As things begining to heat up in the region, and the crises in North Kosovo with Serbia and Kosovo authorities, Serbian and regional media reported about the quiet Serbian conscription of its residents, the next door Balkan region of Sandzak is calling attention to the increased discrimination of local residents.

The new declaration of the Bosniak Council of Sandzak (now renamed the National Council of Sandzak) calling on Serbian regime and the relevant international organizations to halt the discriminatory policies towards the region and its residents.

The region of Sandzak has been calling for the attention and improvement of living standards of its residents for a long time, but so far, they were mostly ignored by the Serbian regime and other global and regional factors. The Declaration is yet another invitation for something to be done to relieve Sandzak's residents of the decades old Serbian state neglect and discrimination. 

Sandzak is multi-ethnic region populated by a large number of Slavic Muslim Bosniaks and much smaller Muslim Albanian group. The region, with its Muslim majority, is now situated in the mountainous border area between Albania in the south, Bosnia in the north, and Serbia and Montenegro in the east and west respectively. Due to diplomatic maneuvering and backing of Russia, Serbia and Montenegro got the territory of  Sandzak under their control after the First Balkan War in 1912.

Ever since Serbia took over, the Bosniak population of the region experiences harsh discriminatory Serbian policies of ethnic cleansing and harassment, with the goal of the expulsion of the native Muslims population. Some estimates speak about more then two million Muslims whom, over time, were expelled from the region of Sandzak and forced to emigrate mostly to Turkey and Kosovo. Traditionally most of the Muslim residents of Sandzak refer to themselves as Bosniaks and look towards Bosnia and Herzegovina as their cultural and religious center.

During the recent Balkan wars, Sandzak was mostly quiet, what with the overwhelming Serbian forces being stationed there for quick deployments in Bosnia or Kosovo when needed. When the Bosnian war eventually ended, and Kosovo acheived its independence, Sandzak remaind as the most underdeveloped region of Serbia with a very poor infrastructure and almost no industry. The continuous Serbian isolation and discrimination of Muslim residents of Sandzak, caused the further exodus of the young Muslims to Bosnia, Europe, the U.S. and other countries.

When Bosniaks tried to organize around a few political parties and the official Islamic Community in Serbia, and recently, the Bosniak National Council (now renamed), the Serbian regime intervened and co-opted political parties and created separate and parallel institutions to undermine those grass-root efforts of cultural and religious group formations. These Serbian government efforts were not received well by the residents of Sandzak and tensions are still growing.

The Bosniak Council of Sandzak now issued a declaration calling attention to their situation and threatening mass civil disobedience and protest if the Serbian regime does not stop with their policies of undermining the local civil and political grass-roots efforts.

The declaration states following:

The Bosniak Council of Sandžak at the Second Meeting held in Novi Pazar on

September 11, 2011, decided to

Adopt

D E C L A R A T I O N

ABOUT THE DISCRIMINATION IN SANDŽAK

I

The discrimination in the region of Sandžak is present in all spheres of life and is the form of the Serbian state terror.

II

The Serbian regime's aggression against the institution of the Islamic Community was organized with the aim of undermining the basic survival of Bosniaks in Sandžak.

III

The attack on the credible Islamic religious primary education by the Ministry of Religion and the Diaspora and the Ministry of Science and Education is being implemented with the aim of the Christianization of Muslim pupils (in Serbia).

We demand from the High Office (Meshihat) of the Islamic Community to begin deliberation about the fatwa on religious validity of the current state-run religious education in the existing circumstances. These activities of relevant ministries, school authorities and school principals against the credible Islamic religious primary education are acts of hostility towards the members of the Bosniak nation (in Serbia).

IV

As inalienable religious endowment, the waqf's property, especially land, is sacred and as such it is the foundation for the preservation of the cultural and spiritual identity of the Bosniak nation of Sandžak.

V

Contesting the legality of the Bosniak National Council by the regime in Serbia is integral part of the regime's broader plan to weaken and eliminate the Bosniaks’ influence in the lives of the citizens of Sandžak. This is why we give our full support to the leadership of the BNC for their efforts in the preservation and affirmation of Bosniak's national values.

VI

The obstruction of the accreditation of the International University in Sandžak was aimed at restoring the darkness of ignorance for the Bosniak children and youth with a goal of further enslavement of the individual and collective consciousness. The International University is a major pillar of freedom and development in Sandžak.

VII

The discrimination against Bosniaks through employment policies in governmental agencies and public institutions is a sign of unprecedented brutality and ruthlessness, and is clear message of undesirability to the Bosniak citizens of Serbia.

VIII

The economic discrimination of the region of Sandžak negatively affects all its residents regardless of religious or ethnic background. Our orientation is the humanism and solidarity among all of Sandžak’s residents as inevitable way of survival while eagerly awaiting for the change of such discriminatory policies.

IX

A brutal campaign of the pro-regime political organizations and media in the region of Sandžak are aimed at causing fear among the citizens in order to increase the small number of the regime's supporters through intimidation.

X

We are seeking from the appropriate international institutions to urgently take measures to protect the citizens of Sandžak from discrimination.

XI

If the regime in Serbia does not change its behavior immediately, it is necessary to prepare the residents of Sandžak for acts of mass civil disobediences and protests.

XII

We are requesting from the Bosniac Academy of Arts and Sciences to begin with the development of a program for the national survival of the Bosniak people.