Shared History and Everyday Coexistence

Some say that the word coexistence does not encompass the depth and breadth of the togetherness of the peoples in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Neither do they accept cohabitation nor tolerance as terms suitable for describing the context of Bosnia and Herzegovina, they are too lifeless. Perhaps phrases such as “living together harmoniously” or “sharing and caring for our common territorial, social, economic and cultural space together” better capture the essence of what the eleven Jewish, Muslim and Christian authors researched wrote and presented about, in our conference “Coexistence of Jews and Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina: 200 years since the Sarajevo Purim”, the results of which are presented to the world in this expanded publication. Whatever particular words or phrases we have used, an honest reader and a good connoisseur of Bosnia and Herzegovina will confirm their sincerity.

Regardless of the chosen name we use to frame the existence and life of Jews and Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina, this togetherness and friendship is neither imposed nor artificial, it is autochthonous. Like Catholics and Orthodox, Jews and Muslims are indigenous inhabitants of Bosnia and Herzegovina who have lived together in peace for centuries. There is not a jot of truth in any claims that they have been fighting continuously, that hatred has always been present and that they are just waiting for a cause that will ‘make the powder keg explode’.

This is an artificial narrative, constructed in nationalist circles and used for ideological purposes. No matter how many attacks have been directed at Bosnia and Herzegovina—both as a state and as a country that embodies coexistence—this common heritage and our shared values should be discussed and written about even more.

Dževada Garić