A war torn footballing dream in a horrific 90s conflict.

In the mid 1990’s a young Bosniak Muslim boy roamed the streets of Bosnia trying at any attempt to get a kick of a football dodging bullets and mines in his step. Far from the comfortable lifestyle he now lives today. In between the years 1990-1995, a 10yr old Edin Dzeko and his close family moved into his grandmothers house due to the Nationalist Serb bombardment of Bosniak occupied villages all of which was part of a ethnic cleansing programme headed by Ratko Mladic which aimed at targeting Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims) in particular. Many Bosniaks fled their villages as well as the populous capital city of Sarajevo, not knowing when or where a bomb or gunfire would come from and kill them.
Dzeko and his large family continued life in the one bedroom flat of his grandmothers house which could barely afford 3 meals a day. A situation similar to thousands upon thousands of Bosniaks and Croats during the conflict which later became a genocide or ''ethnic cleansing''.

Bosniaks arguably suffered the most

 This was a bloody conflict which tore the lives of many apart and killed thousands upon thousands of Muslims, yet it could be said in some ways that Edin was ‘one of the lucky ones’.
Rather than dwelling on the conflict torn past of his country which as left visible scars on todays Bosnian society Dzeko now preaches unity and tolerance among the youngsters of Bosnia now that the war is over in order to bring peace amongst the Serbian, Bosnian and Croat communities and build the bridges that were never there when he was a child. In a country where some schools are still seperated due to fear of tension between ethnic groups Edin (a unicef ambassador) aims to heal the wounds left by the war.
''I try to do something to make change’ Dzeko told Sportsmail. ‘I tend to go into schools in Bosnia, where there is still much to do'
‘Many of the schools are divided. It’s like two schools in one, with the Bosnian on one side and the Croats on the other.
‘I go there to try to persuade them to come together and mix, because the war led to mistrust and hate, so things are difficult.
‘I try to show the children that it’s not important what their name is or my name is or whether we are Muslim, Christian or Catholic.
‘I want to show them that the most important thing is that you’re a good man or a good woman.
‘Look at Aleksandar. What is important to me is that somebody is a good man, and he is a good man.

Edin and Aleksander show that old tensions don't have to remain

‘It’s not important if he comes from Serbia, despite what happened between the countries. It doesn’t matter if he is from Croatia or Ghana or Bosnia or England. All I care about is the individual.’
Nowadays known as the 'diamant' in Bosnia it was not always easy to learn the traits of his talent as a youngster. Between dodging bombs Edin would get his fair share of a kickabout with his mates. However one day this all came to an abrupt end when he was playing in a field and his mother instinctively called him in. Just seconds after he had cried and put up an argument with his mother…a bomb exploded on the exact place he was playing. Many of his friends in that incident were not so lucky. His mother Belma’s decision to force her son indoors saved his life literally. 
‘With children it’s always easy,’  Edin said. ‘They are very important and we have to show them that. If somebody wants to take my photo or have an autograph then I will always try to do it.’
Speaking about their personal experience in the 2nd biggest atrocity in Europe since the Holocaust, Dzeko and his mother have gone on to say:
‘My gut feeling saved my son’s life,’ Belma said. Nowadays Edin rarely speaks about the conflict, it seems as though he has cut himself of from all memories. And who would blame him. During an interview he said:
‘My childhood is in the past now, It was hard but I was not the only one to go through it.
‘In Bosnia it was war between the ages of 6 and 10 for me, so it was hard to go out and do anything or live a normal life.
‘But I was young, it’s over now and I don’t want to speak too much about it.
‘After war was finished I was able to play football again.
‘My father Midhat took me to the club [Zeljeznicar] every day for weeks as we didn’t have enough money for constant taxis.
‘I am close to my parents, of course, as everything I have done is because of them. They went through a lot for me and they are most important for me.
‘They were here last week and came to the Notts County game, so they saw me score and that made me happy.
As he is keen to mention in this interview conducted by sportsmail (google source), Edin's story is not unique. It is hard to find a family in Bosnia or through the Bosnian diaspora who do not have a horrible recount of some related tragedy through the war. Men and young boys were lined up by the nationalist Serbian 'forces' and shot dead, some families lost all their male members. The ethnic cleansing claimed the life of thousands of Muslim boys and girls and men and women who were too systematically raped in camps eerily similar to those used during the Nazi atrocities in the holocaust. The only difference is, all this occurred in the 90s not the 40s. Families were torn apart. In many instances UN safe camps were set up for Bosniaks to go and stay and they were promised that they would be kept safe from Serb soldiers. The most famous of this case being srebrenica disaster. Just this July was the anniversary of the war and Srebrenica disaster. This year alone many bodies were uncovered and the remains were finally put to rest peacefully by the families of the people. Bosnia still lives today with the scars of this disaster.
2014 update: Since I originally wrote this post in 2010, some more mass graves have been uncovered in various parts of Bosnia, in some cases holding up to 100s of corpses.

Ain't nothing better than a good ole' literary story...

It’s been a while since I read a book by an author that made me want to trawl through the seams of Amazon search results to find others written by the same writer. Carlos Ruiz Zafon, is one of those traditional authors, you know the sort that make you want to stay gripped onto the pages of the book whilst his powerful writing technique guides you through the dizzying twists and unbeknown turns of a novel set in the early-mid twentieth century. He is one of those unusual authors of modern day who incorporates the traditional elements of literature: the haunting Gothic mystery, the passion of young love seemingly complimented by a captivating narrative, whilst he also aims to the highly critical modern day market sprinkling in drops of fantasy and magic, that nowadays seem a paramount aspect of novels that ‘’make it big’’.

My journey into Zafon’s world of a Barcelona with cobbled streets, hidden antique bookshops, shadowy figures from fantasy stories, mysteriously disappearing authors and a politically entrenched Catalan society, began more than 2 years ago with my first purchase being ‘the shadow of the wind’. From the first page of the story which described the sky of Catalonia being overtaken by the sun like ‘liquid copper’, Zafon struck me as a different author. One that unlike many of our day was committed to providing the reader with a traditionally rich, atmospheric imagery, allowing them to truly sense the Barcelona he was portraying. This vivid imagery is present in all of Zafon’s novels that I have read, and is an aspect of his writing that never fails to engross me into the pages of his stories.

Another trait of Zafon’s novels is their historical significance. Although being literary fiction, each of his works is filled with references to the historical time period in which the tales are set, giving the reader a historical context which is portrayed in a lightly humoured notion through the character of: Fermin Romero De Torres, a essentially comedy centered character full of crude wit, who is pragmatically a symbol of republican/socialist struggle in the cemetery of forgotten books cycle. In the 3^rd installment of this cycle of stories we see the historical theme more embedded than ever, as Carlos transports us to the political jails of the fascist regime who kept everyone from authors and the common ‘rebel’ locked up to as to eradicate existence from a increasingly controlled Spanish society. Despite being works of fiction, it is still possible to gain some sort of historical understanding from fiction such as this. As 'To kill a mockingbird' is a reflection of early 19th century race relations in the US, 'Oliver Twist and Great expectations' are set in the cobbles of Victorian England and Bronte's 'wuthering heights' is a reflection of British Yorkshire, Ruiz Zafon could someday be the author renown for his stories centered in Fascist Spain. 

 From Senor Barcelo to Sempere the bookshop, to the troubled, fire stricken, faceless author Julian Carax, the hugely witty Fermin and of course the protagonist Daniel, you can’t help but feel an attachment to the characters in Zafon’s novels. They truly are characters that will stay with you forever as you read all the books in the cycle, you end up making links from one book to another, links you would never have thought, making the plots of the series as a whole, one of great complexity, yet one simple enough to keep you wanting more. Another incredible factor in the series by Zafon is the freedom to read the cycle of books, following the life, love and tribulations of Daniel from the very beginning of his life,  following and piecing the jigsaw of his life backwards or simply starting from the middle with ‘the angels game’ and following the creative writing processes of David Martin

and his nemesis Correlli. Whichever way you decide to read this cycle of books, one thing is certain, like every captivating series writing author, everything will tie together at the end like the final piece being put into a seemingly difficult jigsaw puzzle to which you were also required to find the pieces. The beauty with Carlos Ruiz Zafon however is that you could start by finding two pieces of jigsaw in one book and ten in another but still managing to capture the complete image, all depending on how you decide to approach the cycle.

To conclude, this is 21^st century literature at it’s finest, with this particular cycle of books being suitable for both young adults and adults. Zafon has also written a range of novellas for the younger child reader, a prominent one I read recently being ‘the watcher in the shadows’-full to the brim with fantasy, fear, a mysterious toymaker and his never to be seen wife, rooms filled with eerie dolls, flying automobiles and some ghostly doppelgangers the story follows two young children Ismael and Irene in a dangerous adventure they are caught up in. Although they weren’t originally written in English, don’t let this put you off as I can tell you the translations are utterly beautiful. His next novel to be released in the UK is a break from the shadow of the wind cycle and is the Spanish bestseller ‘Marina’ a gothic novel which I am extremely excited for. So as you can tell, I have bucket loads of praise for Carlos Ruiz Zafon as a writer and would recommend you to read his novels if you like a good ole’ story. I started by reading ‘The shadow of the wind’. If you have already read the/a novel by this author, please do share with me your opinions of it, via leaving me a message on here or on twitter/tumblr/the student room. If you are going to read it after this, again you can let me know what you think of it.

Eva Peron, the face of Argentina

''Evita'', they lovingly called her. Hundreds and thousands of mourners following her adorned coffin on the streets of Argentina. But who was she? After reading much about popular South American figures such as Che Guevara, Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez, I was intrigued to discover another figure intertwined with the socialist politics and revolutionary blood of Latin America, a woman who was in touch with the majority of the Hispanic population, who's philanthropic gestures sent calls to the vatican for her to be canonized (sainted).
Eva Peron, sounds like a ready made name full of power, airing revolution to some, yet her physical portrayal is of elegance yet a tough stature. Yet she was almost like the sweetheart of Argentina, their version of Princess Diana. Growing up in a family of illegitamacy and a family in deep poverty, Eva traveled to Buenos Aires to make a name for herself as an actress and a radio star, her most popular radio impersonation being that of the mistress of Napoleon Bonaparte. However it was her acts of 1944 that propelled her as a household name in Argentina. She married popular politician Juan Peron. Together they were to make a formidable couple, touching the hearts of the nation and introducing the ever popular ideology of Peronism into the Latin continent.
Eva was the first political wife to make an appearance in public with her politican husband and in 1946 she was an avid election campaigner alongside her husband, attending speeches, rallies, loyalty poured out from her. Through her position she met highly influential figures and heads of states, she used these opportunities of meeting the Pope and the Prince of Monoco, to reach out to the people of her country. On one famous incident she declared of her husbands presidency ''we are fighting to have less rich people and less poor people''. Although critiscised for her fashion sense by Europeans, Eva now became 'Evita' to more adoring Argentinians who hoped for more social welfare support from the now influential lady who was once a poverty stricken youngster herself.
After her husband's election, Evita became a strong advocate for women's rights and shortly after gaining her posiiton a bill was passed to give women the vote. This not only escalated Evita's popularity amongst the poor in the nation but also amongst the entire continent amongst women who related to her and adored her, believing they had Evita to thank for the historic developments.
Following this Evita only gained more popularity with her followers as she devoted herself to the setting up of the ''Eva Peron foundation'' which provided social help to the less fortunate providing charitable works such as the provision of shoes, cooking pots and sewing machines. It is said that Evita worked 20 hours a day at the foundation putting every ounce of effort into the running, distribution and help, never forgetting her roots, this maintenance continued up until her dieing days despite doctor's warnings about her health deteriorating.
Close before she tragically passed away Eva wished to become vice president alongside her president husband, she certainly had the support to do so from the Argentine public, however pressure from the upper classes in the country and the military combined with the factor of her own health deteriorating quashed her desires.
Eva had been diagnosed with cancer and her health was worse for wear at the time she wished to become vice president. In 1952, she recieved the ''spiritual leader of the nation'' award, confirming to the public that their idiolised Argentine sweetheart was dying. The nation subsequently prepared for it's loss and shortly after, Evita died aged just 33 leaving her joint Peronist legacy (Kristina Kirchner is now a Peronist)  in both social life and political runnings. Her funeral was attended by hundreds of thousands and her body displayed skilfully embalmed for a while. However after a military coup by opposition to her husband's regime her body was removed and spent years in an unknown place. However the body was eventually recovered in Spain with blows to the head, back, face and knee, Juan Peron's 3rd wife then repatriated the body back to Argentina and now lies fortified.
To conclude, Eva Peron was a humanitarian angel to Argentinians who viewed her as a 'saint' due to her contributions to the poor in society and her efforts and help towards social justice and womens rights. There are stories of her stopping her presidential limousine and helping stranded poverty stricken women on the street, and even of her handing out money quite recklessly as some would suggest. However it's fair to say that Eva was genuinly concerned with the social state of her country and wanted to help people like herself in any way possible. But, was there any political motive? And why to some have such a intrigue with Evita and
her actions? Perhaps it's the fact like so many revolutionary figures she died young-like Che Guevara.

Hugo Chavez, Latin America's socialist warrior or anti western tyrant?

Hugo Chavez, a now widely recognized face of Latin socialism uttered his last (potentially pragmatically symbolic) words on the fifth of March 2013. 'I don't want to die'. With stark similarity to left wing anti capitalist hero to many, Che Guevara, it is slightly ironic to how the two died, both seeming to inhabit in them a hard fighters Hispanic spirit which guided them firm to their aims throughout their iconic yet plausibly controversial lives. But what is it that made Hugo Chavez in particular a household name as a hero for many yet a anti Western, raving mad, conspiracy theorist to others?

First let us take a look at his 'hero' side, a side that interested me from the start. How many heads of states do we see in the modern day handing out relief packages to the poor (and so many of them) to the extent that Chavez did? Born into a relatively poverty stricken family himself, it was presumably his own roots that led him to take the stance he stood for in his politics. Chavez's journey to the top of the politics tree wasn't exactly a straightforward one. After a failed coup to oust the then president of Venezuela in 1992, Chavez was imprisoned. He took this opportunity to explain himself on national TV, which enabled him to gain his first loyal followers who sympathized with his situation. After creating secret societies such as the
Movimiento Bolivariano Revolucionario during his time in the military, Hugo Chavez evolved his own brand of socialism, labelled 'bolivarism' after Venezuelan Simon Bolivar who fought to rid spanish rule of South America. In 1998, after already gaining a small following of economically less well off Venezuelans, Chavez won a landlside election and became president for the first time. After his election was when he started to implement some of his Bolivar inspired policies, main things that Chavez incorporated in his policies for the genuine good including nationalising the industries within Venezuela and using the booming oil revenues (thanks to Venezuela having one of the largest oil supplies in the world) to accomodate some of the most generous welfare packages ever seen for the poor in the country. These welfare reforms included healthcare, setting up of medical facilities, education, improving literacy skills amongst those in greatest poverty. In fact official figures show that poverty rate since Chavez was elected  decreased as in 1999, 23.4% of the population was recorded as being in extreme poverty, this fell to 8.5% in 2011 according to official government figures and infant mortality also decreased thanks to the new and improved healthcare and infrastructure in the country. Another key success achieved by Chavez was the fall of the unemployment rate which dropped by almost half from 15% to around 7%. With the continued reforms and handouts to the masses of poor in the society it is of no doubt that Hugo Chavez became such a loved and revered hispanic figure amongst much of the South American continent, not just Venezuela. He was part of a wider new leftist South American front. To ordinary Venezuelans, Chavez was a relatable figure, with his charismatic presence and latin revolutionary blood.
On the other hand, there is no shortage of people who believe that Chavez was the contrary to what lower class venezuelans think. To some he was a tyrant, a revolutionary figure who was a pain in the back of 'capitalist western societies'. But why do many hold this opinion? Firstly it's important to note that not all venezuelans viewed Chavez in such a positive light, to some of the middle class and the minority upper class, he was a terrible economist who had inflated the economy and trade extremely badly due to his 'reckless handouts'. Those upper and middle classes also blame Chavez for enforcing tight restrictions on press and enforcing pretty harsh sentences for crimes such as slander, even abusing human rights in some cases.  For the west, he was a potential dictator, after passing a decree that allowed him to run for election (pretty much all the time) he was seen as a tyrant and controller, who openely followed the lead of fellow socialist figure-Fidel Castro by befriending possible 'unstable' countries such as Iran, Cuba and Nicaragua. His views were so anti imperialist against the west that he even took it upon himself to publically label George Bush a ''burro'' or a ''donkey''. This to me is extremely comical!
Aside from the for and against Chavez argument, it can be concluded that Hugo Chavez was not only a controversial force for good in terms of providing welfare basics for the people of his country, but whatever your personal opinion of him, i'm sure you can agree that he was one of the most charismatic leaders that the world has ever seen. Some of his more 'debatable' slash 'ludicrous' claims are as follows:

-Senor Chavez was not a fan of coke zero. He claimed that the drink was invented by the Americans as an imperialist indoctrination tool to make venezuelans drink fizzy drinks so that they would become fat and ultimately be unable to fight if it came to all out guerilla war. Slightly strange that he didn't ban any other fizzy drinks. 
-Chavez also didn't think it was good for children to be frightened by ghosts and skeletons on halloween as he again believed consumerist halloween were an act of 'imperialist terror' on behalf of the united states. 
-He was also not a fan of golf, claiming that it was a sport of the bourgeoisie, he hated golf so much that he had one of the world's best golf course's shut down. This again is quite ironic as his idol Fidel Castro, adored golf and wanted more golf courses in Cuba. 
-Hugo had his own tv show 'alo presidente' where he basically spoke to himself regarding things such as capitalism taking over life on mars...oh and calling George Bush a donkey.

All in all, he was a charismatic figure wasn't he? 

Other than sporting achievements, how influential was Muhammad Ali?

When thinking of the now renown name Muhammad Ali what springs to mind? The man who famously became 3 time world heavyweight champion beating the likes of Joe Frazier and George Foreman in iconic fights, or the African American Muslim convert who was stripped of his boxing licence after refusing to be conscripted into the US army to fight in the Vietnam war?

Although Ali was widely known for both these things, did he actually do anything of great influence in a way that was not related to sport? Known for his highly acclaimed "trash talk" before and after fights, there is no denying that Ali was a highly exuberant character who spoke his mind as well as what seemed his heart. His charismatic nature and boyish charm to some certainly had a part to play in his newfound popularity with the masses as well as perhaps his ability to change views yet remain stubborn to his true nature of an arrogant sports star which some of us today may find hugely irritating. However his nature of flying like a 'butterfly' and 'stinging like a bee' is still used by many today, as long as some of his other witty sayings. The simple fact that his quotes and poetic sayings are still used widely today in itself shows what a creator of words he was, with his bouncy, rythmic style of constructing sentences to intimidate opponents and journalists as well as humour foreign media (especially British) was what appealed to many people; his human nature shined through the tough light hopping exterior he displayed. Making him seriously one of the most influential and memorable figures of the 1960s.
Ali became a member of the Nation of Islam (a religious group previously known for it's black supremacist stance) in the year 1964. His conversion ignited a flame amongst journalists who refused to call the boxer by his adopted name, instead referring to him as 'Cassius' (his 'slave name' as he referred to it after'). His entry to this group quickly propelled his career into further spotlight making him one of the most controversial popular figures in the world. There is no doubt that his decision had made him host to hostility and perhaps a little suspiciousness from the American public and media alike due to the fact that at the time the group was renown as being the group of Malcolm X, a previously well known black supremacist.However a few years after Ali distanced himself from the NOI and delved himself within the more moderate Sunni Islam practice.

Moreover in 1966 when Ali was found eligible to be able to conscript into the US army for war against Vietnam, it was his refusal to conscript that brought attention to the headline grabber, arguing that ''War is against the teachings of the holy quran''. Whatever his religious beliefs, it was a shock to many that someone actually had the nerve to say no. A African American Muslim said no to joining a war and this left ordinary white Americans astounded. His quotes from this time period were the catalysts in flaring many anti war protests and also encouraging famous civil rights activist Martin Luther King, in declaring his position famousley against the Vietnam war. The plain fact that Ali's actions inspired one of the greatest freedom inspirers of all time to declare his position is in itself a action which shows the depths that Muhammad Ali's influence went

.

''Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go ten thousand miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people in Vietnam while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs and denied simple human rights?''

''No, I am not going 10,000 miles to help murder, kill, and burn other people to simply help continue the domination of white slavemasters over dark people the world over. This is the day and age when such evil injustice must come to an end ''

Although his quotes and speeches may seem extremely human rights friendly to you and I, Ali was later arrested for draft evasion and stripped of his title and boxing licence to not box again for over 3 years after only 21 minutes of a court deliberation. The sole fact that Ali had the nerve to say such things could be seen as a brave act for days where discrimination was rife however it could be said that the actions of Muhammad Ali have inspired not only future sports stars, but people in general. The whole idea to be passionate about what you believe in and have no fear. Moreover the Ali effect is still practiced today with many claiming: ''i only said i was the greatest, not the smartest''.

A short(ish) summary of Israeli/Palestine conflict

The history of the sacred land is one which much intricacy and complexity. A history which is disputed and one which many people have their own views on. However for those that find themselves intrigued with this issue, I have gathered together some research in the hope that I and others could maybe have some light shed on the issue.

Before anything started it's important to note that members of all 3 major religions: Majority Arab Muslims, closely followed by Arab Christians and a small number of Jews resided in Palestine in peace. A little after WW1, the Jewish community in Europe felt themselves under persecution, which is where the idea of ''Zionism'' stemmed from. (Zionism is the ideology of a homeland for the Jewish population). The Zionist movement was originally a secular movement with little link to the Jewish religion, it was only later that links back to Moses were made. Back to the Ottoman empire, shortly after WW1, the Ottoman empire which controlled Palestine collapsed. Therefore all the land owned by the Ottomans was handed over to the league of nations occupation. The league then passed over the land to Britain. At this point, the leader of the Zionist movement 'Weisseman' started to lobby for the state of Palestine to be declared a Jewish homeland. Britain figured this may be a strategic move for them to side with the Jewish people hence the Balfoural declaration was made. The declaration consisted of the land being handed over to the Jews. This is where the now famous quote ''a land without people, for a people without land'' came about. Although we know that there was indigenous people living in the territory at the time.
In 1930s started the influx of Jewish population into Palestine/Israel. By 1935 the population of Jews outweighed the population of indigenous Arabs. This influx 'upset' the people of Palestine. More than 62,000 Jews were emigrating to Palestine, and segregation/discrimination started to take place between communities.
1935 resulted in a 'Palestinian revolt' in which 4500 Palestinians were killed and 6000 imprisoned. This was a heavy defeat for them.
1940s was the period where Zionist terrorism is said to have taken place with public places/bridges being blown up as well as reported attacks on British soldiers and the problem was handed over to the UN by GB.
1947-is the point where Palestinians start flooding to refugee camps etc. At the same time the UN passed a resolution to say that 55% of Palestinian land was to be given to the Jews. Only 37% of the whole population was actually Jewish at this point. The most fertile and usable land was given to them, leaving the indigenous confused.
1948-USA iniciated debate and urged a reversion back to 'palestine'. However in the same year Israel declared it's independance, although accepted by many nations, was not yet recognised by the UN.
1948- Palestinian massacres- settlements begin in their droves with palestinians being driven out, the UN concluded after this that Israeli's must give back the land and compensate the Palestinians. However this call was ignored by Israel.
1956-more massacres...failure of recognition by the outside world.
1965- Resistance organisation formed, whilst cold war took place. The USA needed a middle eastern alliance hence the israel USA alliance.
1967-Egypt, Syria, Jordan went to war with Israel...questions over how this started. The Arabs were defeated and Jordan lost the west bank, egypt-gaza and syria-golan heights.
1968-a tiny piece of land was left called palestine, more refugees flooded back 'home'
More UN resolutions were ignored by Israel to acknowledge refugees, hand back land.
further war 1973.
1982-israeli's bombard lebanese/palestinian refugee camps.
1987- Palestinian people under harsh conditions/checkpoints etc
1987- Israeli military vehicle collison with 4 Palestinians provokes outrage and flares/violent uprisings.
1993- Israel responds- 1000 killed, 11,000 wounded, 100 israeli's also killed.

Which leads us today where, David Cameron himself once called palestine a 'open air prison'. Atrocities have been commited on both sides, and there has been pointless loss of life on both sides. But it is impossible to see how this could be viewed as fair 2 sided battle?....Now I understand why this issue is so complicated and provokes much passion.

Never forget Srebrenica

July the 11th 1995, as bosniak muslim families full of children, fathers and mothers sat in the UN safe areas of Srebrenica. Serbian 'army' led by Ratko Mladic and others managed to get into the united nations protected zone and handed out sweets, chocolate and promises of safety from the shelling and brutal killing that was going on elsewhere in the Balkan country.
Women and children were innocent, unaware that they were being separated from their male partners and young sons and brothers, only to never see them again.
On this day of 11/7/95, Serb forces rounded up all muslim men and boys, lined them up one by one and shot them, cold bloodedly...simply for being Muslim. Although women bosniaks were spared this death, many were treated with the same intentions..being brutally raped, abused and in some cases they were killed as well. One horrific very graphic story tells of a woman whose child 'her beautiful rose' was crying in the bus that was transporting the bosnian women and their children to supposed safety. A Serb man came over to the apparent aid of this woman in clear distress and took the child from her, promising that he would feed her (as this was why the child was was crying in the first place). Long lengthly moments passed for the young woman until the man returned. She was eternally grateful, this man (Serbian man) had appeared to show empathy towards her and her child when others of the same nationality were killing her people. The soldier handed back the child to her mother claiming that now she 'would never cry', the mother felt the bundle on her lap, it was heavy..lifeless..blood covered her hands, the 'child was full of blood', he had killed her not fed her.
Thousands upon thousands of muslims were killed on this grim day, many of whose bodies are still being discovered today. Every year on this exact date 11/7, newly discovered and identified remains of the victims of the genocide are laid to finally rest. A mass funeral is held every year for these people and many turn out to show their respect, today some 30,000 muslims alone went to bury their dead of which there was 520 newly discovered remains. You may be thinking: why are they still finding these remains today?. Well the truth is that the perpetrators dug mass graves for their victims so that their crimes would not be discovered and their tracks would remain covered as would the extent of their crimes. However their desires were not appeased and indeed each year the true horror of what happened in those few days faces us again. So far over the 17 years 5,325 people have been found in this way (from mass graves) and laid to rest.
Although many Serbians deny this genocide and the fact that it ever happened, the terrible crimes have not been forgotten to this day, our prime minister today said that this GENOCIDE, should not be 'denied or forgotten' and he is indeed right as is Barack Obama who honoured the 8,000 victims of the attack. At the mass funeral earlier today, a guest speaker (a rabbi) had these few meaningful words to say: He said the Srebrenica genocide was a crime against humanity but also a crime allowed by the rest of humanity. 'Silence is not a solution, it only encourages the perpetrators and ultimately it pays a heavy price in blood.

 This terrible act indeed was a slaughter of innocent people for no reason other than that they were muslim. The international community allowed this to happen, could have done more. The one thing that astounds me is that i myself was not aware of this horrific incident until only 2 years ago. Surely this shows that we aren't taught about it, there is not enough awareness of what happened. Whenever i speak to people i know about the srebrenica disaster or the Bosnia war in general, people do not seem to have much of an opinion. Either that or they don't know about it at all and therefore find it hard to imagine the scale of what happened and the fact that the victims were indeed MUSLIMS! This fact people find it hard to imagine, what with the negative aspects of certain groups being projected more than the positives, its hard for some to imagine that muslims here were the victims and it is because of their beliefs that they were the victims. Another major factor that people are not aware as much of is the fact that Bosnia is infact a predominantly Muslim country in the EUROPE! Therefore when people talk about the islamisation of europe, they forget that they have muslims in the shape of blonde hair/blue eyed Bosnians in EUROPE. Also Kosovo/Albania/Chechenya etc.
I wish that this horrible genocide was made more public and taught in schools for everyone to know about, no oen should forget these acts and the victims of these acts. For example not one tv station yesterday i saw had any coverage of the mass funeral or the fact that new bodies had been identified.
We must never forget what happened and we must never stay silent about the atrocities. Maybe in another 17 years time we will look back on this day and remember be remembering the horrible acts that are happening right now in syria..lets hope not, but its a valid possibility. Also for those that deny: there is no point in denying that this was a genocide, its clear to see that it was and there was no 2 equal sides in this war as Angelina Jolie said whilst filming her film 'in the land of blood and honey'. 'the war wasn't like that'.

For now never forget Srebrenica, pray for the victims and pray that this sort of monstrous act never ever happens again.