Reisul-ulema Kavazović: The international community must not remain silent in the face of those who try to falsify history

(Patria) - The European Parliament will mark the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide this afternoon, during its plenary session in Strasbourg.

Ahead of the session, the Reisul-ulema of the Islamic Community in BiH, Husein Kavazović, sent a letter to religious leaders and officials around the world, translated into several world languages.

The letter was also delivered to all members of the European Parliament, and the Directorate for Foreign Affairs and Diaspora of the Rijaset of the Islamic Community, along with the letter, also sent the Srebrenica flower to everyone.

We present the full letter from the Reisul-ulema:

"Dear citizens of Europe, of the world, I address you as the religious head of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also as a guardian of the memory of those whose lives were extinguished in one of the darkest wars and crimes of modern history.

I also address you with a sense of deep responsibility, because the way we remember and learn about the committed crime determines the line between civilization and its downfall.

The thirtieth anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, which we are marking these days, is not just a moment of reverence, but also a moment of confronting truth and responsibility. Almost three decades have passed since 8,372 men and boys were killed before the eyes of the world, simply because of their names.

This crime, legally ruled as genocide, does not belong only to the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It belongs to the collective consciousness of humanity, because when justice is extinguished somewhere, the ground is lost from under the feet of all who believe in the dignity of human life.

We are grateful to all those who supported the Resolution on the Srebrenica genocide in the United Nations General Assembly in May last year, which declares July 11 as the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Srebrenica Genocide, as well as to those who recognized the importance of preserving the historical truth about what happened in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s.

Its adoption represents a step towards justice, but its true strength lies in what follows it. Confronting the truth must not be a sporadic act, but a permanent obligation of institutions, legislative bodies, and educational systems.

The Srebrenica genocide must not be reduced to a historical footnote, but must become a fundamental lesson in schools and universities, both in Bosnia and Herzegovina and across Europe and the world.

Only through education and only through a clear understanding of how these crimes originated can we create societies that will not allow their repetition.

Today, as we witness attempts to deny genocide and glorify criminals, the responsibility lies not only with the survivors, nor only with Bosnia and Herzegovina. It belongs to all who believe in the universal values of truth and justice.

Any denial is not just a moral insult to the victims – it is a threat to peace and stability, because the relativization of crime always prepares the ground for its repetition. Therefore, the international community must not remain silent in the face of those who try to falsify history and undermine the foundations of justice.

The remembrance of the Srebrenica genocide must not remain just an annual commemoration, but must be embedded in the foundations of society – through educational programs that will convey the truth to 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 where justice and peace are not fleeting ideals, but lasting values, we must build them on unquestionable truth.

Srebrenica is not just the past, but a warning we must not ignore. Forgetting is not just an injustice to the dead – it is a threat to the living. Truth is not a burden, but the only path that leads to a more just and secure world.

If we learn the lessons from the Srebrenica genocide, perhaps its victims will not have suffered in vain. Perhaps their innocent sacrifice will illuminate a better future for all of us. Sincerely, Reisul-ulema Husein-ef. Kavazović".

As part of the "World Remembers Srebrenica" project of the Directorate for Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, the letter from the Reisul-ulema will be sent to thousands of addresses worldwide, to both political and religious representatives.