text:
Active Inclusion and Empowerment of Roma Women in Bosnia and Herzegovina | Balkan Diskurs
Dženisa Joldić
August 26th, 2022
Non-governmental organizations are helping to educate and empower hardworking Roma women to take an active role in Bosnian society. The Otaharin Citizens Association for Promotion of Roma Education is a prime example. Otaharin’s mission is to increase the levels of education, social and economic integration, and inclusion of vulnerable marginalized groups, including Roma women. The association has given women like Sabira Hašimović a “normal” life.
Hašimović recalls that she and her three-year-old son used to sleep on the streets or in the cemetery where her husband was buried. She remembers working for a daily allowance, visiting and helping the elderly, and cleaning houses. She would ask to be compensated in food, because it was more valuable to her than money.
In the hope of getting a job and being able to afford a normal life, she even went to Germany. She worked there for a while, but as she says, she realized that it wasn’t the right choice because her son did not go to school there. She returned to Bijeljina and was employed in 2014, thanks to the Otaharin Association.
At first, Hašimović feared that because of her work, she wouldn’t be able to get her son to and from school. However, everything changed when Dragan Joković, the director of the Otaharin Association, told her that she was free to do whatever she needed to for her child. After that, Hašimović says she did her best to be successful in her work.
“Roma women can do a lot without formal education, but we aren’t given the opportunity,” Hašimović explains. Attending various educational programs, workshops, round tables, and conferences have helped her a great deal, and through her dedication and hard work, she is now the president of the Roma Women’s Association.
The Association organizes various educational programs, round tables, grassroots activism, and important events. Hašimović says that these activities are aimed at raising awareness and educating Roma women, as well as preserving and promoting Roma tradition, culture and language, which are all parts of their identity.
“Now I am a proud woman who has helped many other women and involved many of them in various activities. My goal is to empower many more women. And I am most proud of my son, who will soon graduate from high school. I have always wanted my child to be educated, which is about to come true,” Hašimović added.
She points out that Roma women deserve a better life and that is why it is always necessary to empower them. This includes promoting the importance of education, inclusion in society, and employment.
“Otaharin helped me as a Roma woman who was part of the community. We all know how Roma women live, but living like all other people means a lot to me,” said Hašimović. She encourages all Roma women to be strong because after every fall they can only get back up, stronger than before.
“Fight for your rights, because human rights are Roma rights,” Hašimović pointed out.
To promote the economic empowerment of Roma women, the Otaharin Citizens’ Association for Promotion of Roma Education founded a social enterprise five years ago. In 2018, it consisted of only one greenhouse, but today “has almost an entire area full of greenhouses.”
Bojana Jovanović, Program Director of Otaharin, said that Roma men and women usually stick only to their own communities and that dropping out of primary education due to lack of knowledge of the language is a major problem.
Through communication with Roma parents, Jovanović said that they are trying to return these children to schools, which is very difficult. In their general work with young people, she explained that they emphasize the inclusion of Roma men and women, so that they have opportunities to make new friends and not be afraid of stepping outside the Roma community.
According to the available data, about 155 Roma children from the Bijeljina area recieved some level of education from primary school to college. Otaharin helps children by providing them with numerous educational opportunities that give them skills that will be useful in their future careers. In addition to education, the Association provides free school supplies and textbooks for children.
The Roma community in Bijeljina is one of the largest Roma communities in BiH. Since 2005, Otaharin has been working to provide support and proper conditions for the education of Roma children, as well as to promote an inclusive approach to the integration of Roma men and women in BiH communities.
This text was produced as part of the Social Media Caravan project, organized by LIR CD, Banja Luka and Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund Deutschland, under the auspices of the European Union.

created: August 26th, 2022

author: Dženisa Joldić


text:
A Young Refugee’s Courage | Balkan Diskurs
Nejra Čehajić
August 30th, 2022
At the age of 11, Mersiha Čusto (fromerly Mersiha Begović) saved a child from Bosnia and Herzegovina while they were ice skating on a partially frozen pond at a military barracks in the Czech town of Nyrsko. They were staying at the barracks as refugees during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
She saved the boy, who was around 6 or 7 years old, spontaneously, and with the attitude she has today – that human life is priceless.
At the beginning of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mersiha, her mother, and her two sisters left for the Republic of Croatia. Four months later, at the persuasion of a friend, they arrived in the town of Nyrsko in the Czech Republic. They were placed in a military barracks that had six dormitories, each of which housed refugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Refugees were assigned to dormitories according to the cities that they had lived closest to in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Begović family stayed with refugees from Donji Vakuf, Gornji Vakuf/Uskoplje, and Bugojno. There were many children, so the days were filled with children’s games and laughter.
One winter day in 1992, the children were playing outside and skating on a nearby pond, or as Mersiha says, a well. It was fenced off on all sides and was intended to be used by firefighters if the need arose. Even 30 years later, Mersiha has not forgotten that day.
At that time, as an 11-year-old girl, she was playing with the other children. She didn’t know what liquid the pond was filled with, but due to the cold, some parts were completely frozen while others were coated in a thinner layer of ice. The children were pushing each other as they skated, and at one point, Mersiha saw a child whose head was on the edge of a hole in the ice and whose hands were submerged in the water.
Without thinking, she crawled over to the child and grabbed him by the nape of the neck, because his hands were already under water. She managed to pull him out.
“The child was between six and seven years old, and I was 11 years old. It’s really a child’s courage, being unaware of and not thinking about what else might have happened, that I might have failed… I didn’t think about it, I just grabbed him and pulled him to the surface of the ice and took him to the side,” said Mersiha.
When they called the boy’s parents, he was in complete shock. His body had turned blue.
Mersiha pointed out that she wasn’t aware that she was risking her life, all she was thinking about was saving the boy. She doesn’t consider herself a hero but describes saving the child as an act of humanity. When asked if she knows where the boy is now, she replies that she doesn’t. She remembers that he had brown curly hair but doesn’t even know exactly where the boy was from. At that time, all that mattered was spending time together and being what they were – children. She thinks he may have been from Prijedor or possibly Zvornik. Her message is that human life always comes first and that it is irreplaceable and priceless.

source: news-balkandiskurs

created: August 30th, 2022

license: Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

author: Nejra Čehajić


text:
The Birthplace and Works of Ivo Andrić: A Symbol Travnik and Bosnia’s Identity | Balkan Diskurs
Enes Tihak
September 2nd, 2022
Ivo Andrić is still the only Nobel laureate in literature from any of the former Yugoslav countries. His works were inspired by Bosnia, and on one occasion, he declared: “Bosnia is my spiritual homeland.” A permanent exhibition about his life and literary work is located in the Ivo Andrić Memorial Birthplace Museum in Travnik. One of the main features of the artistic and cultural expression of Bosnia and Herzegovina is contained within his works.
Enes Škrgo, Senior Curator at the Ivo Andrić Memorial Birthplace Museum, said that Andrić’s short stories and novels are equal to the aesthetic and cultural-historical value and significance of stećak tombstones, the motif of the Bosnian cross, sevdalinka, the paintings of Mersad Berber and Safet Zec, the poetry of Mak Dizdar and Aleksa Šantić, the novels of Meša Selimović, as well as the other important writers from BiH who wrote about their native land – that is, all the creations of the Bosnian and Herzegovinian spirit and its cultural symbols.
Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot be understood today without the insight of Andrić’s literature, which is read in schools as part of regular curriculum or as leisure reading. According to Škrgo, the Nobel Prize for Literature awarded to Andrić aroused the interest and drew the attention of readers to Bosnia and Herzegovina – the main theme of his literature, but a country which the world knew little about up until then.
“The literary work of Ivo Andrić has become an indispensable part of the world’s literary heritage, and this is already a sufficient reason for constantly reminding the public of the importance of his literary heritage. The background of the writer – a child who was raised in poverty but, thanks to his talent and dedication, achieved the highest artistic success at the world level, as well as the career of a top diplomat – today can be encouragement and inspiration for young people around the world,” said Škrgo.
Andrić was born on October 9th, 1892, in the Travnik village of Zenjak. Before his death, on August 30th, 1974, the reconstructed Ivo Andrić Birthplace Memorial Museum was opened with a permanent exhibition about his life and literary work, which is an annex of the Public Institution of the Travnik Regional Museum.
On March 13, 1975, the day of his death, the Travnik Regional Museum proposed before the Travnik Municipal Assembly that the name of the Memorial Museum be changed to the Ivo Andrić Memorial Birthplace Museum.
As Fatima Maslić, Director of the Travnik Regional Museum, says, the culture of remembering Andrić lives on through the annual work program of the Ivo Andrić Memorial Birthplace Museum. She explained that on October 9th, Andrić’s birthday, the month-long event “Andrić Days” begins. The initiator and organizer of the program for many years was the Travnik Regional Museum. Three years ago, the City Library of Travnik took over these activities.
“Paying tribute to the memory of the life and work of  Nobel laureate Ivo Andrić is important because he was born in Travnik and the main themes of his works – the novel Travnik Chronicle, the short stories The story of the Vizier’s elephant, A glass and others – are related to Travnik,” Maslić noted.
Recently, the Museum’s space was adapted and the permanent exhibition of the Ivo Andrić Memorial Birthplace Museum was completed. At the Museum’s initiative, musicians from Travnik promoted a DVD entitled “All that was Ever Mine is from Bosnia,” with the poems Glass, Diplomats Time, and Vizier’s Elephant.
A photo exhibition “Awarding the Nobel Prize for Literature to Ivo Andrić” was also established.
The Travnik Regional Museum, together with the Association of Publishers and Booksellers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, has been present at book fairs in Frankfurt, Belgrade, and Zagreb, where Maslić explains they presented an exhibition stand dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Ivo Andrić being awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. “In 2011, the cultural event ‘Andrić Days’ was all about the 50th anniversary of of Ivo Andrić being awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. It lasted from October 9th to November 9th, 2011. The Museum also organized a theatrical reading of Ivo Andrić’s literature in elementary schools in Travnik,” said Maslić.
There was also a photography exhibition and the screening of a documentary film about the photo exhibition “Paths, Faces, Landscapes.”
According to Maslić, the program activities are also directed towards young people. Last year, as part of “Andrić Days,” workshops were organized for young people led by Ivan Lovrenović, Almir Imširević, Nenad Veličković, and Miralem Ovčina. The workshops were designed and organized by Škrgo.
For the people of Travnik, as Škrgo expalins, the Ivo Andrić Memorial Birthplace Museum is one of the most significant cultural and historical sites in the city. It is also one of the most important symbols of the cultural identity of Travnik citizens, and a main determinant of their municipal pride, as Andrić might say.
“In the Museum exhibition, the regional motifs in Ivo Andrić’s literary works are highlighted – as well as his Travnik Chronicle and The Story of the Vizier’s Elephant – as the most beautiful literary descriptions of the city and its inhabitants. They are a direct link between Andrić and the city that is not only his birthplace, but is included on the imaginary literary map of the world,” Škrgo emphasized.

created: September 2nd, 2022

author: Enes Tihak


text:
Love that Unites and Calms the Soul | Balkan Diskurs
Marijana Vukmirica
September 5th, 2022
Although they come from different cities, four young writers share a great love for the written word. By their example, they show that literature in Bosnia and Herzegovina is not dying out.
With the arrival of the 21st century and the era of the internet and social networks, there was a significant decline in readership, especially among young people. According to research by the American Psychological Association (APA), only 20 percent of American teenagers read a book, newspaper, or magazine on a daily basis, while more than 80 percent use social media daily. There is no such data for Bosnia and Herzegovina, but one could reasonably expect that the findings would be similar.
Young writers from different parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina show that poetry and prose have not been forgotten; however, for writers, their position has become increasingly difficult.
“The very fact that you can’t make a living from writing in this country is devastating enough. There is no possibility for me to fully devote myself to work on my art, because I have to have a job I can live off of. In this case, both my work and my writing suffer,” said Fedor Marjanović, a young writer from Banja Luka.
Marjanović believes that the biggest motivations for writers are emotional and personal satisfaction, rather than material gain. Poets Dragana Despić from Teslić and Amina Čilić from Jablanica, as well as Ivona Grgić, a writer from Tuzla, agree with him.
“You can’t make a living from poetry, like from some work in the profession. I believe that poets shouldn’t strive so much for material wealth, because I’m of the opinion that no amount of money can buy the array of emotions summed up in one poem,” said Despić.
The twenty-five-year-old poet Amina Čilić speaks about the effect of poetry and literature in general on the human psyche and soul, and how books should be a part of our everyday life: “Simply by writing, I take that burden off my soul. And on days when I don’t have the inspiration to write, I turn to reading, and in that way, the therapeutic relaxation of my soul continues.”
Thirty-three-year-old Ivona Grgić gained the status of a Bosnian writer with humorous short stories in the book Muzej nostalgije [The Museum of Nostalgia], and verses from the collection Zapisi iz zjenica [Inscriptions from Pupils]. An extremely versatile person, she studied medicine in high school and went on to earn a degree in criminology. She speaks seven languages, and in just two years of writing, she has won thirteen esteemed literary awards. In addition to writing, she engages in agriculture and beekeeping. Interestingly enough, as she herself notes, she didn’t even know she had a talent for writing until she was thirty, and in that time, she has accumulated many stories to share with the world.
Muzej nostalgije was released in June 2021. As the title suggests, it is full of stories in which Ivona remembers her school days, mischief from her childhood, and her friends and loved ones from when she was growing up. From experience, Ivona has learned that childhood is a very important period in the life of every person and that nothing can compensate for a missed childhood; but in addition to love and attention, children need to be taught work ethic, so that they are ready to step into the adult world.
“Nothing can make up for a missed childhood, and in order to mature into a mentally healthy person, it is necessary to enjoy everything that a child should enjoy. However, childhood shouldn’t be all fun, play, and protection, interwoven with the words: ‘let them be, they are small, there’s time.’ Healthy habits should be developed from a young age,” said Ivona.
On the other hand, Ivona points out that today, times are much more challenging for children because of technological developments and social networks. Although the general availability of knowledge compared to earlier times has its advantages, it also entails much more complex forms of peer communication and opens up new dangers in the form of online abuse.
“To be honest, I’m a little envious of kids today. Knowledge is available to them at every turn. But at the same time, every media is a new form of fascism, so I feel sorry for kids, because they are subjected to much more colorful forms of violence than we were. I often wonder how I would deal with peer bullying if by some chance the internet had been available to everyone when I was their age,” Ivona mused.
Her grandparents had a special place in her life because of the selfless love they gave her, each in their own unique way. They were there to help, advise, and comfort her, and she learned a lot from them, so a significant number of stories in Muzej nostalgije are dedicated to her grandma and grandpa.
“For us, our grandparents were friends and educators. They were allowed to tell our parents to ‘get over it,’ and those who corrected us for the mistakes they made while raising our parents. I learned countless things from them, including old-fashioned words that my friends from the city were deprived of, which I gladly use in my stories today. I learned from my dad’s mom, whom I called baba, that I should amuse myself as much as possible and that a day without a good joke and laughter is a wasted day,” said Ivona.
Various motifs run through Zapisi iz zjenica, which was published at the end of 2021. The poem “Stih” [Verse] stood out in particular as a review of the problem of the still deeply rooted patriarchal culture in our society and the negative consequences for girls and women who grow up in patriarchal environments. At the same time, she points out that in the fight against patriarchal patterns of education, it is necessary to change the awareness of women themselves.
“It’s about wrong beliefs that put women in an inferior position. I also grew up with the phrase ‘if the floor isn’t swept and there’s a girl in the house, shame on you.’ As I grew up, the range of shame widened, so it was inconceivable that I, as a girl, would play soccer with a guy, while it was okay for me to help that same guy with math homework. Unfortunately, patriarchy is still alive today. I sincerely hope, because I am an incorrigible idealist, that one day, a generation of women will emerge that raises their sons not to feel superior to their wives or daughters or to anyone. So, without a change in women’s consciousness, there are no changes in women’s lives,” explained Ivona.
The captivity here
if you are a woman
is inherited like thin hair
which is a handful
only when you collect it
on the floor
…
You cook, little one
then when you want to play
some games
Something like Hide & Seek
You were taught to
close your eyes
while they
spoil your childhood…
(An excerpt from the poem “Stih,” in the poetry collection Zapisi iz zjenica by Ivona Grgić)
Ivona’s message to all those who write, as well as other young people, is: “First of all, don’t give up on your dreams, no matter what those dreams are, and secondly, read, even just a glance, because there is no writing without first reading.”
Twenty-four-year-old poet Dragana Despić has been writing poetry since her school days in Teslić, a town in Usora, known for the Vrućica Spa and its natural beauty. She completed her master’s studies at the Faculty of Organizational Sciences in Belgrade and is also working on a master’s in sociology at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Banja Luka, in addition to being involved in youth activism. She published her first collection of poems, Korakom do stiha [Step by Step to Verse], in 2017, while the second collection of poems, Tišine glasa [The Silence of Voice], was published in 2020.
She finds inspiration in everything that arouses her emotions, both the happy and beautiful, and the sad. Emotions are the main ingredient of her poetry, and she emphasizes love as the most common motif in her poems.
“If we single out love as the greatest virtue of the three basic virtues, it is indisputable that it is the greatest human responsibility, it’s what makes us human. It is enough to refer to Meša Selimović and with that, sum up all its meanings and definitions ‘One who misses love, will miss life,’” said Dragana.
Simultaneously working on two master’s degrees and being active in the youth sector in addition to writing poems requires good time management. Dragana believes that good organization requires self-discipline and constant effort, along with setting a goal that is realistic and achievable.
“I was taught time management by a sentence from a psychology book in the second year of high school, and it read something like this: ‘Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day after day.’ We can’t become organized overnight if we haven’t been organized previously. However, with constant practice or self-discipline, the organization of both time and work can become routine for us,” said Dragana.
According to the poem “Nemoj prljati sebe” [Don’t Pollute Yourself] from the collection Tišine glasa, the most important thing in life is to find peace of mind. The fast pace of modern life with tons of information coming from the Internet and social networks, and the general race of existence, pose great mental health challenges for people today. It is thus necessary for everyone to find something that relaxes them.
“‘Nemoj prljati sebe’ was created as a kind of self-admonition. It’s something you grow into, and whether you ever grow into it is a philosophical question. I also don’t think there’s any universal recipe for individual peace. Everyone has to find it for themselves. Some find it through music, some through sports, some through art, work, travel, and all of that is acceptable. It’s important to be aware of how much this is the only right way for every situation in life,” explained Dragana.
Do not pollute yourself,
with everyone’s company,
with words, with thoughts,
just turn around, walk away,
but never witness humiliation,
neither of yourself nor of others,
those are the important details,
let the heavenly eyes shine,
but pollute yourself,
not even in jest.
(Excerpt from the poem “Nemoj prljati sebe,” in the poetry collection Tišine glasa by Dragana Despić)
Her message to other young writers is to keep in the habit of writing, because paper can handle anything, unlike the human heart. As a unique message for all people, Dragana offers a stanza from her debut:
Paint high horizons with the brush of life
that we do not extinguish what is valuable in this moment
divide life into smaller lives
and invest in that which you do not want to collapse.
Junak bez lica [A faceless hero] is the name of the collection of short stories with which Fedor Marjanović introduced himself to the reading public in 2021. The thirty-one-year-old writer from Banja Luka has won several important prizes in literary competitions. He earned his degree in Serbian language and literature at the Faculty of Philology in Banja Luka and works as a high school teacher.
Fedor states that the basic value of literary works is in portraying people with all their virtues and flaws. The key is in confronting human nature, and in that confrontation, looking for answers to life’s questions and inner turmoil which are characteristic of every human being. Literature has the role of a certain catharsis, or purification, in all of this.
“What literature can offer us is a moment of recognizing ourselves, not as beautiful, perfect, self-helped aliens, but as beings with flaws. In ancient tragedy, one of the main goals was catharsis, I would say for both the hero and the audience. In this way, literature also offers catharsis by aestheticizing precisely those experiences with which we ourselves are familiar. You shouldn’t look to literature for answers, you should look for confrontation,” said Fedor.
In the short story “Neprijatelji” [Enemies], Fedor deals with the topic of domestic violence caused by the consequences of post-traumatic stress disorder. He describes the complexity of the problem and draws society’s attention to the importance of mental health care and not ignoring such topics or pushing them under the rug.
“What I tried to show in this story is the way in which the war destroyed both our generation and the generation of our fathers. Some are primary and others are secondary victims. On the one hand, there are men who have to kill each other because of some imaginary narrative, and on the other hand, there are half-grown young people who want to get closer but carry the burden of hatred left by their fathers, as well as life in a destroyed country. The bottom line is that all of this will remain within us, even when we think we have freed ourselves from it,” explained Fedor.
In the short story “Politička karijera pjesnika Aleksandra Maksimovića” [The Political Career of the Poet Aleksandar Maksimović], this young writer dealt with another significant problem in Bosnian society, which especially affects young people, and that is unemployment and securing a livelihood. The story describes the existential and life struggle of a young man who becomes a member of a political party for reasons of employment, but feels that he is losing his dignity. He goes to party meetings with a feeling of disgust, blending into a faceless mass of those with dubious levels of intellect and integrity, wondering what the meaning of everything is.
“The story is more intended as a satirical representation of society. On the one hand, the protagonist is forced to join the party to get a job, and on the other hand, he himself is not ready to take any action that would lead to change. He is both a tragic and a comic figure. A person who wants to do a lot, but is very passive. The end shows his mental breakdown as he turns into some kind of monster. Of course, that is not the solution that I propose, it is more of a warning of what will happen,” Fedor pointed out.
He advises the young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina to fight: “I don’t think I am in a position to send instructive messages, because I myself am looking to find my own path, just like my heroes. I don’t plan to give up, because I realized that I couldn’t live without writing, but to be able to do it completely freely, I have to fight for my space. Well, that would actually be a message to young people – Fight.”
Twenty-five-year-old poet Amina Čilić comes from the other end of Bosnia and Herzegovina, from the town of Jablanica. She is the author of the collection of poems Govor moje duše [Discourse of my Soul] published in 2016, and she is announcing the publication of her other collections soon. She works as a journalist for the Novikonjic.ba portal.
Most of the poems from Govor moje duše are imbued with themes of love. Amina states that love is her greatest inspiration, and that love itself is an inexhaustible source of inspiration for every form of art.
“Whether they are happy or unhappy, many loves end up on paper, for all time, or on screen or film. I don’t believe that you only love once in your life, but I really believe that there is that one love that makes life more valuable, more complete. Because of that one, others seem so small to us, even though they were once the biggest in the world,” said Amina.
In the poem “Jednoj ptici” [To One Bird], Amina reveals that she would like to have the power to fly so that she can visit the far away vastness, because only birds are truly free beings without limitations and shackles.
“Yes, I would love the gift of flight. Normally, I’m a person who likes to travel and discover as many new places as possible, and discovery would be much easier that way. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could always hug those we want, but who are far away? To be with them in an instant, without having to worry about how much money is in our account. It would be enough to love and go there,” added Amina.
Oh little bird,
if only you knew
how lucky you are
that you can fly.
In one day you see,
everything I dream about.
Tell me what is behind that hill,
I would like to know.
…
So fly, where love is waiting for you,
visit the vastness of far away.
(Excerpt from the poem “Jednoj ptici,” in the poetry collection Govor moje duše by Amina Čilić)
With the lines “Be the hero of your own story, nobody else’s should concern you,” she says that you should walk through the path of life without prejudice and judgment, because no one knows what it’s like to walk in another person’s shoes. Simply live and let live.
“We would all be happier if we didn’t cross the boundaries of others’ privacy so much and if we didn’t give ourselves the right to judge others. In the role of judge and interpreter of other people’s actions, we are all the best, and life can very easily teach us the difficulty and senselessness of that.”
Amina tells young people to believe in themselves: “No matter how much your environment limits you and convinces you that you can’t do something or that something is not for you, try to prove the opposite. Because you can do that. And never let their imposed limitation become your limitation. I would only tell those who write to do it with love and not to forget to leave a part of their soul in every printed page. Because that is what leaves a mark on people.”

created: September 5th, 2022

author: Marijana Vukmirica


text:
Platform for the Advancement of Children’s Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina | Balkan Diskurs
Sumeja Mehmedović
September 8th, 2022
Children’s rights are human rights that are not prioritized in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A group of young people and children from all over the country has become actively involved in solving issues related to children’s rights in BiH. The Platform for the Advancement of Children’s Rights is very helpful, as it makes information in this field available. Through the Platform, they can talk to their peers and government representatives and advocate for solutions to various problems.
Amina Kahriman, project assistant and representative of the Sarajevo association Naša Djeca [Our Children], explained that children and young people are largely left out of procedures concerning their welfare. She added that the Platform gives them the opportunity to speak their mind, raise suggestions, and identify problems and possible solutions.
“They have a unique place that is a safe space for their activities, which helps them highlight the needs that appear as they grow up and mature,” said Kahriman.
On the website of the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina,  the Platform for the Advancement of Children’s Rights can be found in the Human Rights section. It is part of the project to improve children’s rights called “Povezivanje Tačaka [Connecting the Dots],” which is financed by the European Union. The project is being implemented by the World Vision BH Foundation and Naša Djeca in cooperation with the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees of BiH.
Nela Hukić, project manager and representative of the World Vision BH Foundation, explained that the project aims to help solve one of the biggest problems related to children’s rights in BiH – the lack of an adequate and efficient coordination mechanism between government institutions, civil society organizations, independent monitoring bodies, and the academic community in our country. It also works to increase the overall responsibility towards children in BiH communities and give children more direct input in decision-making processes on issues that concern them.
Children and youth are included in this project through the Children and Youth (CAY) Committee. The Committee allows children and young people from 20 cities in BiH to voice their views, requests, and initiatives to decision makers and the Council for Children of BiH. Together, they advocate for solutions to problems and improvements in children’s rights. In the immediate future, they will be implementing projects within their local communities and working on solving existing problems.
One of the members of the CAY board is Eldin Osmanović from Kalesija. He emphasized the importance of this Platform.
“I believe that the time has finally come when children and young people will be able to express their opinion and be heard. For a long time, our future and our rights have been being discussed by people who don’t even know our true needs. With this Platform, I have the opportunity to fight for my rights and the rights of other children in our community who are marginalized,” said Osmanović.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which obliges decision-makers to ensure an environment in which children can develop and express their own opinions and attitudes. By increasing children’s participation in decision-making, we improve their situation in society and raise active citizens who will continue to fight for equality and human rights.

created: September 8th, 2022

author: Sumeja Mehmedović


text:
Siege of Sarajevo through the lens of Paul Lowe: Permanent Exhibition at the Sarajevo City Hall | Balkan Diskurs
Josephine Mintel
September 12th, 2022
British photographer Paul Lowe’s black and white photo exhibition, “Opsada/Siege” depicts daily life, culture, survival, death, and childhood in besieged Sarajevo, and will be displayed annually starting on April 5th in the Sarajevo City Hall. The exhibition will serve to commemorate the beginning of the longest siege of a capital city in modern history.
During the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the start of the Sarajevo siege, the exhibition “Opsada/Siege” was exhibited in the atrium of Sarajevo’s historic City Hall, which was destroyed during the war. While photographing it in 1993, Lowe said that it was so utterly decimated that he couldn’t imagine it would ever be rebuilt or reopened. “So, installing the photographs, including one taken in the ruins of City Hall during the war, was a powerful, symbolic moment for me and the city,” Lowe said.
New printing technology has enabled Lowe to to scan the negatives in high resolution and print them on mesh panels intended for outdoor use. This allows the images to be displayed at a staggering size without compromising the quality. Thus, the exhibition’s black-and-white photographs, 2.35 meters wide and 1.5 meters high, are almost life-size prints. In City Hall’s spacious atrium, the photographs do not compete with the space but work in synergy with it.
The atrium is hexagonal, and Lowe chose five photographs to display on each of the six sides, for a total of 30 photographs. Each of the sides has a theme: the siege itself, culture, daily life, means of survival, death, and childhood. “I really wanted to use the photographs in a way that would work with the hall’s architecture to tell the story,” Lowe emphasized.
Based on these black-and-white photos, some may be surprised to learn that Lowe was initially known for color photography. “When I first came to Bosnia in ‘92, I was kind of known as a young, up-and-coming photographer, working in predominantly color. During my first trip, I only shot in color,” he said.
Lowe’s initial visit to Sarajevo was short. After only a few weeks, he left to cover the famine in Somalia. However, he was soon drawn back to the city and ended up staying – more or less for good.
“When I came back in ‘93, I had a slightly different perspective. At that point, the siege had been dragging on; it was starting its second year. I was looking more at that story of daily life – how people, ordinary people, survive in this extraordinary situation. I felt that something about the nature of the city, the essence of what was there, would work better in black and white,” Lowe explained.
The City of Sarajevo and the Information Center of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) organized the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the siege of Sarajevo on April 4th and 5th of this year, in partnership with the Post-Conflict Research Center, the Srebrenica Memorial Center, and the Memory Module. During its twelfth session on February 23rd, 2022, the City Council of Sarajevo adopted Mayor Benjamina Karić’s proposal to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the siege. The commemorative program opened with the “Opsada/Siege” exhibition and was followed the next day by an international conference entitled “30 years later – Sarajevo.”
“It is vital that testimonies like these are preserved for future generations – to warn, but also to educate,” said Ismena Čaušević, the Expert Assistant for the Information Center on the ICTY.
As she explains, the exhibition “Opsada/Siege” is permanently stored in the ICTY Information Center in the Sarajevo City Hall and will be re-exhibited in the atrium for public viewing every year as part of the commemoration.
At the exhibit’s opening in April, Mayor Benjamina Karić lauded the photographs chosen for the display. “Between 1992 and 1996, Paul Lowe lived with us in Sarajevo, documenting our daily lives. He not only showed residents fleeing bullets in sniper alley, or the wounded seeking help, but also our citizens defying daily hardships with their strength,” she said.
One of Paul’s favorite photos in the exhibit also centers on citizens’ quiet defiance. “There’s a picture of a young girl watching an old man play chess, shot in the staircase of an apartment building. It’s a simple picture, but it says a lot about people’s daily existence because you couldn’t go outside,” he said.
As Lowe says, Susan Sontag’s choice to stage the Samuel Beckett play Waiting for Godot in Sarajevo was very apt because life during the siege echoed many themes from the play. Just how do you pass the time, day after day, month after month, year after year?
Velma Šarić, president and founder of the Post-Conflict Research Center, pointed out the importance of documentation. She highlighted the role of foreign photographers and journalists who lived with the citizens of Sarajevo and recorded what was happening there daily. The reports and photos they shared not only informed global audiences about the siege, but also provided the ICTY with documentary evidence substantiating the terror which was unleashed upon Sarajevo’s civilians.
She also noted the extensive cooperation between the ICTY Information Center, the City of Sarajevo, and the Srebrenica Memorial Center, which enabled “Opsada/Siege” to be exhibited at the Space for Cultural Decontamination in Belgrade, as well as the Srebrenica Memorial Center.
Nataša Govedarica is from Sarajevo but has lived in Belgrade for over twenty years. She is currently the Serbian Country Director for ForumZFD, a German peacebuilding organization that started in the Western Balkans and now works worldwide. She was the main force behind the opening of “Opsada/ Siege” in Belgrade at the end of April.
“A decade ago, we would have had a selection of spaces where we could have had Paul’s exhibition. It could have been on display in, for example, the Belgrade Cultural Center,” said Govedarica. She recalled the 2014 exhibition in the Belgrade Cultural Center about the Bogujevci Massacre, in which Serbian paramilitaries killed Albanian families in the town of Podujevo during the 1999 war in Kosovo.
That exhibition, in her opinion, presented much more controversial material. Today, however, she said that there is no way that a publicly funded institution in Serbia would accept Paul’s work.
“Now there are basically two galleries which display brave material: the Space for Cultural Decontamination and the Youth Initiative. No one else wants to go against the mainstream – and, I must say – nationalistic narrative,” Govedarica explained.
Despite the Space’s reputation for attracting the same anti-establishment audience, Govedarica was pleased with the diverse crowd in attendance.
“These events tend to be attended by the same closed circles, and I would know everyone. Usually, I would walk around saying, ‘hello, hello, hello, how are you?’ But this time, I saw many new faces, young faces,” she said.
At the event in Belgrade, Paul Lowe also got to interact with young people and was surprised by how little they knew about the Siege. “Several people said the same thing, which I found really chilling. Until they were in their early 20s – these are university-educated, human-rights-activist types – they didn’t even know there had been a siege of Sarajevo. It wasn’t that it was denied. It simply didn’t exist,” he explained. He said he found it astonishing that in Serbia’s capital city, – the sister city in some ways, just a few hours away from Sarajevo, many didn’t even know the siege had happened.
The photos reached even more young people this summer, and the prints from Sarajevo City Hall made their way to Srebrenica temporarily in July for the anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide.
At the opening of “Opsada/Siege” exhibition at the Srebrenica Memorial Center in Potočari, Memorial Center Director Emir Suljagić thanked Paul Lowe for documenting the everyday life of the citizens of Sarajevo during the siege. He said that the siege of Sarajevo was the most underestimated event of the disintegration of the former Yugoslavia. “No one gave Sarajevo any chances,” said Suljagić.
Lowe has had an interesting shift in perspective on the photos he took in Sarajevo during the war. At first, he favored what he calls the “loud” photos – the photos that got up close and personal with atrocities, in an effort to inspire the international community to do something.
As time passed, however, his aesthetic appreciation grew for the photos which captured the quieter moments, the silent resilience of Sarajevo’s citizens. Many such photos are included in “Opsada/ Siege.”
“I photographed a lot of different ways that people made homemade devices to carry water, food, and firewood – prams, sledges, trolleys. I probably photographed sixty or seventy different devices like that, which has a strong ethnographic value,” Lowe said.
Prints from Belgrade were in Prizren, Kosovo to be shown during the popular Dokufest film festival. Lowe is in negotiations to exhibit them in Novi Sad as well.
As “Opsda/ Siege” continues its Balkan journey, Lowe stressed that he wants to try to find some of the people he photographed and learn what has happened to them over the years. “I want to ask them about their memories of the siege. That’s the next project,” Lowe announced.

created: September 12th, 2022

author: Josephine Mintel


text:
Selfless Kind-Hearted People | Balkan Diskurs
Dunja Rujević
September 15th, 2022
The educational cultural center IHTUS has been providing educational and social opportunities for children for 14 years, in the form of workshops, camps, and sporting events. They also offer assistanceto 130 vulnerable families from the Banja Luka and Prijedor area through the Godfather Project which assigns patrons to children in need.
Ljiljana Baniček, president of IHTUS and coordinator of social and economic projects, explained that they hold workshops designed for children which deal with topics such as substance abuse, sexual harassment, and family relationships.
“When people from abroad come to us, we usually organize three-day camps for learning English and thus enable our beneficiaries to try to learn the language in a creative way. To make it not only about learning, we also have sports workshops. In that way, children participate in different sports such as football, American football, floorball and so on,” said Baniček.
When IHTUS began, they had a group from abroad who did not speak the local language, so they invited students who had attended one of their English courses to help with translation during workshops in the publicly-owned Vranješević Rade Home for Children and Youth in Banja Luka.
The students wanted to continue working with children who were without parental care and proposed to teach the children English. After some time, they realized that the initiative was falling short of their initial expectations, and the instructor at the Home suggested that they organize the so-called Readers’ Club.
Belinda Čaplin, IHTUS coordinator for international cooperation, explained that the Readers’ Club, which was created in 2010, gave children the opportunity to visit the Children’s Library in Borik, Banja Luka, as well as held various workshops for children in the Home. With the relocation of the library in 2019, the visits stopped, but the organization of workshops in the Home continued.
Nina Galić, Nada Lekić, and Katarina Travar are long-time volunteers at IHTUS. Together with other volunteers and colleagues from abroad, they have participated in various workshops and events. They have acquired extensive volunteer experience but also, as they say, memories that will be with them for a lifetime.
“It is very difficult for me to single out my favorite workshop because I liked each of them in a different way and enjoyed all of them equally. I looked forward to every trip to the library, the theater, all the time I spent on the playground and with others,” explained Nada.
Nina points out that the most important part of all these events is the smiles they bring to the children’s faces, which gives them a great deal of satisfaction.
“Through all these events, we connect more and more with the children. And of course, we are big children ourselves, so it allows us to go back to our childhood and play and have fun with them. I personally feel fulfilled when I know that I’m going to see, as I like to say, my children, to play and have fun with them. That makes my day! It means as much to me as it does to them. Children appreciate all of that and they always need good company,” said Nina.
She believes that everyone who can should volunteer because “there is nothing better than knowing you can make someone happy.”
Katarina recommends volunteering at IHTUS, because it gives you the opportunity to meet new people, experience other cultures, and broaden your horizons. She adds that this job is great for anyone who likes working with children.
“During my volunteering, I learned a lot and had countless great opportunities. Of course, working with children isn’t easy, but their smiles and happiness are the greatest reward for the effort,” Katarina believes.
In the near future, IHTUS plans to strengthen volunteer activism and organize numerous projects. In the second half of September, a new volunteering program will start and Baniček encourages high school and university students to apply. Through the program, volunteers will have the opportunity to receive volunteer booklets.
In cooperation with Fida International, IHTUS organizes the Godfather Project which provides assistance to 80 socially vulnerable families in Banja Luka and 50 in Prijedor. Baniček explains that project assigns each child a godfather who corresponds with them and assists them financially.
“They really care about these children and send them various packages, letters, and money for clothes, shoes, education, and the like. Also, children have direct contact with their sponsors, with our help. They cannot meet in person, but they write letters to them. That way they know that they have someone in Finland who thinks of them and wants them to finish school,” said Baniček.
IHTUS doesn’t determine how the money should be spent, but rather holds a meeting with parents and children at the start of the school year to find out what the children themselves need, whether it be school supplies, clothes, shoes, or other things. If the children want to go on an excursion, this can also be arranged for them. Families receive food and packages of necessities throughout the year, as well as during special events organized on Christmas and Easter for the children and their siblings.

created: September 15th, 2022

author: Dunja Rujević


text:
Addictions and Means of Prevention in the 21st Century | Balkan Diskurs
Edina Šahmanović
September 19th, 2022
People in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) today turn to addictions for many reasons, including the pandemic, poverty, social difficulties, limited perspective, post-war life, boredom, and apathy. Additions likewise take many forms, such as gambling, nicotine, drugs, alcohol, and increasingly, the Internet.
According to studies, the age at which people are consuming intoxicants has significantly lowered to as young as 13 or 12 years old. To counteract this trend, the whole of society must be actively involved in quality prevention. This entails a systemic approach, because addicts in smaller communities often do not have access to assistance or know who to turn to for help.
Nadija Bandić, Assistant to the Federal Minister of Education and Science, says there are different social pathologies in BiH society, but that adolescents are particularly at risk.
“A young man who starts using psychoactive substances at the most vulnerable age, such as adolescence, is often very aggressive and violent. Also, young people are very inactive and eat unhealthy food, which affects their lives in general,” explained Bandić.
The age at which people are starting to use intoxicants are lowering every year, according to Milena Latinčić, a social worker from the Center for Addiction Prevention and Outpatient Treatment in Mostar.
“Listening to other people who have done similar studies, they all came to the conclusion that 15 is the riskiest age. However, new studies show that this has changed to 13 and even 12 years old,” said Latinčić.
In addition to substance addictions, betting and gambling are also prevalent in Bosnian society. Research shows that almost half of the population has gambled, most often through the lottery, games of chance, or at gambling dens. Sanela Pekić, an expert on addiction prevention programs at the NARKO-NE Association, says that the fact that every third resident between the ages of 15 and 25 visits gambling shops is worrying.
According to data from the Tax Administration of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH), last year, nearly 1.6 billion Bosnian marks (800 million euros) were spent in gambling dens in the FBiH, compared with 1.3 billion Bosnian marks (650 million euros) the year before.
Research published seven years ago found that there were around 50,000 pathological gamblers in BiH. Pekić believes that there are several reasons why people decide to gamble. Among these are high levels of stress and inadequate coping mechanisms as well as poverty and unemployment, whereupon gambling may seem like a possible way out of this situation.
Marko Romić, a psychologist at the Association of Recovering Gambling Addicts, explained that in BiH, gambling has crept into every pore of life, from middle school to old age.
“There are significant efforts by our authorities to characterize gambling dens as a socially useful activity because they fill the budgets,” Romić pointed out.
As Pekić told Anadolu Agency in February of this year, few people are aware that they have a pathological gambling problem, and even when they do accept this, they rarely seek professional help because they think they can overcome the problem themselves.
“It’s important to emphasize that addiction to gambling is different from addiction to alcohol and other psychoactive substances, and in order to overcome this problem, it’s necessary to seek professional help. Treating pathological gambling is a process that takes a very long time. It’s certainly necessary to make more attempts, it necessitates changing one’s entire way of life, so it’s important that a person has the support of family and loved ones,” Pekić said in a statement for Anadolu Agency.
The NARKO-NE Association for Addiction Prevention launched a gambling and betting prevention program called “Who actually wins?” in March of this year. The program is intended for high school students, teachers, and parents, and is based on the science of addiction prevention.
Romić leads the Treated Gamblers Club – KLOK Mostar, which was founded in 2010 with the aim of helping treat addiction. In July, they had the 60th meeting of the first therapeutic online group. The treatment involves people from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, and Bulgaria.
Drug addicts in Tuzla Canton are treated by doctors at the Psychiatry Clinic of the University Clinical Center. Mevludin Hasanović, head of the Department of Social Psychiatry, explains that social psychiatry involves caring for people who have diseases and other conditions related to the use and abuse of psychoactive substances. It also deals with new phenomenology related to behavioral psychology or addictive behavior, which includes gambling, betting, and recently, the internet. He says they have implemented a new program for treating addiction.
While there are centers for addiction treatment in other major cities in the FBiH as well, there is still work to be done on both treatment and prevention. In this, non-governmental organizations are leading the way. The NARKO-NE Association for Addiction Prevention is among them. They use a European curriculum for science-based prevention training for decision and opinion makers at the local, regional, and national levels. In partnership with the BiH Ministry of Security, NARKO-NE conducts trainings from the European prevention curriculum to improve the overall response to addiction in BiH and significantly reduce the prevalence of substance use.
Amir Hasanović, director of NARKO-NE, said that one of their long-term goals is training with as many decision-makers as possible, which he pointed out would increase the capacity and financing options for quality, sustainable addiction prevention programs.

created: September 19th, 2022

author: Edina Šahmanović


text:
“Kapija ‘95” – The Truth and the Imperatives of Prosecution and Honoring Victims | Balkan Diskurs
Balkan Diskurs
September 23rd, 2022
The documentary film “Kapija ‘95” premiered in Tuzla, where on the evening of May 25th, 1995, the Army of the Republika Srpska (VRS) fired a grenade into the center of the city, killing 71 young people and wounding 150 more. The film underscored compassion for the victims, persistence on the path of the truth, and the necessity of prosecuting those responsible for this terrible crime.
“Kapija ‘95” was produced by the Post-Conflict Research Center (PCRC) and the Srebrenica Memorial Center in cooperation with the British production company PINCH Media.
Velma Šarić, president and founder of PCRC and the film’s producer, explained that it was made with the intention of highlighting the need to prosecute the perpetrators of war crimes because the only person convicted for the crime at the Tuzla Gate remains free in Serbia, never having served his prison sentence.
“We showed the heroic struggle of the doctors of the Clinical Center of the University of Tuzla, heroes in white. They demonstrated exceptional professionalism in helping those wounded in the massacre. We are donating the film to Tuzla, the Memorial Room, the families of the survivors, and the parents of the murdered children, with the aim of warning that this crime must never be forgotten,” said Šarić.
She emphasized that “Kapija ‘95” is a testament, a warning, and a reminder, to ensure that new generations are aware of what happened. “This film was made in the service of prevention,” added Šarić.
Tuzla Mayor Jasmin Imamović said that the crime at the Tuzla Gate is the city’s deepest wound, and it cannot and should not be forgotten.
“We mustn’t keep quiet about it or stop producing films and books in remembrance of the victims,” said Imamović.  He pointed out that the film “Kapija ‘95” means a lot to the citizens of Tuzla because it is based on the true event.
Denying crimes and genocide, as Imamović said, lays the groundwork for new crimes and that is why we must persist in our fight.
Zineta Hidanović, whose son Alem was killed in the massacre at the Tuzla Gate, attended the premiere of “Kapija ’95.” She said that it is very important to have a record of these events so that what happened is never forgotten.
“You all witnessed what we did, as parents. Everything we did was rejected. You don’t have your child anymore and that’s it. When the truth will come out… That’s why we need records, and we need to write about it,” said Hidanović.
The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina sentenced Novak Đukić, the commander of the VRS Ozren Tactical Group to 20 years in prison for ordering the shelling of Tuzla on May 25th, 1995. Due to the application of a milder law, he was released from serving his sentence, after which he fled to Serbia. Citing Đukić’s poor health, Serbia did not apprehend and extradite him back to BiH to serve his sentence.
The film “Kapija ‘95” was also shown on May 24th, 2022, at the Srebrenica Memorial Center, and on August 10th, 2022, at the Kovači Memorial Center as part of the “Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina – Igman 2022” event.
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created: September 23rd, 2022

author: Balkan Diskurs


text:
Judicial Legacies: The Siege of Sarajevo and Crimes Committed in Serb-Controlled Municipalities | Balkan Diskurs
Balkan Diskurs
September 26th, 2022
The Sarajevo Canton Memorial Fund and the Post-Conflict Research Center (PCRC) recently released a scientific report entitled “The Siege of Sarajevo from 1992 to 1995,” based upon the relevant court judgements. It documents the sniping and shelling of the city as well as the war crimes committed in eight municipalities, with the aim of promoting greater acceptance of judicially established facts and countering the denial of the crimes carried out against Sarajevo civilians.
The work includes the judgments of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Courts, the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Cantonal Court of Sarajevo, and the Supreme Court of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Based on the facts established by these courts, the report outlines the strategic and operational activities of the military and political structures of the Republika Srpska (RS) in Sarajevo. This includes the daily sniping and shelling of the city as well as the terrorizing, wounding, and murder of its inhabitants. It also provides a detailed account of the crimes committed against Bosniaks and Croats in the municipalities of Novo Sarajevo, Novi Grad, Ilidža, Vogošća, Ilijaš, Hadžići, Trnovo, and Pale. The report concludes by identifying the war criminals convicted as of May 2022, and the two joint criminal enterprises (JCE) undertaken by Serbian military forces.
The highest-ranking political functionary, Radovan Karadžić, the president of Republika Srpska and commander-in-chief of its armed forces, was also convicted for his role in the sniping and shelling campaign and the Sarajevo municipalities occupied by Serbian military and political forces. According to the judgement against Karadžić, on August 2nd, 1995, he told the newspaper Srpski Borac:
“Before the war we were aware that if it happens it will start in Sarajevo. We decided that if we want to win we have to stay in Sarajevo. The strategic idea was to prevent the independent Bosnian state from functioning whereas, on the other hand, our state would function. […] Sarajevo is of special importance to us because of combat, strategic and tactical reasons. […] Sarajevo is, as you know it, related to our survival, to the survival of our state and I suppose that, if the Muslim entity survives in Sarajevo, Sarajevo will be a melting point of cultures […]. If the Muslims don’t accept peaceful transformation of the city into two entities Sarajevo will suffer the fate of Beirut, where working hours are until noon and gunfire in the afternoon. […] We need every inch in Serbian Sarajevo, we even claim rights on the centre of Sarajevo, say, the entire left bank of Miljacka river” (pg. 1921).
The highest-ranking military officer was Lieutenant General Ratko Mladić, commander of the Main Staff of the Army of Republika Srpska. He was also convicted of crimes in Sarajevo and for his role in the campaign of sniping and shelling. At the 16th Session of the Assembly of Bosnian Serbs on May 12th, 1992, as recounted in the judgement against him, Mladić stated:
“When we start fighting over Sarajevo, we must not say before the international public […] ‘We are going to shut down your water and power supply’ […] And we have to put a ring around the dragon’s head of Sarajevo this very moment, and only those whom we let out should be allowed out […] We should not say: we will destroy Sarajevo, we need Sarajevo. We are not going to say that we are going to destroy the power supply pylons or turn off the water supply, no, because that would get America out of its seat, but […] one day there is no water at all in Sarajevo. What is it, we do not know, damage, we should fix it, no, we will fix it, slowly. […] Therefore, we have to wisely tell the world, it was they who were shooting, hit the transmission line and the power went off, they were shooting at the water supply facilities, there was a power cut at such and such a place, we are doing our best repairing this, that is what diplomacy is” (pg. 2310).
At the report’s launch, Ahmed Kulanić, Director of the Sarajevo Canton Memorial Fund, said that this is the first in a series of publications of the Memorija project launched by the Fund
“The Memorija is a project designed to approach and try to explain the period of aggression against the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 to 1995 through a hundred scientific research projects, studies, books, and publications. In the year when we mark the 30 anniversary of the beginning of the Sarajevo siege, we are launching this edition with a project about the siege,” Kulanić pointed out.
Dr. Šaćir Filandra and Dr. Amer Osmić, Peer-reviewers of the publication, highlighted the innovative graphics and the simplicity of the text, which makes verifiable facts that have been established by international courts clear and accessible to the general public.
Dr. Filandra pointed out that this publication will contribute to shaping people’s understanding of the crimes that took place in Sarajevo. In addition, he said that this work will help these facts become a constructive part of our awareness.
Dr. Osmić said that we must work to ensure that the culture of remembrance is given the place it deserves.
“It is devastating that young people don’t know what happened in the past. That’s why this publication is extremely important, primarily so that the younger generation can see in one place, chronologically and methodologically, precisely how and in what way international and domestic courts made their decisions and on what basis. It is very important to point out that the factual content presented is related to the judgments, chronologically argued, and every fact and every paragraph from this book can be checked,” added Osmić.
Anisa Sućeska, President of the Mechanism Program for Informing Communities affected by the conflict, said that this publication is unique, innovative, and the first of its kind in BiH. She presented a brief overview of the prosecution of the crimes committed during the siege of Sarajevo before the International Criminal Court for the former Yugoslavia.
Fikret Grabovica, President of the Association of Parents of Children Killed in the Siege of Sarajevo, spoke about the struggles they face as parents and the Association’s fight to ensure that the crimes against the children of Sarajevo are brought before domestic courts.
Erna Mačkić, a researcher at the Post-Conflict Research Center, said that this research report is unique in that, in a single document, it contains so much information from the Hague Tribunal which ruled that Bosnian Serb forces terrorized Sarajevo civilians and carried out a campaign of sniping and shelling which constantly endangered the lives of everyone, from infants to the elderly.
The publication is available in Bosnian and English.

created: September 26th, 2022


text:
Together in the Race for Peace in Mostar’s Rujište | Balkan Diskurs
Muamer Zukanović
September 30th, 2022
Under the symbolic name “Trčim za mir” [I run for peace], a trail race will be held on October 1st in Mostar on three tracks, five, ten and 21 kilometers long.  Its aim is to contribute to peace, spreading the message that it is possible to build peace with everyone in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The race is being organized by the citizens’ association Pomozimo Djeci from Banja Luka, Global Analitika from Sarajevo, and MASA from Mostar. This organizations already cooperate in the field of human rights and sustainable of peace and will also be working together with representatives of the running community in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Ella Ljubić, the coordinator of the event, said that the activity promotes peace as a universal value. “Everyone in Bosnia and Herzegovina is familiar with what war and the hardships of war are. It’s logical that we value peace more and everyone should support activities related to sustainable peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also in the world,” said Ljubić.
According to Ljubić, in order to build a sustainable peace, it is necessary to convey the message to young people that such peace is possible, as is trust among all the peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina, because peace is the only option.
About 160 participants from Bosnia and Herzegovina will take part in the race, as well as others from the Balkans, Europe, and around the world. The race course, as explained by the organizers, extends in the Rujišta area, at the foot of the Prenj Mountain, and includes three municipalities: East Mostar, Mostar, and Konjic. Rujiše is located at an altitude of 1,050 meters above sea level, and it is especially known for the native species of pine, munika, and extremely clean air, which is ideal for sportsmen, recreationalists, and other visitors. This makes this race particularly popular.
Senad Dorić, who already has seven or eight trail races behind him, will participate in the race. He says his previous races were exciting and he only has good memories from them. When it comes to “Trčim za mir,” Dorić said that we should always and everywhere strive for peace, want peace, choose peace, advocate for peace, and work towards it.
“I believe that peace, trust, dialogue, and cooperation among everyone in Bosnia and Herzegovina are prerequisites for the progress of this wonderful country. This race promotes and encourages that, and that’s why I think it’s important to have this kind of race offered on the calendar of races in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” explained Dorić.
In addition to promoting peace and a healthy lifestyle, “Trčim za mir” also emphasizes social responsibility towards the community. From every registration fee – which ranges from 30 to 40 Bosnian marks – part of the payment is donated to the publicly funded children’s home in Mostar, which provides additional support for children and young people, including temporary accommodation and full-day care for children who are orphaned or neglected.

created: September 30th, 2022

author: Muamer Zukanović


text:
Women in the politics in Bosnia and Herzegovina - The Story in which David’s Sling Broke | Balkan Diskurs
Neda Vukadin
September 30th, 2022
The legislation governing the electoral process in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) includes an article regulating gender representation on candidate lists. In reality however, these measures are not followed, as shown by the statistics of the 2018 general elections, when only 16 percent of women were candidates.
The results of the research were no better in 2020, when 135 mandates went to men (96.5 percent) and five mandates (3.4 percent) went to women. According to the Central Election Commission of BiH, in the general elections scheduled for October 2nd, there are 7,258 candidates for five levels of government, of which 3,058, or 42.1 percent, are women.
Nevena Zelenika, an activist of the Association Oštra Nula, told Balkan Diskurs, that the fact that we are currently talking about the gender of the political subject is in itself an indicator of the dissonance of BiH society.
According to Zelenika, Bosnia and Herzegovina is visibly trying to adapt to postmodern trends, to the detriment of marginalized groups in society, including women in public life. Postmodernism brought with it a post-ideological wave of political programs, therefore the political scene increasingly resembles a hand-wringing competition and a Machiavellian struggle for power.
“When we talk about regulations and laws related to the position of women in all spheres of private and public life, for me, as a young woman and activist, they do their job until they go out in the field. And then there’s a total collapse. One of the accompanying phenomena are quotas, and female activists do not have a unified position on them (they call it positive discrimination and/or an undemocratic tool). But I must emphasize that the struggle for the survival of quotas, especially in the post-war period in the 1998 elections, is one of the key factors for stabilizing the position of women in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said Zelenika.
As she explains, we can talk about women’s political platforms only when women’s survival is ensured at all levels of government and when the validity of quotas is no longer questioned.
“To be a self-actualized member of society, we must find a space that will keep out rain, sexism, misogyny, femicide, and anyone’s lofty opinion about our hairdressers. In order for society to have the outlines of progress, it must necessarily choose a profession and expertise, not half degrees, programless options and the fulfillment of individual interests of political elites,” said Zelenika.
She explained that in her activism, she heard various statements, theories, and convictions, but singled out as her favorite: “Why are you fighting for equality when you’ve got everything? Women should be sent to war, so that they demand the same rights with a rifle on their back.” She concluded that these people do not know that “in our story, David’s sling broke, and our Goliath is ten feet tall.”
Ljubiša Aćimović, a graduate of Political Science, explained that there is a pronounced gap between women’s participation in political processes and representation in formal political structures.
“Despite the legal provision that 40 percent of the underrepresented gender must be found on electoral lists, there are still large differences in gender representation in legislative bodies at all levels of government. We can see that the political scene in Bosnia and Herzegovina is colored by traditionally male characteristics – a lot of arguments, insults, raised voices, aggressive outbursts, warrior-like incendiary rhetoric,” said Aćimović.
He explained that the parties are predominantly led by men. What they have in common is that they are organized in an authoritarian manner. They try to send messages about their own power at every opportunity.
“An important question is what would motivate women to get involved in politics. As the main obstacles, we can point to a lack of time due to household and family obligations, insufficient family support, lack of experience in public appearances, but also lack of self-confidence. And when they ‘succeed’ in climbing the political ladder to high positions, women are exposed more often than men to sexist comments, attacks in the form of photomontages, memes on social networks, as well as open insults. It is certainly not a pleasant experience,” said Aćimović.
Aćimović’s opinion is that violence against women in politics is very complex because it rests on a threefold basis: gender inequalities (which are based on the unequal power of women and men), political inequalities (the inequalities of different political parties and movements), and political culture. This political culture in BiH has been increasingly characterized in recent years by the presence of gender stereotypes, sexism, misogyny and hate speech, which is conducive to increased violence against women in politics.
Zelenika also agreed with these claims, explaining that women fought for the right to vote in 1941. This has been archived in the documents of the Supreme Headquarters of the People’s Liberation Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia, which at that time had power in the territories liberated from Nazi occupation.
According to Zelenika, our ancestors’ struggle was reduced to the use of women as cannon fodder and shock absorbers for the mass that follows a strong man’s hand and spits in a woman’s hair. In addition, she also recalled the case of Darija Kisić Tepavčević in the midst of the expansion of the COVID-19 virus, the previous general elections in BiH, and comments on the physical appearance of Željka Cvijanović. She also referred to the comments made about Jelena Trivić, Dušanka Majkić, Bisera Turković, and other prominent female political figures.
Aleksandar Stojanović, a long-standing and prominent political journalist, said that although it often presents itself differently, our society is still much more mature than many western and “democratic” societies.
“For example, the USA and France cannot boast of having a female president, but the Republika Srpska may get a third one. I would not like the topic of women in politics to be unnaturally forced, as, for example, in the USA, because that is underestimating women and belittling their abilities,” said Stojanović.
According to Stojanović, when talking about opportunities for women, they legally have a chance, and these 42 percent of women mentioned above say that they used it.
“Who will win the elections is not a question of gender, but of political ability. Personally, I think that many women are more capable than most men, but the question here is who are these women who enter politics and for what reasons. It’s the same with men. If everything goes as it should, I think they have the same chance as men. And I hope that some women will not be dishonorable like many men in politics, and that they will not give anyone a reason to approach them in a primitive or misogynistic way,” Stojanović emphasized.
Stojanović also stated that the fact that 42 percent of the total number of candidates in the upcoming elections are women breaks the mantra that is “imposed on us by outsiders.”
“Nevertheless, we should not reduce it to mere statistics. In the Republika Srpska, women from the two strongest parties hold two positions (President of the Republika Srpska and Serbian member of the BiH Presidency). Borjana Krišto is also a candidate for a member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina from the Croatian people. So, hypothetically, we could have two women in the BiH Presidency, while in Srpska, the president could be a woman. I think that says a lot,” Stojanović concluded.

author: Neda Vukadin


text:
“The Love Tales” and “MIR” – Shifting Creative Boundaries and Social Narratives | Balkan Diskurs
Balkan Diskurs
October 2nd, 2022
In honor of International Peace Day, the Post-Conflict Research Center (PCRC) opened the exhibition “The Love Tales,” which presents a photo-story about multi-ethnic relationships and marriages from different cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In addition, PCRC launched MIR [Peace] Magazine, a platform which enables young people to push creative and social boundaries in our country.
“The Love Tales” exhibition was set up in the History Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The exhibition focuses on 10 multi-ethnic couples from BiH and presents their life stories, which were recorded by youth correspondents from PCRC’s multimedia platform Balkan Diskurs. The photography in the exhibition is the works of Mitar Simikić and Armin Durgut, and its launch was organized within the Manifesta 14 Western Balkans Project.
Velma Šarić, founder and president of PCRC, said that “The Love Tales” – some of which can be found in MIR Magazine – are a way of working together with young people from across BiH to break down stereotypes about love between people from different ethnic and religious groups.
Šarić noted that BiH was like a microcosm of the former Yugoslavia, with a mixed marriage rate of 37 percent. According to Šarić, statistical data shows that nowadays, only six percent of marriages are multi-ethnic.
Maja Gasal-Vražalica, whose story is included in the “The Love Tales,” said that in BiH, people talk about various minorities determined by nationality, ethnicity, and sexual orientation; however, no one talks about another minority – people in ethnically and religiously mixed relationships. She thanked the entire PCRC team for portraying her and her husband’s story in a sensitive and clear way with both the images and text.
She recalled the time of former Yugoslavia, when her parents were happier as a mixed couple. When she compares it with the current situation in BiH, she feels that both she and her son, as the child of an ethnically mixed marriage, are “less accepted.”
“There are four of us in the photo – my son, the cat, my husband, and I. I guarantee that the four of us are a small Bosnia and Herzegovina. But we are condemned as such and even stigmatized as people without an identity, because we don’t label ourselves. I’m happy to take part in these discussions and say that we are more Bosnian than the majority of ethnically and religiously clean marriages,” said Gasal-Vražalica.
The photographer, Mitar Simikić, thanked PCRC for engaging him in this project. He emphasized that in the course of this work, he gained new friends and incredible experience from not only traveling across BiH but spending time with the people he photographed in their homes. He is even more grateful because he himself comes from a mixed family.
“The Love Tales” are featured in MIR Magazine, which includes the stories of 33 young authors who are correspondents of the Balkan Diskurs.
“Young people are the backbone of peace. We are doing this for them. For nine years, we have had a program called Balkan Diskurs, through which we have trained over 250 people. Many of them still write for us. And some of their articles are in front of you today, in MIR Magazine,” said Šarić. She emphasized that the magazine, which is published in Bosnian and English, presents stories about both domestic and international organizations, cultural heritage, and everything that transcends limits both in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the Western Balkans.
Azra Berbić, a lawyer, activist, and one of the authors of “The Love Tales,” said that these stories leave a positive overall impression, and are not sugar coated, but presented as they are.
“We contacted more than 50 couples throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, and ultimately interviewed 21 couples. During the whole process, from research and field work to writing the stories, many of these couples left Bosnia and Herzegovina because of prejudices and stereotypes, that is, what we live with in Bosnia and Herzegovina today. We tend not to accept families like these, unfortunately,” said Berbić.
The stories included couples from both larger cities and smaller communities, and it was particularly interesting to Berbić that it was easier to find ethnically mixed couples in Banja Luka than in Tuzla, which is considered the most open city in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The reason, she explained, is that mixed couples in Tuzla do not want to identify themselves by this label, while in Banja Luka, they go out together.
Mirnes Bakija, a journalist, activist, and author of “The Love Tales,” said that working on these stories was important to him because they showcase people who are truly together out of love. He was particularly impressed by the story of a couple from Sarajevo whose neighbors helped the bride to go outside in her wedding dress during the war, as well as two people with disabilities whose parents didn’t approve of their marriage. He also worked on other stories, some of which focused on small businesses. Considering that a large number of young people are leaving Bosnia and Herzegovina because they don’t see any prospects here, Bakija said that young people should be offered the opportunity to prove themselves, as well as learn and better themselves.
Kristina Gadže, the PCRC’s project assistant and author of several MIR Magazine articles, said that since 2017, she has been working on stories about ordinary people.
“I learned more about people and multi-ethnic marriages through ‘The Love Tales’ project. In a way, this is an intimate project for me. I found my interviewees through their children who are socially active and unprejudiced patriots who truly love this country. They are all educated children. It was fascinating to me how many prejudices they face, from filling in ordinary documents to education,” said Gadže.
It was a challenge for to find couples in Herzegovina, that is, in Ljubuški, because the communities there are more closed and patriarchal.
Gadže said that journalism is a tool that can be used in creative ways to deal with different topics, and art is only one part of the idea, that is, the beginning. “I am glad that Balkan Diskurs correspondents from different parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina were involved [in the creation of MIR Magazine] and that through their engagement they questioned social issues,” said Gadže.
Dino Abazović, a professor in the Faculty of Political Sciences at the University of Sarajevo, said that crucially, during the breakup of the former Yugoslavia, we saw that that the first victims of “ethnic cleansing” were inter-national, i.e. inter-religious marriages. He also recalled the fierce media debates from 1993 when it comes to mixed marriages, which he says he does not even want to remember.
“In the former Yugoslavia, Vojvodina had the largest number of mixed marriages, not Bosnia and Herzegovina which, based on the nature of things, should have the largest number. And this is due to the ideological narrative at the time, which did not have that kind of interventionism, neither benevolent nor unbeneficial, but opened up the possibility of merging cultures and so on,” said Abazović.
He also referred to the processes of restructuring inter-ethnic relations in post-conflict societies and emphasized the need to see inter-ethnic relations as normal in order to form a prosperous society.
Elma Hodžić from the History Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina discussed the work of the museum, connecting the issue of history with the issue of identity. “The History Museum was formed from the transformation of the Museum of the Revolution, and this transformation is largely connected with the context in which we act and work today,” said Hodžić. She explained that since 2012, the History Museum has changed its policy and has started to adhere to multiple identity positions in which it is located as an institution. She continues that this means that one cannot make a surgical cut from what the museum used to be, but instead questions the legacy of socialism from which the museum was born and uses the connection of both the past and the present.
Fermin Cordoba, representative of the European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina, addressed the audience, emphasizing the commitment of the European Union (EU) to building peace and stability, which is a prerequisite for the integration of BiH and the region into the EU. According to him, the EU’s commitment to the country’s peace and stability manifests in several ways. In addition to negotiating with representatives of the government and political parties to find solutions, they provide support to local communities and significant civil society initiatives.
The opening of the exhibition “The Love Tales” and the presentation of MIR Magazine were organized as part of the Western Balkans project “Manifesta 14” in Priština.

created: October 2nd, 2022


text:
Europe’s Double-Standard: Implications of the Disparity of Refugee Policy in Ukraine, Bosnia, and Syria By Natalie Larsen | Balkan Diskurs
Natalie Larsen
October 7th, 2022
This prevalence of Islamophobia in Bosnia and in EU refugee policy prompts questions about change and reform, especially given the imminent need to respond to modern conflicts affecting Muslims.
The 2022 Ukrainian War and refugee surge prompted EU policy that welcomes Ukrainians but contradicts EU responses to Bosnian and Syrian refugees in 1992 and 2012. This double-standard towards non-Muslims and Muslims suggests a continuity in Islamophobic sentiments over the last 30 years.
Since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022, Ukrainians have been subjected to violence and war crimes on a massive scale, with the New Lines Institute even concluding that “there exists a serious risk of genocide” within Ukraine (Diamond, 2022). This horrific violence and destruction has led to the displacement of nearly 15 million Ukrainians (8 million internally and about 7 million refugees), making this the worst year on record of forcible displacement (Karasapan, 2022).
In response to this tragedy and the resultant surge of Ukrainian refugees, European countries opened their borders and implemented policies to grant Ukrainian refugees asylum – notably, the Temporary Protection Directive.
While created in 2001 following the conflicts in former Yugoslavia, the Temporary Protection Directive was activated for the first time this year in response to the Ukrainian War. The Temporary Protection Directive grants refugees many of the same living and working rights as EU citizens, including a residence permit for the entire duration of their protection and access to employment, accommodation, social welfare, medical care, education, and free movement through the EU (European Commision, 2022).
With the start of the Bosnian War 30 years prior, approximately 1.3 million Bosnian refugees fled to Western Europe, escaping destruction, sexual violence, and genocide, much as Ukrainians are doing today (Barslund et al., 2017). However, Western European countries only granted Bosnian refugees initial temporary residency, limited access to labor and education, limited integration measures, and limited financial support (Barslund et al., 2017). In the Dayton Agreement which ended the Bosnian War, European countries prioritized measures to return refugees to Bosnia and Herzegovina despite persisting ethnic tensions and economic difficulties in the country (Barslund et al., 2017).
While the conflicts in both Ukraine and Bosnia featured extreme levels of violence and created influxes of refugees, these countries received unequal responses from European refugee policy. In considering the reason for this disparate treatment, one cannot help but notice the differing religious demographics – while Ukraine is a majority Christian state, Bosnia is predominately Muslim.
Professor Mehnaz Afridi, the Director of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Interfaith Education Center at Manhattan College, views “temporary protection for the Ukrainians as a double standard.” She acknowledges a geopolitical motivation for Europe, suggesting “the reason the international community has done so much for Ukraine is that their real nervousness is about Russia and Russia’s power in that region, because Russia could spread back into Ukraine, usurping Ukraine and potentially other parts of Eastern Europe.”
However, in addition to this geopolitical factor, Afridi attributes the double standard to Islamophobic sentiments within Western Europe. “There is this fear of people letting in Muslims because they are perceived as connected to extremism, violence,” she said. “When Muslims suffer,” Afridi observes, “there’s less of an open door.”
Since the Bosnian War, other Muslim groups have similarly experienced Europe’s “closed door.” With the escalation of the Syrian War in 2012, there were nearly 12 million refugees under the UNHCR Mandate (UNHCR, 2012). While Europe accepted one million Syrian refugees, the majority have only been afforded an international protection status—the Temporary Protection Directive was not activated (UNHCR, 2021).
Contrary to the provisions of the Temporary Protection Directive, an international protection status only provides limited access to residence permits, travel documents, employment, education, social welfare, healthcare, and accommodation (European Commission, 2022). These rights are further compromised as European countries increase the pressure on refugees to return to Syria, despite the dangers of the ongoing war and unsafe conditions for return. Even though these problems in Syria persist, European efforts to classify Syria as a safe country are on the rise, with countries such as Denmark even revoking some refugees’ residency permits (Sly, 2021).
While the West certainly treated Bosnian refugees differently from how they are treating Ukrainian refugees today, Bosnian Muslims experience Islamophobia distinctly from their Arab Muslim counterparts.
Islamophobia is rooted in misperceptions of Muslims, including flawed stereotypes and misguided associations with extremism and violence. While “people see Muslims as Oriental, Asiatic-African, mostly Arab,” Middle Eastern Arabs actually make up “only 20% of the global Muslim population,” Afridi revealed. “People don’t know that Muslims are Europeans,” she explains. “There’s stereotyping of what Muslims are, where they live, how they live, and that has been inflated since 9/11.”
Because of these false perceptions, Arab Muslims, including Syrians, are assumed to be violent and dangerous. “There’s very little done to help them and let them in the country because of the fear of who they are.” Facing this religious discrimination and Islamophobia, Arab Muslims receive different and unequal aid compared to non-Muslims.
“Islamophobia in Bosnia is not the same as Islamophobia in Europe,” explained Hikmet Karčić, a Sarajevo-based genocide scholar and author of Torture, Humiliate, Kill: Inside the Bosnian Serb Camp System, “because Bosniaks here are local Europeans.” Like other Europeans, Bosnian Muslims are fair-skinned and dress in Western fashions. Since they do not fit into the Muslim stereotype, Bosniaks are do not face the same discrimination and presumptions as Arab Muslims who are conceptualized as an essentially foreign and extremist threat to the West. Nevertheless, Bosnian Muslims still encounter Islamophobia, evident through genocide denial starting during the Bosnian War and persisting still today.
During the Bosnian War, “Islamophobia or anti-Muslim bigotry was one of the reasons Muslims were targeted in the first place,” said Karčić, noting that these anti-Muslim sentiments continue still 30 years later after the end of the war. “To some extent, Islamophobia has a lot to do with genocide denial itself to this day.”
Calling the genocide ‘ethnic cleansing’ allowed Western countries to ignore the fact that these crimes were specifically committed against Muslims. “It wasn’t ‘ethnic cleansing,’” Afridi emphasized. “It was really about killing Bosniaks.”
Additionally, with the terminology of ‘ethnic cleansing’ Western countries justified their noninvolvement in the war. “If you use the term ‘genocide,’ you’re obliged to intervene according to the UN Convention,” said Karčić, “but if you use a new term such as ‘ethnic cleansing,’ then you don’t have to intervene because it’s not genocide.”
Today, according to the 2020 European Islamophobia Report, Bosnians still experience Islamophobia, generated predominantly by Bosnian Serb politicians, media, and academia. This Islamophobia is evident in education, where war criminals are celebrated in public schools and Bosniaks are denied the opportunity to study the Bosnian language in Republika Srpska. In politics, Bosnian Serb authorities use Islamophobic rhetoric, especially to mobilize voters during election season, creating videos with derogatory portrayals of Bosniaks. Bosnian Serb leaders such as Milorad Dodik, for instance, frequently make baseless claims about the threat of “Islamic terrorism” in the country. In the media, Islamophobia also often manifests in the form of fake news falsely associating Bosniaks with terrorism (European Islamophobia Report, 2021).
The disparity between Europe’s policy response to Ukrainian refugees and its response to Bosnian and Syrian refugees reveals an Islamophobic attitude that has remained consistent for over 30 years.
Given the prevalence of anti-Muslim violence in many parts of the world, such as against the Uighurs in China and the Rohingya in Myanmar, Afridi stresses the importance of taking action to curb future conflict and ensure Muslims receive aid. “If we stand idly by when there’s genocide against Muslims, we have to know that there is a future and a cycle of memory.”
To combat Islamophobia, Afridi suggests that non-Muslims and Muslims engage in dialogue to gain a greater understanding of one another and debunk Islamophobic stereotypes and perceptions. “Religion is also about cultural understanding, cultural sensitivity, diversity, and interfaith alliances,” she said. Through building an understanding of other religions, people can also develop empathy and perspective to work together and live peacefully with members of other groups.
In light of its global political and economic power, the EU is uniquely positioned both to accommodate displaced people and to combat Islamophobia. In an official statement, the EU stated its intent to “guarantee high standards of protection for refugees,” indicating a desire to help those facing violence from around the world (EU, 2022). Since the adoption of the 1951 Refugee Convention, the first European act to provide asylum to international refugees, European countries have undertaken reforms and created new policies to strengthen their refugee policy. This includes the 2001 Temporary Protection Direction following the Bosnian conflict, as well as 2016-2017 legislation and the establishment of the European Union Asylum Agency which was intended to increase equality and fairness in refugee policy in response to the influx of Syrian refugees during that period (EU, 2022).
Despite these reforms and successes, there is a great deal of potential within the EU to further improve its refugee policy and ensure the same status and rights to all refugees regardless of religion. By recognizing and fighting Islamophobia, Europe can help break the cycle of religious inequality and set the world on the right track to combatting violence against Muslims and promoting interfaith peace.

created: October 7th, 2022

author: Natalie Larsen