The genocide of Muslims in Srebrenica in 1995 is marked this year during 11-16 July 2017. This is the worst atrocity in Europe since World War Two when over 8,000 Muslim men and boys were murdered on account of their Islamic faith. Thousands of women, children and elderly people were forcibly deported and between 20,000-50,000 women were raped.
The British Muslim Forum (BMF) calls on all mosques to remember and honour the victims of the Srebrenica (Bosnia) genocide by holding a special prayer during the Friday sermon on 14th July. Given the alarming rise in anti-Muslim hatred in the recent months, it is more important than ever that we all learn the lessons from this genocide in order to build a safer and more peaceful future for everyone.
The charity Remembering Srebrenica has issued a sermon, prepared by BMF spokesperson Imam Qari Asim MBE, to mosques in Britain to raise awareness about the Srebrenica Genocide and the consequences of hatred and intolerance. Imam Qari Asim said: “There are people who continue to breed hatred, fear and suspicion about the ‘other’ in our own country, in particular since the Manchester Arena and London Bridge attacks we have seen considerable rise in hate crime. Lessons, therefore, must be learnt from Srebrenica to help tackle hatred, racism and intolerance in whatever form and against whoever it may occur in our society.”
In addition, we encourage mosques to hold a special Srebrenica Memorial event during the week from 10th – 16th July, inviting people of all faiths and none, in a display of unity that will send a strong message to those who preach hatred and division.
BMF trustee Maulana Dr Shahid Raza Naeemi OBE said: “The systematic massacre at Srebrenica calls for remembrance and reflection. We cannot forget those who lost their lives and experienced unimaginable pain and suffering for merely being Muslim. There are many lessons to be learnt from this worst atrocity to have taken place in Europe since the Second World War. Hatred kills, and we must stand united against hatred of any kind. We therefore urge mosques to hold multi-faith events to remember the victims of Srebrenica genocide.”
We thank the charity Remembering Srebrenica for their work in helping to build stronger community relations throughout the country.
We pledge never to forget the suffering of the people of Bosnia. Only by doing this can we honour their memory and ensure that future generations can live without fear and hatred.