Reisul-ulema: Let us reject the delusions that we will be saved by bowing our heads to evil!

(Patria) - We are obliged, for the sake of our children, but also for the sake of all of humanity, to uncover the truth and bring it to light: so that it serves as a warning, so that it bears witness to the effects of a darkened mind, filled with hatred, and we will do so, God willing - said the Reisul-ulema of the Islamic Community (IZ) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Husein-ef. Kavazović, today in Kamičani.

Reisul-ulema Kavazović led the funeral prayer for two victims of war crimes with elements of genocide in Prijedor and the Sana Valley in 1992, and on this occasion addressed thousands of attendees.

"July is a month of sorrow and painful memories in our lives and in the collective memory of our people. Were we not just nine days ago at a similar gathering, paying tribute to the victims of the genocide in Srebrenica with the same cosmic pain, and then remembering the crimes at Godinjske bare, in Pilica, Sanski Most, Ključ, Prijedor...

The list of places where criminals and murderers killed us is long. Today we are here, at the cemetery in Kozarac, and before us are the remains of innocently killed people. Yet, today we feel relief, because we have found their bodies, we are praying for them, and we are erecting tombstones. This has been the case all these difficult years," said the Reisul-ulema.

He emphasized that commemorating past events, especially tragic ones, is not an end in itself, but rather aims to refresh memory and affirm values, to convey a lesson or a warning.

"We have gathered here again today to perform the funeral prayer, to bury more victims of criminal hands. Even today, thirty-one years later, we are searching for the remains of another 600 brutally murdered people from this place, because we are unable to find their earthly remains! Why? Because those who killed them are silent about their crimes," said the Reisul-ulema.

He added that "this truth sounds terrifying, just as the truth that the criminals tried to hide the traces of their crime, that they attacked the already killed several more times: they dismembered them and moved them from one place to another."

"We recently buried thirty people killed in the genocide in Srebrenica - only two skeletons were complete; all the others had one or only a few bones! At the core of our strong desire to find all our murdered loved ones lies the truth, as vast as fate, in which the conscience of the commanders, witnesses, and perpetrators remains as hope.

We hope for God's mercy and neighborly duty and a return to reason. Although, the voices we hear around us threaten terribly that they would not hesitate to repeat everything," the Reisul-ulema emphasized in his address.

He appealed to "those honorable among our Orthodox Serbs to inform us if they know anything about the locations where the remains of our innocently killed brothers and sisters are located."

"We will not forget them. Today, we are just as sad as in previous years, and equally mournful. Brothers and sisters, we must cope with this pain, we must be patient and fight; and walk with dignity. As believers, it is our duty to do so. But, it is also our duty to pursue the villains, to do everything to bring them to justice and make them accountable for their evil deeds. We are all obliged to engage in this and do what we can," said Reisul-ulema Husein-ef. Kavazović.

The Reisul-ulema assessed that we live in a time full of challenges, and on this occasion, he issued a call "to stand in one row, to be vigilant, and to become even better acquainted with the values of our faith."

"This has special significance today, because we are currently exposed to an aggression of anti-values and we need to find a way to protect ourselves. Today, from Kozarac, as before from Srebrenica, I call on the political leaders of our people for unity and to protect all our peoples from new worries and suffering. Let us look together today at these white tombstones and rise above our fatal selfishness and conceit, let us reject quarrels and delusions that we will be saved by bowing our heads to evil," emphasized the Reisul-ulema.

He also called to serve "God in order to be freed from slavery to people."

"Let us be considerate, diligently fulfill our duties and commitments, put aside quarrels and disputes, care for one another, with goodwill and benevolence, and respect God's word. By doing so, we will protect ourselves from new aggression and preserve our strength and vitality. Let us not lose hope in God's mercy and the strength of our people. With difficulty comes ease, and relief follows hardship. May Allah, the Exalted, bring that time closer," the Reisul-ulema Kavazović stated at the martyrs' funeral.

In the end, he recited a prayer: "Merciful God, our Creator, Who loves all people, we thank You for the blessings of life, land, and faith, and for making us sons and daughters of this noble land of Bosnia. Amen! We implore You, Merciful God, to bestow upon us strong faith, which opens our hearts, to live in love and harmony, and not to forget our brothers and sisters who have preceded us in faith and in good deeds.

Amen! Our God, bestow upon us unquenchable hope in Your mercy and help, and enable us to always recognize the fulfillment of Your promise. Amen! Open our hearts to mutual forgiveness, and make us instruments of reconciliation among people. Amen! Receive into Your Paradise all good people, especially the innocent victims and martyrs. Amen!

Help us to work together and care for our land of Bosnia and our home, which You have graciously given to all of us, to be the apple of our eye. Amen! Our Lord, make us Your servants and witnesses of Your boundless love for all of us, especially for the displaced and refugees, widows and orphans, the poor and the sick.

Amen! Merciful God, convey our greetings to our martyrs and inform them that we remember them with love and longing. And make their comfort even greater. Amen, O Lord of the worlds."