Organized by the Islamic Community of Bosniaks in Denmark, the event “Remembrance of the victims of the genocide in Srebrenica” was held in the town of Tonder, which brought together a large number of citizens, representatives of institutions, religious officials and members of the Bosnian diaspora from different parts of Denmark, reports mina.ba.
The program began with the ceremonial unveiling of the “Flower of Srebrenica” monument, a symbol of memory for more than 8,000 Bosniaks killed in the genocide committed in July 1995.
In addition to numerous guests, the reisul-ulema of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina Husein-ef attended the event. Kavazovic.
Muhamed Jusić, director of the Directorate for Foreign Affairs and Diaspora of the Islamic Community Rijaset, then Mufti for Western Europe Senaid-ef Kobilica, Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Kingdom of Denmark Anesa Kundurović Mijak, representative in the National Assembly of the entity RS Ramiz Salkić, and Dr. Fatima Klempić-Dautbašić and Hamed Bektić, surviving witnesses of the genocide.
Reisul-ulema Husein-ef. Kavazović emphasized that remembering Srebrenica is a moral and human obligation of all generations, stressing that the truth about the genocide must be preserved and passed on to future generations.
“The memory of the genocide in Srebrenica must not remain only an annual commemoration, but must be embedded in the foundations of society – through educational programs that will transmit the truth for generations, through laws that will prevent its denial and through institutions that will ensure that crimes are never relativized or justified. If we want a world in which justice and peace will not be passing ideals, but permanent values, we must build them on unquestionable truth,” said reisul-ulema Kavazović.
He added that forgetting is a great danger, and that we must learn the lessons of Srebrenica.
“Srebrenica is not just the past, but a warning that we must not ignore. Forgetting is not only an injustice to the dead – it is a threat to the living. The truth is not a burden, but the only path that leads to a fairer and safer world. If we learn the lessons from the genocide in Srebrenica, perhaps its victims did not suffer in vain. Perhaps their innocent sacrifice will illuminate a better future for all of us,” concluded reisul-ulema Kavazović.
Mufti for Western Europe Senaid-ef. Kobilica pointed out the important role of the Bosniak diaspora in nurturing the culture of memory and pointed out that such manifestations are an opportunity to convey the truth about the genocide to the European public.
“All that we see pleases us and will be motivating for the people who lead the community and congregations. The fact that we are here today and that we are unveiling the monument dedicated to the genocide in Srebrenica is an important activity and something that is worth mentioning. All this had to be done and built. Cultivating the culture of genocide memory is important to us mostly for the sake of our generations. We are doing everything to physically tie them to Bosnia and Herzegovina, but we need to provide them with this as well, to connect them to our homeland in this way. This is also important for the Danes, our neighbors, because they know and feel our pain and our memory of the genocide committed in Srebrenica,” said Mufti Kobilic.
Ramiz Salkić spoke about the importance of the institutional fight against denial of genocide and attempts at historical revisionism.
“This is a great day for this country and for our people in Denmark. I would like to thank the Kingdom of Denmark, which has feelings for such things. We must continue to work on the memory of all victims in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and this is one of the ways. The monument that we unveiled today speaks of how important it is to our Bosniaks in Denmark and this country, and to everyone who knows what happened in Srebrenica,” said Salkić.
A survivor of the genocide and one of the organizers of the event, Hamed Bektić, spoke emotionally about the monument, pointing out the importance of remembering the genocide committed against the Bosniaks of Srebrenica.
“I am truly happy that we have celebrated this day. I am pleased with the number of people who came, of course all this shows that we are on the right track and that the memory of the genocide committed in Srebrenica will never fade,” underlined Bektić.
After the ceremonial unveiling of the monument, there was a central manifestation in the Tonder Cultural Center, during which messages were sent to those present about the importance of preserving the truth, the culture of memory and the fight against the denial of genocide.
The Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Denmark, Anesa Kundurović Mijak, emphasized the importance of commemorating the genocide in Srebrenica in European countries, especially at a time when the importance of confronting the past is increasingly being talked about around the world.
“We are here to remember more than eight thousand murdered Srebrenica residents. Their lives were snuffed out as a result of a systematic plan. We are here to show that forgetting is not an option,” Ambassador Mijak reminded.
The president of the Islamic Community of Bosniaks in Denmark, Rašid-ef, also addressed those present. Malagasy.
“Today we gathered here for the twentieth time to pay tribute and remember the genocide in Srebrenica. Srebrenica is not only a geographical place, it is a symbol of suffering and a warning to humanity. It is our duty to preserve the memory of the murdered Bosniaks of Srebrenica. Our children and our community will never forget what happened in Srebrenica,” said the president of the Islamic Community of Bosniaks in Denmark.
The testimony of survivors Hamed Bektić and Dr. Fatima Klempić-Dautbašić gave a special emotional tone to the event, who spoke about war experiences and the importance of preserving the memory of the victims.
In the artistic part of the program, Choir Sabur from Randers performed, while Emir Mujčin performed hymns.
Today’s event in Tonder once again demonstrated the strong connection of the Bosnian diaspora with the homeland and the determination to keep the memory of the victims of the genocide in Srebrenica dignified, truthful and permanent.
