Quotations in context
Sir: Your correspondent Mr Nikolic offers two isolated quotations from the writings of President Izetbegovic which, he would like readers to believe, express sinister plans for Bosnia (Letters, 28 August). These two sentences are passed from hand to hand by Serbian propagandists like holy relics; what the propagandists never mention is the con- text of the argument in which they occur. They come from sections of Izetbegovic's book which discuss the setting up of an Islamic state. This, he argues, can be done only where there is already an Islamic soci- ety — that is, where a majority of the popu- lation are practising Muslims. Bosnia, which does not even have a majority of nominal Muslims, is thus excluded from the argument here. To present these sentences as if they applied to Bosnia is either igno- rant or deceptive.
Noel Malcolm
1 Canada Square, London E14
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