About Author

Born: 8 August, 1925; Bos Samac, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Died: 19 October, 2003; Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Education: BS in Law, University of Sarajevo, 1956

Occupation: Lawyer, Politician

Family: Wife, Halida Repovac; 3 children

Religion: Islam

Activist Career: Imprisoned for campaigning against oppressive Communist rule of Yugoslavia, 1983-1988

Political Career: A Muslim lawyer, moderate, lifelong anti-communist, he has spent most of his time in office trying to save the lives of his fellow Muslims; Helped found the Party of Democratic Action, 1990; Assumed presidency 1990; Elected chairman of Bosnia's three-person national presidency, 1996; Renounced presidency 2000

Office: Party of Democratic Action, Marsala Tita 7a, Sarajevo 71000, Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Yugoslavia began its split in May 1991, when Croatia and Slovenia declared their independence from the Serbian-dominated central government in Belgrade.

Izetbegovic held a referendum on independence for Bosnia-Herzegovina. Bosnian Serbs boycotted the referendum, but those who voted opted for Bosnian independence. On March 3, 1992, Izetbegovic proclaimed Bosnia-Herzegovina an independent republic.

During the onslaught against the Muslims, the worst acts of barbarism witnessed in Europe since the 1940s, Izetbegovic stayed with his people and rallied them from his sand bagged office and apartment.

He sought a honourable peace for his country in the face of ruthless demands from Serb and Croat political leaders, and signed the Dayton Peace Accord in November 1995. He was re-elected president of a three-member collective presidency September 1996.

In June 2000, he announced his decision to step down as President of Bosnia. One of the reasons he gave for leaving office was the international community's determination to dilute the Islamic essence of Bosnia and, by doing so, reward the Serbs' policy of ethnic cleansing: "The international community is pushing things forward in Bosnia... but it is doing it at the expense of the Muslim people. I feel it is an injustice," he said. "These are things that I cannot live with."

As well as being a politician, Izetbegovic was a respected scholar and writer. His books include Islamic Declaration, Problems of Islamic Renaissance and My Escape to Freedom. He was best known for Islam Between East and West. This insight into the human condition analyzes the West's denial of Islam and the contributions made by Muslims in comparing the offerings of secular and Islamic civilization. It shows where the two meet and part, investigating along the way art, morality, culture and law. The book was originally published in 1984 when Izetbegovic was a political prisoner in Communist Yugoslavia. Although banned in France, it was a bestseller throughout the rest of Europe in the 1980s. It is now sadly out of print. Izetbegovic's recently-published memoirs inescapable Questions:

Izetbegović wrote what is generally regarded as his major work, Islam Between East and West, in 1980. He declared that this was not a "book of theology" but a serious attempt to define the "place of Islam in the general spectrum of ideas." Like The Islamic Declaration, it focused on the importance of Islam and the need to serve God.

In March 1983, Alija was arrested together with 12 other Muslim intellectuals and sentenced semi-secret trial by the court in Sarajevo to 14 years imprisonment. This sentence was reduced to 12 years in 1984.

Mr. Izethbegovic predicted the fall of communism well before the current tide of change in Eastern Europe. His assessment of the situation there was based on his thesis that life, like Islam, is bipolar, and any effort to undo its bipolarity will therefore lead to an unstable state of existence. What is the irony in his case the man who strove for this change and predicted it remains incarcerated while his countrymen celebrate life in freedom.