Srebrenica Genocide: A Lesson for All of Europe

This July marks the 28th anniversary of Europe’s biggest atrocity since World War II. Bosnian Serb soldiers slaughtered 7,000 to 8,000 Muslim men and boys in the Bosnian city of Srebrenica between July 11 and July 19, 1995. The Srebrenica massacre took place two years after the United Nations classified the city as a “safe haven” for people escaping violence between the Bosnian government and rebel Serb forces during Yugoslavia’s disintegration. The city was home to 20,000 refugees and 37,000 locals, who were guarded by less than 500 lightly armed Dutch forces. 

The international peacekeepers charged with protecting the people watched on haplessly as the Serb forces executed what came to be later identified as a meticulously planned act of genocide. Bosnian-Serbian army and police picked up men and boys ranging in age from 16 to 60, virtually all of whom were innocent civilians, and trucked them to death locations where they were shot and buried in mass graves. Serbian soldiers bused around 20,000 women and children to the safety of Muslim-held territories, but only after many of the women were raped.  The tragedy was so horrific that even the hesitant United States felt obliged to act directly in – and eventually end – the strife in Bosnia.Srebrenica is a cautionary story about the dangers of fanatical nationalism. With bigotry, nationalist parties, and ethnic warfare on the rise throughout the world, the lessons from Bosnia could not be more relevant. 

Christian Europe

It is once again the case that Muslims have been targeted by both extremist groups and mainstream politicians. For ages, Europeans have regarded Muslims with suspicion. However, after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, all Muslims have been branded with the same brush and have been living in more hostile cultures. Over the last two decades, reports have constantly cautioned against instilling anti-Muslim emotions and actions in Europe. Despite the overwhelming evidence, the situation has not improved. A study issued a few weeks ago by the European Commission’s experts on racism and intolerance verified this and cautioned against the continuance of anti-Muslim sentiment in the majority of Council of Europe member states.

One merely needs to read credible news sources to obtain proof of this. Muslim women are routinely harassed in several European nations for wearing face veils or headscarves; mosques are destroyed and graves are desecrated; and discriminatory policies make it difficult for Muslims to get a job, a home, or citizenship. Law enforcement agents continue to stop and search Muslims solely based on their appearance, which is unlawful. Because the majority of new immigrants come from Muslim-majority nations, they face the same hostility and suspicion that European Muslims have faced for decades.

Policy Makers

Muslims are not on their own. Hate crimes continue to mark the lives of Jews and Roma, who are also scapegoats for those who continue to divide humanity into “races,” “classes,” and “hierarchies.” This is exacerbated by the poisonous, nationalistic, reckless, and cynical speech espoused by many prominent European political figures. Where all of this can go is obvious to me and many of my countrymen, but the issue is whether political leaders and decision-makers in Europe and abroad are aware of it. I grew up in a nation that no longer exists as a result of individuals who stoked racial hatred and division.

I seen the cruelty and death caused by unbridled nationalism, as well as the divide it sows and the subtle ways it seduces with false promises. History should have taught us by now that such a condition only leads to disaster. However, it appears that we did not pay close enough attention. If we want to revers this terrible trend, we must learn the appropriate lessons from the tragedy in Srebrenica. It did not happen by chance, and it began long before the entire tragedy was revealed. 

It began when humans were picked out because of their ethnicity. It manifested itself in public discourse that dehumanized others and marginalized critical voices. It culminated in purposeful activities meant to ruin a group of individuals – all before the unseeing eyes of those who were unconcerned about the situation. It culminated in purposeful acts meant to ruin a group of individuals – all before the unseeing eyes of those who were unconcerned.