Bosnian leader accuses Zeman of Islamophobia over IS claim

The Bosnian politician Bakir Izetbegovic has rejected a suggestion from Czech President Miloš Zeman that his country could become a base of Islamic State in Europe because of its ethnic composition, the Czech News Agency reported.

The Bosniak member of the tripartite presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr. Izetbegovic described Mr. Zeman’s statement as xenophobic, Islamophobic and baseless.

The Czech president said in an interview on Sunday that if Islamic State lost territory in Iraq and Syria they could create a European base in Bosnia, where he said IS flags fly in a number of towns and villages.