In a press release, Dodik condemned a physical assault on a group of Muslim believers in Zvornik yesterday and commended Kavazovic for his messages of peace, unity and co-existence, but reproached him from using the expression "Bosnian language", saying he was "misinforming the public."

"There is no Bosnian language," said the president of Republika Srpska.

During Thursday's khutbah, Kavazovic invited Bosnian Muslims to clearly state their ethnicity and the language they speak during a population census to be held in October. "Our national name is Bosniak and our language is Bosnian. With it, we pass on and build our culture and tradition."

He said Bosnia was a country of its peoples, each of which had its name, language, tradition and culture.

Dodik, however, said, "Bosniaks have the right to their language, but it can't be called Bosnian but Bosniak." "Reis Kavazovic should know that in Bosnia there live people who speak Serbian and Croatian and who are not willing to renounce the fact that language is part of their identity," he added.

At the upcoming population census, Bosnian citizens will be allowed to enter any definition of their nationality, faith and mother tongue. Bosniak cultural and religious organisations as well as political parties fear that many Bosniaks, notably elderly and poorly educated ones, could declare themselves as Muslims or Bosnians, which could diminish their statistical share in the country's population.