Global Recognition of Srebrenica Genocide Is a Civilizational Act: Cleric
In a sermon in the Gazi Husrev-bey mosque in Sarajevo dedicated to the memory of the genocide in Srebrenica on Saturday, Kavazović emphasized that the culture of memory must not be reduced to marking one day of the year, but must become an integral part of upbringing, education and social action.
Srebrenica genocide was the July 1995 genocidal killing of more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys in and around the town of Srebrenica during the Bosnian War. It was mainly perpetrated by units of the Bosnian Serb Army of Republika Srpska under Ratko Mladić, though the Serb paramilitary unit Scorpions also participated. In addition, 25,000 to 30,000 Bosniaks, mainly women and children, were abused and forcibly moved out of Srebrenica. The massacre constitutes the first legally recognised genocide in Europe since the end of second World War.
The Grand Mufti warned against increasingly pronounced attempts to deny genocide and relativize historical facts, stressing that the truth must be preserved without hatred, but also without naivety, through strengthening the community, institutions, education and responsibility towards future generations.
“Remembrance of Srebrenica and active action to prevent evil are the tower of our survival on our native breast,” Kavazović said.
“We are in the days that in our collective consciousness, but also in the history of the entire humanity, carry the heaviest burden of sadness, pain and longing. The middle of the month of July every year unfailingly returns us to Podrinje, to our Srebrenica. It returns us to the Šehitluk, the harem in Potočari, where the white nišans silently but powerfully bear witness to the planetary crime – the genocide committed against the Bosniak people of the United Nations protected zone,” Kavazović said.
In those white niches, he said, our love and our sorrow for our loved ones are written, “they bear witness and warn us of the cruelty of the enemy and the callousness of the world. Our sermon today is not just a reminder of dates, it is a call to permanent vigilance, to memory and remembrance, because memory and remembrance is worship, and forgetting is a danger that leads to the repetition of evil”. he said.
“The pain and sadness we carry within us will remain with us forever, because it has been said that the pain we have experienced can never be forgotten. But it is our obligation to overcome its force and not allow it to break us. Faith teaches us and awakens in us the strength to patiently endure every trial, even the most difficult. Thank God, we have not lost our spirit in all these years nor have we bowed our heads before evil. We have provided strong resistance that the whole world admires. We have learned how to bear the burden of the pain that has been imposed on us. We will patiently and tirelessly continue to fight against oblivion, but also against hatred, making sure that it never poisons our hearts and our souls,” he emphasized.
Kavazović reminded that Allah Almighty warns us in the Quran and commands us not to hide the truth and to remember injustice. The Lord says in Surah Al-Ma’ida: “O you who believe, fulfill your duties to Allah and bear true witness! And let not the hatred you bear for some people lead you to be unjust! Be just, that is the closest to righteousness.” (Al-Ma’ida, 8)
“From this verse we learn a key moral lesson: remembering and remembering the victims of genocide is an act of supreme justice and righteousness. It is the fulfillment of Allah’s explicit command to bear true witness. Because we do not remember Srebrenica to hate, but to ensure that truth triumphs over lies and that evil never happens again to anyone,” Kavazović said.
We, Bosnian Muslims, he added, have learned, like few others in the world, that on the paths of hatred only death, despair and illness of the soul grow. Only misfortune and crime can be based on the mythology of blood and soil. Those who forget that the Earth and everything on it belong to God and that all God’s creatures are equal in their dignity, are one step away from crime.
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“Srebrenica teaches us that evil never rests. We live in a time of increasing and institutional denial of the crime of genocide. The protagonists of evil make great efforts to minimize the crime they committed and to erase the border between the criminal and the victim. They hope that with their lies they can call historical facts into question. They consciously count on our fatigue, hoping that we will back down before their brazen lies,” he said.
That is why the culture of memory and remembrance, he added, must not be reduced to just one day of the year or to a mere manifestation of regret. It must become part of our everyday identity, our educational system and our family upbringing. It is our moral duty to convey the truth to our children, not to poison them with hatred, but to equip them with vigilance and awareness that evil does not stand still.
The Grand Mufti said the adoption of the Resolution on the Srebrenica Genocide at the global level represents an important act of civilization. That Resolution is a clear sign that the world, despite the delay, is putting up a legal and moral barrier to lies and denial. However, international resolutions are only a framework, and real prevention begins within our homes, our congregations and our institutions.
“Our daily education, vigilance and dedication to preserving the truth at the local, congregational level are key steps in preventing the past from repeating itself. If we indulge in negligence and the comfort of forgetting, we risk reliving the horrors experienced by our fathers, grandfathers and sons. Our history in these areas reminds us that each of our historical forgetfulness was a prelude and invitation for a new crime against us. Negligence and indifference are a luxury that we will never allow ourselves again. we can allow it. Remembrance of Srebrenica and active action to prevent evil are the pillars of our survival,” emphasized Grand Mufti.
The genocide committed in Srebrenica, he pointed out, obliges us to think carefully and responsibly about the future of our people and our Srebrenica.
“We believe that God’s promise is true, but we are also convinced that today it is all up to us. It is our duty to take care of Srebrenica, because it is the birthplace of our collective suffering. Nothing on this Bosnian land can compare to it. We build the prevention of genocide by strengthening our institutions, through excellence in education, science and the economy. Our strength and our willingness to defend ourselves and protect our right to life are the best guarantee of deterring any future evil. It is up to us to fight, to invest in knowledge and to enable a dignified and safe life for all people in and around Srebrenica. Those who take God as their protector and who are steadfast in their faith and effort will achieve what they want,” he said.
According to him, Islam is a religion of pride, dignity and steadfastness, a religion of truth and justice. Therefore, let not sadness drive us into despair, and pity into weakness. Allah tests us in both good and bad, in abundance and scarcity, and our steadfastness is measured by our unity.
“Let us act together, as one soul and one body. May Srebrenica be a lasting lesson to us that mercy is not shown to the weak, divided, and unprepared, and may it be an oath to us that by building our own strength and unity, we ensure that suffering never happens again. Raise your hands in the morning and evening, and pray to your Lord,” Kavazović concluded.
Source: Sarajevotimes
