Hungary’s PM denounced in Bosnia for anti-Muslim rhetoric

By AMER COHADZIC
Associated Press

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Bosnian officials and religious leaders have denounced suggestions voiced by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his spokesman that the integration of Bosnia into the European Union will be challenging because of its large Muslim population. Orban spokesman Zoltan Kovacs has tweeted that the challenge with Bosnia is how to integrate a country with 2 million Muslims. Right-wing populist Orban said Tuesday that Hungary supports Bosnia’s EU bid. But he said that the security of a state in which 2 million Muslims live is a key issue for the bloc. Reaction in Bosnia was sharp, with some Bosniak parties asking for a ban on Orban’s planned official visit to Sarajevo and the head of the Islamic community calling his statement xenophobic and racist.