Bosnia, Jul 12: Bosnians commemorated on Saturday the massacre of about 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica, marking the 25th anniversary of killings that shocked the world and have stood out as Europe's only atrocity since World War Two constituting genocide.
Nine newly identified victims were buried at a flower-shaped cemetery near the town, where tall white tombstones mark the graves of 6,643 other victims.
"After 25 years we succeeded in finding his mortal remains, so they can be laid to their final rest," said Fikret Pezic, who buried his father Hasan.
The remains of some 1,000 victims of the massacre in the eastern town during Bosnia's 1992-1995 war are still missing.
Ifeta Hasanovic decided to bury incomplete remains of her husband, saying: "We were aware they cannot be complete after 25 years, at least there are some, I did not want to make any new delays."
World leaders addressed the ceremony by video link, unable to attend because of coronavirus epidemic. Instead of the tens of thousands visitors who typically attend the commemoration each year, only a few thousand came after organisers banned organised visits.
During the Bosnian war, Bosnian Serb forces pushed non-Serbs out of territories they sought for their Serb statelet. Fleeing Muslims took shelter in several eastern towns, including Srebrenica, that were designated as United Nations "safe zones".
On July 11, 1995, the Serb forces commanded by General Ratko Mladic overran Srebrenica, which was protected by lightly armed Dutch peacekeepers.
They sent women and children away and captured and executed the men and boys they found. The bodies were dumped into mass graves and later exhumed by U.N. investigators and used as evidence in war crimes trials of Bosnian Serb leaders.
"We grieve with the families that tirelessly seek justice for the 8,000 innocent lives lost, all these years later," said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Washington brokered Bosnia's peace deal months after the massacre.
Most people at the commemoration were Muslim Bosniaks, reflecting conflicting narratives about the bloodshed - which hinders reconciliation nearly 25 years after the end of war in which about 100,000 people were killed.
The U.N. war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia convicted Mladic and his political chief Radovan Karadzic over Srebrenica genocide but they remained heroes for Serbs, many of whom deny that genocide happened.
On Saturday, the Serbs in the nearby town of Bratunac organised an event marking July 11 as the "Srebrenica Liberation Day".
Sefik Dzaferovic, the Bosniak chairman of Bosnia's tripartite presidency, called for legislation that would ban denial of genocide.
"There can be no trust as long as we witness attacks on the truth, denial of genocide and glorification and celebration of executors," Dzaferovic told the commemoration gathering.
Comments
All these because of lacking of knowledge of fundamentals of Islam.
Islam is perfectly taught with boundaries for what to be done and what not to be done.
What to be done are : Farz, or obligatory deeds
What may be done : N compulsion, but doing can lead for extra reward
Not to be done Prohibitions : These should not be done. Like Associating someone with the True God who created us who only deserves to be worshipped. This is a biggest crime in Islamic point of view. Other prohibitions are eating pork, liquors, adultery, gambling,
Now the things what happening mostly in Dargah are worshipping the graves, which is the biggest crime. This is forbidden to both men and women. People can visit the dargah and pray for the dead people in that grave. But begging the dead there is prohibited.
Really those dead bodies can not help us, in contrary those bodies need prayers, wishes of living people.
We can visit the dargah in the intention to pray for the dead in the grave and to say Salam. Doing like this properly is not sin.
Wrongly Visiting Dargah can mislead to sin,
And not visiting Dargah does not amount to sin.
Therefore people lack basic teaching of Islam.
A MUSLIMAH ( True Muslim Women) will never ask with any other creation EXCEPT ALLAH... Those who depend on other than ALLAH will get what they want but in the end they will fall for the trap of deceivers who are attracting the people who are WEAK in IMAN to their way of worshiping the graves or asking with the graves.
THOSE who have faith in ALLAH will never ask or depend on, other than ALLAH. They are Satisfied with what ALLAH gave and Say ALHAMDULLILLAH in whatever situation comes their way... Congrats to such MUSLIMS and MUSlIMAH who trust ALLAH and follow the teaching of Prophet Muhammad pbuh... who never showed us Such CULTURE of DARGAH ViSIT..
Prophet MUHAMMED pbuh said... Visit GRAVES to Pray for the one who is in the GRAVE & REMEMBER that one day our fate will be same. So dont live in this life in ARROGANT or do injustice to Others.
Dear Sahil, if they knows the meaning of Namaz or Salah they never visit Dargah. Here may be RSS behind such kind of demands.
These so called muslim women don't know Islam. so they are asking entry to Dargah/Grave yard. Who stop them to go there go and enjoy.CD Editor please remove Muslim woman tag because muslim women never ask such kind of demands.Better tag Ahle biddah women ask entry to darga.
They dont bother about namaz..but worried about entry to do shirq
Haha..funny..they dont bother about performing namaz..
But worried about entry to dargah to do shirq..
Dear CD team. Please be careful when you posting one sided opinion about practice of Islam. You have reader from all sections.
REALLY SURPRISED TO SEEE THESE MUSLIM LADIES IN ROAD PROTESTING FOR ENTERING THE DARGAH ,
FIRST THEY HAVE TO OFFER NAMAZ PERFECTLY I DONT KNOW WHAT THEY WILL GET IN DARGAH ....
THEY JUST VISIT TO ASK TO THEM.. THATS NOT GOOD WE HAVE TO ASK WITH ALLAH HE IS OUR ALL MIGHTY ..
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