ...
and was a member of partisans' brigade "Zvijezda" of
Vareš Vareš ( cyrl, Вареш) is a town and municipality located in Zenica-Doboj Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is famous for the local m ...
. In 1942, during World War II, he was caught by the
Ustaše The Ustaše (), also known by anglicised versions Ustasha or Ustashe, was a Croats, Croatian Fascism, fascist and ultranationalism, ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaš ...
(the Croatian pro-
Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
forces) in Sarajevo and was
torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts c ...
d by them and sentenced to death. With the help of Yugoslav Partisans he escaped and in 1945 with the war ending in victory over the
Axis powers The Axis powers, ; it, Potenze dell'Asse ; ja, 枢軸国 ''Sūjikukoku'', group=nb originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis, was a military coalition that initiated World War II and fought against the Allies. Its principal members were ...
, the Communists came into power and Zulfikarpašić was appointed Deputy Minister of Trade.


Exile

After becoming disillusioned with
Josip Broz Tito Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito (; sh-Cyrl, Тито, links=no, ), was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and statesman, serving in various positions from 1943 until his deat ...
's government shortly after the end of the war, Zulfikarpašić fled into exile in Zurich, Switzerland. While on his way to Switzerland, Zulfikarpašić stayed in
Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...
, Austria. There he met Tatjana Nikšić, daughter of the NDH diplomat
Ante Nikšić Ante Nikšić (8 June 1892 – 28 January 1962) was a Croatian lawyer and politician who served as Minister of Interior of the Independent State of Croatia between 1942 and 1943. Early life Nikšić was born in Gospić in Croatian region of ...
. The relationship between the two caused a stir among the Croat emigres, especially the Franciscans. However, her father who was in
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
at the time, approved the relationship writing that Zulfikarpašić's head was "in the right place", though he preferred if Zulfikarpašić would convert to Catholicism. Zulfikarpašić, a self-identified
Croat The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, Ge ...
, found allies in the exiled leaders of the
Croatian Peasant Party The Croatian Peasant Party ( hr, Hrvatska seljačka stranka, HSS) is an agrarian political party in Croatia founded on 22 December 1904 by Antun and Stjepan Radić as Croatian Peoples' Peasant Party (HPSS). The Brothers Radić believed that t ...
(HSS),
Juraj Krnjević Juraj Krnjević (19 February 1895 – 9 January 1988) was a Croatian politician who was among the leaders of the Croatian Peasant Party (HSS).Biondich, Mark (2007). Vladko Macek and the Political Right in Croatia, 1928–1941. ''Contemporary Eur ...
especially, who was sympathetic towards Bosnian Muslims. Zulfikarpašić also befriended August Juretić, a Croat Catholic priest close to HSS, whom he succeeded jointly with Pavao Jesih as a co-editor of ''Hrvatski dom'', the official magazine of HSS after Juretić died in 1954. However, he became more convinced that Bosnian Muslims need to develop their own political direction. Writing in January 1956 to Indiana sociologist
Dinko Tomašić Dinko Antun Tomašić (1902–1975) was a Croatian sociologist and academic. He was born in Smokvica on the island of Korčula in Croatia. He studied law at the University of Zagreb and the University of Paris and taught in Zagreb. After his i ...
, Zulfikarpašić blamed the
Ustaše The Ustaše (), also known by anglicised versions Ustasha or Ustashe, was a Croats, Croatian Fascism, fascist and ultranationalism, ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaš ...
for the interruption of the development of Bosnian Muslims towards Croatdom, stating that Tomašić's statement that "the rise of national consciousness among Muslims Bosnia and Herzegovina developed ..exclusively in the direction of Croatdom" was correct, but added that "on the account of Ustaše transgressions during the war, there were instances of distancing from Croatdom even among those layers that had already started identifying themselves and becoming conscious in that direction" and that "the process of national awakening in the direction of Croatdom experienced heavy blows in the course of the war and was slowed." In 1963, Zulfikarpašić founded the Liberal-Democratic Alliance of Bosniaks-Muslims. The Alliance brought together Muslims who studied outside of Yugoslavia during World War II, together with former imams of the German 13th Waffen-SS Division Handschar and former Young Muslims. It promoted the national name "Bosniak" with the aim of severing ties with Croatian and Serbian national identities.


Fall of Yugoslavia

At the beginning of the
Party of Democratic Action The Party of Democratic Action ( bs, Stranka demokratske akcije; abbr. SDA) is a Bosniak nationalist, conservative political party in Bosnia and Herzegovina. History The Party of Democratic Action (SDA) was founded on 26 May 1990 in Sarajevo, ...
(est. 1990), the party also included a very influential secular nationalist grouping, led by Zulfikarpašić and Muhamed Filipović. On 26 December 1991, Serbia, Montenegro, and the Serb rebel-held territory in Croatia ( Serb Krajina) agreed that they would form a new "third Yugoslavia". Efforts were also made in 1991 to include
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...
within the federation, with negotiations between Milošević, Bosnia's Serbian Democratic Party, and the Bosniak proponent of union – Bosnia's Vice-President Adil Zulfikarpašić taking place on this matter.Steven L. Burg, Paul S. Shoup. ''The War in Bosnia-Herzegovina: Ethnic Conflict and International Intervention''. Armonk, New York, USA: M.E. Sharpe, 2000. p. 72. Zulfikarpašić believed that Bosnia could benefit from attempting to forge a union with Serbia, Montenegro, and Krajina; and promoted a compromise between the Serbs and Bosniaks, in which Serb Krajina and Bosniak Sanjak from Serbia would be annexed into a
Greater Bosnia Greater Bosnia ( bs, Velika Bosna) is an irredentist concept seeking the enlargement of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is more popular among ethnic Bosniaks, as Bosnian Croats more commonly support the creation of a separate Croat entity in Bosnia a ...
that within a union with Serbia and Montenegro, would secure both the unity of Serbs and Bosniaks. Zulfikarpašić's proposition opposed any cantonization of Bosnia. The Bosnian Serbs did not include Zulfikarpašić's proposition alongside their propositions. However Milosević continued negotiations with Zulfikarpašić to include Bosnia within a new Yugoslavia. Efforts to include the whole of Bosnia within a new Yugoslavia effectively terminated by late 1991 as Izetbegović planned to hold a referendum on independence while the Bosnian Serbs and Bosnian Croats formed autonomous territories. Zulfikarpašić returned to Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the lead up to the
Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started ...
, as Bosnia and Herzegovina held an independence referendum for independence, he stood alongside the future Bosnian president,
Alija Izetbegović Alija Izetbegović (; ; 8 August 1925 – 19 October 2003) was a Bosnian politician, lawyer, Islamic philosopher and author, who in 1992 became the first president of the Presidency of the newly independent Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina ...
. He was a member of Izetbegović’s
Party of Democratic Action The Party of Democratic Action ( bs, Stranka demokratske akcije; abbr. SDA) is a Bosniak nationalist, conservative political party in Bosnia and Herzegovina. History The Party of Democratic Action (SDA) was founded on 26 May 1990 in Sarajevo, ...
, but soon formed another party because of differing political views, the Muslim Bosniak Organization with Muhamed Filipović.


Post-war

In 2001, Zulfikarpašić established the
Bosniak Institute The Bosniak Institute is an institution of culture and scholarship in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It has a museum and a gallery, a cultural centre and a library, a publishing house and a cultural centre. The institute is the result of its ...
in
Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its a ...
. In 2002, he was elected an honorary member of the
Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...
.http://www.anubih.ba/index.php?option=content&lang=eng&Theme=honorary&Level=2&ItemID=6


Books

* Gace, N., Đilas, M. (1998), ''The Bosniak: Adil Zulfikarpasic'', London, Hurst & Company * Filandra, Š., Karic, E. (2004), ''The Bosniac Idea'', Zagreb, Globus * Imamović, M. (1996), ''Bošnjaci u emigraciji: monografija Bosanskih pogleda'', Sarajevo, Bošnjački institut Zurich, Odjel Sarajevo * Zulfikarpašić, A. (1991), ''Članci i intervjui povodom 70-godišnjice'', Sarajevo, Bošnjački institut * Zulfikarpašić, A., Gotovac, V., Tripalo M., Banac, I. (1995), ''Okovana Bosna'', Zurich, Bošnjački institut * Zulfikarpašić, A. (2005), ''Osvrti'', Sarajevo, Bošnjački institut – Fondacija Adila Zulfikarpašića * Zulfikarpasic, A., Bučar, F. (2001), ''Sudbonosni događaji: historijski presjek presudnih zbivanja i propusta'', Sarajevo, Bošnjački institut – Fondacija Adila Zulfikarpašića


Footnotes


References


Books

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Journals

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zulfikarpasic, Adil 1921 births 2008 deaths People from Foča Bosniaks of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Muslims League of Communists of Bosnia and Herzegovina politicians Party of Democratic Action politicians Bosniak history History of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Members of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina people of World War II Bosniak nationalists Yugoslav dissidents