Ismet Popovac (; died 21 August 1943) was a
Bosnian Muslim
The Bosniaks ( bs, Bošnjaci, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia, which is today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who share a common Bosnian ancestry, cu ...
lawyer and physician who led a Muslim
Chetnik militia known as the Muslim People's Military Organization (MNVO) in
Bosnia and
Herzegovina during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. He was active in pre-war Yugoslav politics, becoming a member of the
Serbian Muslim cultural organization ''
Gajret
Gajret was a cultural society established in 1903 that promoted Serb identity among the Slavic Muslims of Austria-Hungary (today's Bosnia and Herzegovina). After 1929, it was known as the Serb Muslim Cultural Society. The organization was pro-Ser ...
'' and serving as the mayor of
Konjic
Konjic ( sr-Cyrl, Коњиц) is a city and municipality located in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in northern Herzegovina, around southwest of Saraje ...
, a town in northern Herzegovina. He is also said to have been candidate for
Vladko Maček's electoral list, but was left without a job in the Yugoslav state government after the creation of the
Banovina of Croatia in August 1939.
Following the
Axis
An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to:
Mathematics
* Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis
* Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinat ...
invasion of Yugoslavia in April 1941, Popovac joined the Chetnik movement of
Draža Mihailović. Popovac was a proponent of Bosnian Muslim cooperation with the Chetniks and suggested that they recruit Muslims into their ranks. In October 1942, he enlisted
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
aid in fighting the
communist Partisans, and later visited
Prozor to discourage further bloodshed after a Chetnik massacre that took the lives of as many as 2,500 Muslim and Croat civilians. In early 1943, he led an attack against a Muslim village. Later that year, he was killed in disputed circumstances near the town of
Trebinje
Trebinje ( sr-Cyrl, Требиње, ) is a city and municipality located in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the southernmost city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is situated on the banks of Trebišnjica river in the r ...
.
Early life
Ismet Popovac was a physician and lawyer by profession. He was a Bosnian Muslim and hailed from the town of
Nevesinje
Nevesinje ( sr-cyrl, Невесиње) is a town and municipality located in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, the town has a population of 5,162 inhabitants, while the municipality has 12,961 inhabitants.
Geograp ...
. Popovac finished medical school in
Belgrade and was a vocal South Slav nationalist throughout the
interwar period. Prior to the outbreak of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, he was the mayor of
Konjic
Konjic ( sr-Cyrl, Коњиц) is a city and municipality located in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in northern Herzegovina, around southwest of Saraje ...
, a town in northern Herzegovina. He was also a member of the pro-
Serb
The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language.
The majority of Serbs live in their na ...
and pro-
Karađorđević Muslim cultural society known as ''
Gajret
Gajret was a cultural society established in 1903 that promoted Serb identity among the Slavic Muslims of Austria-Hungary (today's Bosnia and Herzegovina). After 1929, it was known as the Serb Muslim Cultural Society. The organization was pro-Ser ...
'', whose members experienced persecution at the hands of non-Serbs in interwar
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
due to their political inclinations. Popovac is also said to have been a candidate for
Vladko Maček's electoral list, but was left without a job in the state government following the creation of the
Banovina of Croatia in August 1939.
World War II
The
Axis
An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to:
Mathematics
* Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis
* Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinat ...
invasion of Yugoslavia was ordered by
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
in late March 1941, in response to a
palace coup
A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...
that deposed the country's
regent
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
,
Prince Paul, and placed his teenaged nephew
Peter
Peter may refer to:
People
* List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Peter (given name)
** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church
* Peter (surname), a sur ...
on the throne. The invasion commenced on 6 April 1941. Yugoslavia was overwhelmed by the combined strength of the Axis powers and surrendered in less than two weeks. The government and royal family went into exile, and the country was occupied and dismembered by its neighbours. The
Croatian nationalist and fascist
Ante Pavelić
Ante Pavelić (; 14 July 1889 – 28 December 1959) was a Croatian politician who founded and headed the fascist ultranationalist organization known as the Ustaše in 1929 and served as dictator of the Independent State of Croatia ( hr, l ...
, who had been in exile in
Benito Mussolini's
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, was appointed ''
Poglavnik
() was the title used by Ante Pavelić, leader of the World War II Croatian movement Ustaše and of the Independent State of Croatia between 1941 and 1945.
Etymology and usage
The word was first recorded in a 16th-century dictionary compiled ...
'' (leader) of an
Ustaše
The Ustaše (), also known by anglicised versions Ustasha or Ustashe, was a Croatian fascist and ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaša – Croatian Revolutionary Move ...
-led Croatian state, the
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia ( sh, Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH; german: Unabhängiger Staat Kroatien; it, Stato indipendente di Croazia) was a World War II-era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. It was established in p ...
( sh, Nezavisna Država Hrvatska; NDH). The NDH combined almost all of modern-day
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
, all of modern-day
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...
and parts of modern-day
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...
into an "Italian-German quasi-protectorate." With weeks of its establishment, the NDH authorities initiated a campaign of
genocide
Genocide is the intentional destruction of a people—usually defined as an ethnic, national, racial, or religious group—in whole or in part. Raphael Lemkin coined the term in 1944, combining the Greek word (, "race, people") with the Lat ...
against the Serbs,
Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
and
Roma living within its borders.
Two resistance movements emerged following the invasion: the
communist-led, multi-ethnic
Partisans, and the royalist, Serbian nationalist
Chetniks, although during 1941, within the occupied territory, even the Partisans consisted almost entirely of Serbs. The Partisans were led by the
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia Josip Broz Tito, while the Chetniks were led by
Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
Draža Mihailović, an officer in the interwar
Royal Yugoslav Army
The Yugoslav Army ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Jugoslovenska vojska, JV, Југословенска војска, ЈВ), commonly the Royal Yugoslav Army, was the land warfare military service branch of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (originally Kingdom of Serbs, ...
. The two movements had widely diverging goals. Whereas the Partisans sought to turn Yugoslavia into a communist state under Tito's leadership, the Chetniks sought a return to the pre-war ''
status quo'', whereby the Yugoslav monarchy—and, by extension, Serb political hegemony—would be restored.
Joining the Chetniks
Following the invasion, Popovac joined a Serb rebel band, subsequently swearing allegiance to the Chetniks. According to the historian
H. James Burgwyn, Popovac hoped to achieve independence for Bosnia and Herzegovina through his cooperation with the Chetniks. He quickly became one of the most prominent pro-Chetnik Muslims, alongside Mustafa Pašić and former
Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...
police chief Fuad Musakadić. Such affiliation was rare, as the Chetniks increasingly considered Muslims their enemies and began committing
atrocities against Muslim civilians in the late spring of 1941. Due to these actions, and due to Muslims, especially those in eastern Bosnia, being branded by the Chetniks as "Turks" and "
Ustaše
The Ustaše (), also known by anglicised versions Ustasha or Ustashe, was a Croatian fascist and ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaša – Croatian Revolutionary Move ...
cronies," the Chetniks found few Muslim recruits.
On 21 July 1942, Popovac wrote a letter to Mihailović, extolling the merits of recruiting Muslims into the Chetniks' ranks. "Muslims have never as a whole, or via any kind of qualified forum, recognized the Croatian state," Popovac wrote. He proposed that Muslim troops "be gathered in either a joint or a specific Chetnik detachment". Popovac suggested that Mihailović should "adopt a prominent Muslim, who has a good voice and political roots among the people, and give him an appropriate rank as Muslim representative and advisor on all questions that relate to the areas in which Muslims live." This proposal was met with support from pro-Serb, anti-communist Muslim leaders in several towns.
Muslim People's Military Organization
![Panorama Prozora](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Panorama_Prozora.JPG)
In late September or early October 1942, Popovac met with Chetnik leaders
Dobroslav Jevđević
Dobroslav Jevđević ( sr-Cyrl, Доброслав Јевђевић, ; 28 December 1895 – October 1962) was a Bosnian Serb politician and self-appointed Chetnik commander (, војвода) in the Herzegovina region of the Axis-occupied Ki ...
and
Petar Baćović
Petar Baćović ( sh-Cyrl, Петар Баћовић; 1898 – April 1945) was a Bosnian Serb Chetnik commander ( sh-Latn, vojvoda, sh-Cyrl, војвода) within occupied Yugoslavia during World War II. From the summer of 1941 until April ...
. The three agreed to form a Muslim Chetnik militia. In October, Popovac enlisted Italian aid in fighting the Partisans. Popovac's Muslim Chetniks were soon "legalized" by the Italians and listed as part of their
Anti-Communist Volunteer Militia
The Anti-Communist Volunteer Militia ( it, Milizia Volontaria Anti Comunista, MVAC; sl, prostovoljna protikomunistična milica, also or , pejorative, meaning 'white guard'; sh, script=cyrl, italic=no, Добровољачка антикомун ...
( it, Milizia Volontaria Anti Comunista; MVAC). Popovac and Pašić became the political leaders of the Muslim Chetniks, whose militia was formally called the Muslim People's Military Organization ( sh, Muslimanska nacionalna vojna organizacija; MNVO). Musakadić was appointed the military leader of all the Muslim Chetniks. Another Muslim, Mustafa Mulalić, became the vice-chairman of the Chetnik's Central National Committee. The creation of the MNVO complied with the Chetniks' strategy of turning the Croats and Muslims of eastern Herzegovina against one another. According to
Marko Attila Hoare
Marko Attila Hoare (born 1972) is a British historian of the former Yugoslavia who also writes about current affairs, especially Southeast Europe, including Turkey and the Caucasus.
Biography
Hoare is the son of the British translator Quintin ...
, a historian specializing in the
Balkans
The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
, the MNVO was part of a greater Muslim autonomist movement. In September 1942, an assembly of Herzegovinian Muslim notables in Mostar declared: "We Herzegovinians and Bosnians are nobody's property and we recognize the right of nobody to persecute us. So, insofar as our brothers in
Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...
do not wish to accede to our demands, we shall seek protection of our interests from other big powers from the ranks of our allies."
Vladimir Zečević, one of Mihailović's main agents in Herzegovina, believed that Popovac's "main goal was to protect the Muslims, rather than to struggle for the Serb nation and Serb affairs." Popovac's close connections with the Muslim Chetnik leader Suljaga Salihagić, one of the authors of the Muslim Memorandum to
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
in December 1942, appear to support this assertion.
In October 1942, Popovac issued an appeal to Muslim Partisans, urging them to join the Chetniks and turn against the Ustaše. In a report to Mihailović dated 3 November, Popovac wrote:
I have to emphasize to you the intimate cooperation between the Muslims and Orthodox in the Stolac district from where, through the joint struggle of the Muslims and Orthodox, the Croat inhabitants, who were largely Ustaša-inclined, have been expelled. In that way, from Gabela to Mostar the entire left bank of the Neretva has been cleansed, and the number of refugees has been estimated at 12,000 people.
It was reported that Popovac had "won the majority of the Muslims to his purpose" in the
Mostar
, settlement_type = City
, image_skyline = Mostar (collage image).jpg
, image_caption = From top, left to right: A panoramic view of the heritage town site and the Neretva river from Lučki Bridge, Koski Mehmed Pasha ...
, Konjic, Nevesinje and
Gacko
Gacko ( sr-cyrl, Гацко) is a town and municipality located in Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in the region of East Herzegovina. As of 2013, the town has a population of 5,784 inhabitants, while the m ...
districts. Eventually, he came to be seen as one of "the principal representatives of the pro-Chetnik Muslim current" in Bosnia.
In October 1942, during
Operation Alfa
Operation Alfa ( it, Operazione Alfa; sh, Operacija Alfa, Операција Алфа) was an offensive carried out in early October 1942 by Italian, Croatian and Chetnik forces against the communist-led Partisans in the Prozor region (t ...
, a joint Chetnik–Italian attack against the Partisans, the Chetniks killed between 543 and 2,500 Bosnian Muslim and Croat civilians in
Prozor. Several days later, Popovac arrived in the town to console the Muslim population and advise the Chetniks there against committing further atrocities. He also attempted to recruit new Chetnik fighters from among the local Muslim population, but was unsuccessful due to the extent of Chetnik atrocities against them. On 31 December, in the face of widespread Muslim opposition, Popovac and his MNVO drafted a resolution vowing allegiance to Yugoslavia's exiled
King Peter and to Mihailović, claiming Bosnian Muslims as "an integral part of
Serbdom
Serbian nationalism asserts that Serbs are a nation and promotes the cultural and political unity of Serbs. It is an ethnic nationalism, originally arising in the context of the general rise of nationalism in the Balkans under Ottoman rule, und ...
" and the MNVO as "part of the Chetnik movement led by Draža Mihailović, Minister of the Army, Navy and Air Forces."
In January 1943, Popovac led the MNVO in an attack which resulted in the capture of a communist village predominantly inhabited by Muslims. That same month, the Chetniks carried out a number of massacre against the Muslims, especially in Eastern Bosnia, in the areas of
Koraj,
Bijeljina
Bijeljina ( sr-cyrl, Бијељина) is a city and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the provincial center of Semberija, a geographic region in the country's northeast. Administratively, Bijeljina is part of the Republika Srpska ...
,
Srebrenica
Srebrenica ( sr-cyrl, Сребреница, ) is a town and municipality located in the easternmost part of Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a small mountain town, with its main industry being salt mining and a nearby ...
,
Višegrad
Višegrad ( sr-cyrl, Вишеград, ) is a town and municipality located in eastern Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It rests at the confluence of the Drina and the Rzav river. As of 2013, it has a population of 10,668 ...
,
Foča
Foča ( sr-Cyrl, Фоча, ) is a town and a municipality located in Republika Srpska in south-eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the banks of Drina river. As of 2013, the town has a population of 12,234 inhabitants, while the municipality has 1 ...
,
Goražde, and
Vlasenica
Vlasenica ( sr-cyrl, Власеница) is a town and municipality located in Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population 11,467 inhabitants, while the town of Vlasenica has a population of 7,228 inhabi ...
. Between January and March 1943, Popovac's Chetniks fought the Partisans as part of the Axis-led military operation known as
Case White, but did not distinguish themselves. During the operation itself, the Chetniks committed further atrocities against the Muslims. Nonetheless, Popovac and Pašić continued seeking Muslim recruits. They declared in their "Address to the Brethren Muslims of Čajniče and Other Nearby Districts" that the main goal of the Chetniks was "the intelligent and honest protection of Muslim interests". The Chetniks, they claimed, would "secure a safe future for our people with the highest principles of
Islam: freedom of religion, holiness of the family, respect for private property, social justice, and democratic political freedom." They denied that Muslims were collectively responsible for Ustaše crimes, writing: "Muslims are bound to the brethren of the
Orthodox
Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to:
Religion
* Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...
religion by blood and land."
Demise
Popovac was killed on 21 August 1943. The exact circumstances of his death are disputed. Hoare states that Popovac was killed by members of the Partisan 10th Herzegovinan Brigade. The historian and economist
Jozo Tomasevich
Josip "Jozo" Tomasevich (March 16, 1908 – October 15, 1994; hr, Josip Jozo Tomašević) was an American economist and military historian. He was professor emeritus at San Francisco State University.
Education and career
Tomašević was born ...
writes that Popovac was killed by an assassin. The historians Zdravko Dizdar and Mihael Sobolevski claim that he was killed by the Chetniks in the vicinity of
Trebinje
Trebinje ( sr-Cyrl, Требиње, ) is a city and municipality located in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the southernmost city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is situated on the banks of Trebišnjica river in the r ...
after objecting to the killing of Muslims.
By December 1943, it is estimated that 4,000 of Mihailović's Chetniks were Muslims, accounting for eight percent of all Chetniks in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 1944, Mihailović appealed to Muslims to fight against the communists, citing the example of Popovac and other Muslim Chetniks.
Notes
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Popovac, Ismet
Year of birth missing
1943 deaths
Bosnia and Herzegovina Muslims
Bosnia and Herzegovina politicians
Bosnia and Herzegovina soldiers
Chetnik personnel of World War II
Italy–Yugoslavia relations
People from Nevesinje
Yugoslav anti-communists