Alija Izetbegovic, the first president of the Bosnia-Herzegovina, was a Bosnian activist who ruled the nation during one of the bloodiest phases of its history. Born into an aristocratic but impoverished family, he moved to Sarajevo, which later became the center of his political activities. After being part of many political organizations, his political growth was on the rise after he formed the ‘Party of Democratic Action’ and was elected as the President of the country. However, what followed was intense political turmoil which included the fallout of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Despite numerous peace efforts, he could not stop a bloody war which extended for four years between the various ethnic groups. This mild-mannered Muslim leader spent half of his presidency in fighting for the survival of his own country. Later, backstabbed by the other Muslim leaders and facing contempt of the western leaders, he was also partly blamed for the civil war which rocked the Balkans. However, the thousands of mourners who attended his funeral and the letters of condolences, which flooded Bosnia from the leaders of almost 80 countries after his death, bears testimony to the fact that he was one of the most loved and respected European Muslim leaders in the world.