THERE IS NO BOSNIA WITHOUT SREBRENICA AND THERE CAN BE NO SREBRENICA WITHOUT BOSNIA

Intervju s Harizom Halilovićem

Abstract

Today by genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina we primarily mean the genocide in Srebrenica, however, genocide is a much more complex issue. Genocide here began with the first act of aggression on Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992 and culminated with harrowing events that took place in July 1995 in Srebrenica. The renowned anthropologist in the field of genocide, Hariz Halilović, a full professor at Melbourne University, in this interview discusses the annual commemoration ceremony for the victims of Srebrenica in a form of Janazah and burial. Halilović here stresses that “Bosniaks and the Islamic Community must not fall into a religious trap of making Srebrenica into some kind of Muslim pilgrimage sight.” Besides this Hariz Halilović here discusses the issue of the identity of refugees, the identity of their offspring in particular those born outside the homeland of their parents. In their path towards the final destination, they learn about Bosnia indirectly, through their parents, thus forming a “broken identity” which surely is one of the consequences of aggression and genocide.