Europe Betrayed the "Never Again" Pledge After the Holocaust in Srebrenica

-The twentieth century, among other things, will be remembered for the terrible crimes in Europe - the Holocaust against Jews and the genocide against Bosniaks," stated Dr. Mustafa Cerić, emeritus Grand Mufti and President of the World Bosniak Congress, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the infamous Nazi death camp, Auschwitz, reports the Patria News Agency.

Today, the world marks 70 years since the forces of the Soviet Red Army liberated over 200,000 prisoners from the Nazi death camp - Auschwitz. It is believed that between 1940 and 1945, about 1.5 million people were killed in Poland under Nazi rule.

This year also marks the 20th anniversary of the genocide against Bosniaks in and around Srebrenica. The sad anniversary will be marked on July 11 in Potočari with the funeral and burial of identified bodies. Serb military and paramilitary units killed more than 8,000 Bosniaks, from boys to the elderly. Just as in the case of Auschwitz, the perpetrators and those who conceived and ordered the genocide in Srebrenica are known.

After years of searching and millions of dollars in rewards offered for information about him, Ratko Mladić, accused of war crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina, was arrested in 2011. Mladić, under whose command Serb forces killed more than 100,000 people. Mladić, who, among other things, conceived and ordered the genocide in Srebrenica.

"The similarity between Auschwitz and Srebrenica is not only symbolic but also real. I became convinced of this during my visit to that infamous camp in February 2011. It was probably the first time that a Muslim religious leader, the supreme mufti, addressed the survivors of Auschwitz, precisely at the place where they survived unimaginable horrors," says Dr. Cerić, adding:

"I warned then that we must establish what it is that makes some people, who are otherwise 'normal,' hate other people and nations to such an extent that they systematically plan to exterminate them, but also to ask ourselves what about those who help genocide or stand aside and silently watch the crime against innocent people! I emphasized then, and I maintain it now, that we must all learn about the Holocaust and genocide, not only as historical facts but also as a way to introduce our children to the dangers of racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and other examples of human intolerance. We must teach young people to value democracy and human rights, and encourage them to reject hatred, intolerance, and ethnic conflicts, so that the message 'NEVER AGAIN' truly comes to life, so that neither Auschwitz nor Srebrenica ever happen again to anyone!"

Similarly, one of the surviving prisoners of Auschwitz, New York Rabbi Arthur Schneier, spoke at the time, and the following year, 2012, he was the first and only rabbi to attend and address the funeral in Potočari.

Rabbi Schneier emphasized on that occasion that testimonies about crimes must not stop, must not be forgotten, and called on the world to "stand up against injustice, to listen to the cry of the oppressed, and to respond. The silence of the international community... only gives strength to criminals..."

Branko Lustig, a Jew and a renowned world film producer, best testifies to the similarity between the Holocaust crimes in Auschwitz and the genocide in Srebrenica, saying: "Srebrenica is no different from the great genocide that was committed in Auschwitz..."

"Therefore, the victims of genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina today most deeply and sincerely sympathize with the victims of the Holocaust in Auschwitz, and therefore Bosniaks are more than anyone else in the world called upon to voice their condemnation of the Holocaust, to distance themselves from all those who deny the Holocaust in any way, and to call on humanity to recommit to the pledge 'NEVER AGAIN' ('NIKAD VIŠE')", stated Dr. Cerić, emphasizing that "Europe betrayed that pledge in Srebrenica.".

"It is time, now or NEVER, for Europe, but also the whole world, to recommit to that pledge before God and the world, so that our children, our grandchildren, and their descendants do not fear a new genocide, especially from those who have not yet given up denying genocide, from new crimes against humanity. That is what the world must hear today, on this day of remembrance of the Holocaust - he who denies a proven crime of the Holocaust and genocide is ready to commit a new crime against humanity. Therefore, it is the obligation of the united conscience of humanity to prevent him from doing so!", emphasized Dr. Cerić.