NEW YORK, NY (July 10, 2020) – The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) remembers and commemorates the 25-year anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide1 that occurred in Bosnia and Herzegovina during July 11-22, 1995.
As the Bosnian war was concluding, the Serbian forces overran the UN Safe zones of Srebrenica and Zepa and systematically murdered2 more than 80003 men and boys including babies and the elderly. It was the biggest killing in Europe since the Holocaust.
ICNA reminds the world of what happened in Srebrenica, and how our United States government stepped in and stopped the war in Bosnia, after the European countries4 and the United Nations5 failed or were unwilling to do so.
ICNA was the initiator of advocacy for Bosnia and instrumental in forming the Bosnia Task Force which contributed to a major policy shift of the US Government that was directly responsible for stopping the bloodshed and preventing further human suffering. Bosnia Task Force organized rallies in New York in front of UN, and in Washington, D.C. It also organized a visit to UN Security Council members by a delegation of Muslim Leadership that included boxing champion Muhammad Ali. ICNA urges the American Muslim community to learn from the ground-breaking accomplishments of Bosnia Task Force and use it as a template for other ongoing international conflicts.
Today we are also aware6 of the efforts by the Serbian government and others, to deny7 the Srebrenica Genocide as a one-time act of violence or massacre, rather than the intentional systematic murder of Bosnian Muslims.
We invite all people of conscience to remember8 the Srebrenica Genocide with their families and also to visit its memorial in Potočari in Bosnia and Herzegovina whenever possible. The Bosnian genocide and the mass murder of Muslims there is a piece of our history, that we should never allow to be forgotten, and we pray that it never happens again anywhere, be it Kashmir, India, Palestine, China or Burma.
Remembering Bosnia: 25 Years After a webinar by ICNA featuring the survivors of the Srebrenica Genocide:
Listen to first hand accounts of the biggest crime in Europe since the Holocaust of WWII. Also learn about the U.S. Muslim advocacy efforts through Bosnia Task Force.
Book by Kadir Habibović, Survivor & witness
Kadir Habibović, Survivor & witness
Ferida Delić, Survivor
Dr. Zahid Bukhari, Executive Director, ICNA CSJ
References:
1. UN: Srebrenica massacre was genocide, UN tribunal for former Yugoslavia confirms
2. HRW: The Fall of Srebrenica and the Failure of UN Peacekeeping
3. Radio Free Europe: Faces of Srebrenica
4. Washington Report: Why Europe Failed to Halt The Genocide in Bosnia
5. NY Times: U.N. Details Its Failure to Stop ’95 Bosnia Massacre
6. Washington Post: I can never forget the Bosnian genocide. But others are trying to rewrite history.
7. The Atlantic: Denying Genocide in the Face of Science
8. Movie: Cry from the Grave
The Islamic Circle of North America is a leading American Muslim organization dedicated to the betterment of society through the application of Islamic values. Since 1968, ICNA has worked to build relations between communities by devoting itself to education, outreach, social services and relief efforts.
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Islamic Circle of North America
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Office: (718) 658-1199