Alija Izetbegovic

@Herzegovina, Timeline and Personal Life ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Alija Izetbegovic was a Bosniak activist and the first president of Bosnia and Herzegovina Political Activists Leaders Political Leaders Presidents Leo Celebrities Alija Izetbegovic, the first president of the Bosnia-Herzegovina, was a Bosnian activist who ruled the nation during one of the bloodiest phases of its history. Born into an aristocratic but impoverished family, he moved to Sarajevo, which later became the center of his political activities. After being part of many political organizations, his political growth was on the rise after he formed the ‘Party of Democratic Action’ and was elected as the President of the country. However, what followed was intense political turmoil which included the fallout of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Despite numerous peace efforts, he could not stop a bloody war which extended for four years between the various ethnic groups. This mild-mannered Muslim leader spent half of his presidency in fighting for the survival of his own country. Later, backstabbed by the other Muslim leaders and facing contempt of the western leaders, he was also partly blamed for the civil war which rocked the Balkans. However, the thousands of mourners who attended his funeral and the letters of condolences, which flooded Bosnia from the leaders of almost 80 countries after his death, bears testimony to the fact that he was one of the most loved and respected European Muslim leaders in the world.

Personal Details

Birthday: August 8, 1925 Died on: October 19, 2003 Nationality: Bosnian Famous: First President of Bosnia, Herzegovina, Political Activists, Leaders, Political Leaders, Presidents Spouses: Halida Repovac Childrens: Bakir Izetbegović Universities: University of Sarajevo Information Detail Birthday August 8, 1925 Died on October 19, 2003 Nationality Bosnian Famous First President of Bosnia, Herzegovina, Political Activists, Leaders, Political Leaders, Presidents Spouses Halida Repovac Childrens Bakir Izetbegović Universities University of Sarajevo Birth Place Šamac, Bosnia and Herzegovina Political Ideology Party of Democratic Action Gender Male Sun Sign Leo Born in Šamac, Bosnia and Herzegovina Famous as Political Activist, First President of Bosnia & Herzegovina Died at Age 78

Šamac, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Alija Izetbegovic born at Unsplash Birth Place

Izetbegovic married four times; his first wife lives in Turkey with whom he had one son and two daughters. He married Melika and Amira under the Sharia code of law. The name of his fourth wife was not revealed to the public. Unsplash Personal Life

Izetbegovic passed away in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina on 19 October 2003 due to heart disease. Unsplash Personal Life

Izetbegovic was born on 8 August 1925 in Bosanki Samac in the Northern part of Bosnia to an accountant father in a distinguished family. He was the descendant of Slavic Ottoman aristocrats who fled to Bosnia after Serbia attained independence from the Ottoman Empire. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

Izetbegovic moved to Sarajevo the following year and received his education from Sarajevo Law School. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

At the age of fiftteen, in 1940, he co-founded an organization, Mladi Muslimani (Young Muslims) which helped the refugees during World War II. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

When the Mladi Muslimani had to choose between the SS Handschar (a SS Mountain Division of Nazi Germany including Bosniaks) and the Partisans (a Communist resistance group led by Josip Broz Tito), Izetbegovic supported the SS division. Unsplash Career

In 1946, after the war, he was arrested for his activities during the course of war and was sentenced to three years of imprisonment. Unsplash Career

After being free, he obtained a law degree from Sarajevo University and remained in active politics. Unsplash Career

In 1970’s, Izetbegovic published a manifesto titled, ‘Islamic Declaration’, which expressed his views on relationships between Islam, society and state. The authorities interpreted this manifesto as a call to introduce sharia Law in Bosnia and barred its publication. Unsplash Career

The declarations still remains controversial and the passages from the declaration were often quoted by the opponents of Izetbegovic as an open call to Islamic fundamentalism. Izetbegovic denied all the allegations. Unsplash Career

Information	Detail
Birthday	August 8, 1925
Died on	October 19, 2003
Nationality	Bosnian
Famous	First President of Bosnia, Herzegovina, Political Activists, Leaders, Political Leaders, Presidents
Spouses	Halida Repovac
Childrens	Bakir Izetbegović
Universities	University of Sarajevo
Birth Place	Šamac, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Political Ideology	Party of Democratic Action
Gender	Male
Sun Sign	Leo
Born in	Šamac, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Famous as	Political Activist, First President of Bosnia & Herzegovina
Died at Age	78

Alija Izetbegovic

Bosnian

Aug 8, 1925

Biography

Personal Details

Šamac, Bosnia and Herzegovina