The illustrated book Walking in the Streets of Sarajevo: Bosnia and Herzegovina Through the Eyes of the Martyred Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei was unveiled and introduced at a ceremony in Sarajevo on Saturday, attended by figures from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey, and Britain.

Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, Secretary of the Guardian Council and the representative of the Martyred Leader of the Revolution in affairs related to Bosnia and Herzegovina, stressed in a message on the occasion of the book’s publication that the Martyred Leader always felt a sense of responsibility toward the fate of Muslims and the oppressed around the world, and regarded support for the people of Bosnia as a duty toward the Islamic Ummah.

In another part of the message, emphasizing the necessity of Muslim unity in the face of threats and aggression, he stated, “All Muslims, and indeed all free people of the world, must respond to all these crimes with unity and solidarity more powerfully than before.”

Speakers at the event also recalled memories of the Bosnian war, the role of Ayatollah Khamenei in supporting the Muslims of the country, and the need to preserve the historical memory of Iran–Bosnia relations, sharing their own recollections and experiences of popular and international support for the country’s Muslims.

Nureddin Shirin, director of Turkey’s Quds TV network, referring to his meetings with Ayatollah Khamenei in 1986 and 1992, said that during a trip to Iran in 1992 amid the Bosnian war, Ayatollah Khamenei called on Muslims around the world to rush to the aid of the Bosnian people using all political, economic, military, and social means.

He added that following this call, groups of Turkish volunteers went to Bosnia to defend the country’s Muslims, a number of whom were martyred or wounded during the war.

Arzu Merali, a writer and journalist based in Britain, said at the book’s introduction ceremony that the events of the Bosnian war left a deep and lasting impact on the lives and intellectual paths of many young Muslims in Britain.

Referring to her studies of Ayatollah Khamenei’s thoughts and speeches, she stated that an examination of his positions on Bosnia shows that support for the people of that country reflected two important features of his character: a deep attention to the culture and civilization of nations, and a sense of responsibility toward oppressed peoples.

Merali, noting Ayatollah Khamenei’s familiarity with Persian literature and the works of prominent world writers, including Victor Hugo and Tolstoy, added that in his view, diverse cultures share common human bonds, and support for the oppressed should not be confined to national or religious borders.

The writer and journalist emphasized that Ayatollah Khamenei’s support for the Bosnian people was not limited to political positions and speeches, but was accompanied by practical measures and the provision of the facilities they needed.

She also described the experience of the Bosnian war as a prelude to the formation of the current later known as the “Axis of Resistance.”

Masoud Shajareh, director of the Islamic Human Rights Commission in London, recalling the activities of British Muslims during the Bosnian war, said that Ayatollah Khamenei’s call to support the people of Bosnia was one of the important factors in mobilizing Muslims and volunteers from various countries to aid the people of that country.

Referring to his own membership in the Muslim Parliament of Britain at the time, he stated that at a time when international institutions were taking no effective action to prevent the massacre of the Bosnian people, groups of British Muslims were active in collecting aid and transferring equipment to the country.

The director of the Islamic Human Rights Commission in London, comparing the Bosnian war experience with current developments in Palestine and the region, stressed the necessity of solidarity and practical action in support of oppressed peoples, saying that the Bosnia experience showed that confronting oppression requires a sense of responsibility, unity, and readiness for sacrifice.

Demir Mahmudčehajić, a Bosnian political and social activist, also speaking at the ceremony about the importance of publishing Walking in the Streets of Sarajevo, said that this work is not only important for Iranians, but first and foremost for the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina, so that they may know what Ayatollah Khamenei said about them and their struggles.

Recalling his memories from the Bosnian war period, he added, “If Iran had not been there, we would not exist today either.”

Mahmudčehajić, noting that part of the memory of Iran’s support has been forgotten in Bosnian society, stated that one reason for this is that the assistance of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Bosnian people was provided without conditions or expectations.

He added that Ayatollah Khamenei regarded support for the Bosnian people not as voluntary aid, but as a religious and human duty, and on this basis the Islamic Republic of Iran also viewed support for the people of that country as the fulfillment of a responsibility.

Dr. Mohammad Akhgari, International Deputy of the Office for the Preservation and Publication of the Works of Grand Ayatollah Khamenei, in a video message to the event, described the book Walking in the Streets of Sarajevo as a narrative of the connection between art, human conscience, and Islamic responsibility, saying that by revisiting the words of the Martyred Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the work recounts part of the realities of the Bosnian war and the support of the Iranian nation for the people of that country.

Referring to Ayatollah Khamenei’s positions during the Bosnian war, he emphasized that this support was formed on the basis of a sense of Islamic responsibility, a support which, in his words, “linked the streets of Tehran to the heart of the streets of Sarajevo.”

Akhgari also regarded the book as a document of the silence of international assemblies and organizations claiming to defend human rights in the face of the genocide of Bosnian Muslims, and expressed gratitude to the organizers of the ceremony and those involved in the book’s publication.

The book Walking in the Streets of Sarajevo: Bosnia and Herzegovina Through the Eyes of the Martyred Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei comprises a collection of his statements and views on Bosnia and Herzegovina, the country’s war, and support for its people, and has been published with the aim of revisiting these positions and conveying them to new generations.

The book, which includes photographs of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s aid to Bosnia and Herzegovina during the war, has been published in the Bosnian language by Algorithm Publications.

In the introduction to Walking in the Streets of Sarajevo, it is stated: “For the sake of the future, it is important that we do not forget the past. This book preserves the lessons, guidance, and recommendations for us in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This book must be read, studied, and heard.”

The chapter titles of the book are: “Signs, Remembrances, and Islamic Sentiments in Bosnia,” “The Crusader Motives of the West Under the Guise of Democracy,” “Being Muslim: The Crime of the Bosnian People,” “The Bright Future of the Muslim Nation of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” and “Efforts to Preserve Islamic Identity in Europe.”