Zagreb, March 6, 1997 (IKA) – “We are shocked by the vandalistic attack on the Church of St. Joseph in Sarajevo and express our bitter disapproval of the increasingly frequent attacks on places of worship in Bosnia-Herzegovina,” reads a statement from the March 5 session of the Conference of the Islamic Community in Croatia held in Zagreb. This statement was signed by the president of the Conference, Mufti Ševko ef.Omerbašić. “The Islamic faith, the faith of the majority of the Bosnian nation, is most sharply opposed to any violence whatsoever inflicted against individuals, cultural values, and especially against the holy shrines of any religion. This despicable act is the work of those who do not respect religious convictions and the centuries of tolerance and coexistence in these lands, values that are about to receive confirmation by Pope John Paul II#!s visit to Sarajevo. We sincerely hope that these and similar criminal acts will not prevent this historical event for Bosnia-Herzegovina from taking place. We demand that the government agencies of Bosnia Herzegovina take all measures to prevent similar crimes, make every effort to apprehend the perpetrators and punish the map propriately,” reads the statement from the Conference of the Islamic Community in Croatia.