PROTEST OF PARENTS FROM TUZLA

NECROPHILIA IN POLITICS

AIM Sarajevo, June 10, 1996

"We, families and friends of the young people from Tuzla - victims of the massacre which occurred on May 25, 1995, express a vigorous protest against distasteful, primitive and inhuman contributions about May 25 published by TV of the Tuzla-Podrinje Canton and the journal Zmaj od Bosne", it is stated by parents and friends in a statement presented to the public on June 8, on the occasion of a protest gathering at the cemetery where the victims (mostly children and youth) were buried together after the massacre committed by Karadzic's Serbs in 1995, downtown Tuzla, in which 71 of them were either killed on the spot or died later on, and about 150 were wounded.

Before we present the text of the statement, it is important to say that the gathering of the parents and the friends of the young victims from Tuzla was convened after June 5 this year, when TV of the Canton (which belongs to the Party of Democratic Action - SDA) carried the commentary of Dzemaludin Latic published in national weekly Ljiljan, No. 177 of June 5, 1996.

In a text titled "Idolatry of Fire in Tuzla", Dzemaludin Latic comments on the manner in which the first anniversary of the greatest tragedy in Tuzla was observed. In the sub-title already, Latic claims: "Lighting of candles, funeral marches and affected whimpering accompanied by pathetic rhymes on the anniversary of the massacre in Tuzla is a spiritual violence which bears slavery and eliminates cultural growth." Further on, he sends word: "With Beslagic (Silajdzic and others) - this nation is heading towards idolatry, and therefrom into political slavery and cultural impotence... With such violence, it is impossible to achieve joint B&H, noone wants such Bosnia - apart from the above mentioned ridiculous beings! Bosniacs, unfortunately!"

Assessing that observing of the anniversary "left a painful impression on the Muslim people", Latic notes: "Over there - as we saw on TV B&H - at the site of the massacre, hundreds of candles burnt in the night - for the souls (do they exist?) of all those who had been killed. A member or two of a family of the killed or someone else just occasionally raised their palms and said a (Islamic) prayer. We could see politicians there too, Beslagic (mayor of Tuzla) and Silajdzic (former prime minister of B&H), mingling among the grieving people gathered around a bunch of candles on the gate of Tuzla. Beslagic bent over and lighted a candle to all his killed fellow-citizens, Mister Silajdzic held flowers, but we have not seen him lighting any candles, nor saying a prayer".

Latic also accuses Beslagic for having supported the idea of parents to have their children - after the massacre - buried in the same cemetery, accusing him directly of having advocated a multiethnic cemetery. Then he comments on the anniversary again.

"Such a course, such a cultural anti-model, is symbolized in this case by lighting candles, which is as generally known, a Christian custom. But Beslagic and his complex-ridden political faction does not interpret it as such: for them it is a universal symbol used in Europe to mark remembrance of the dead. Of course, it is typical Christian symbolism and decor which have nothing to do with Islamic monotheism nor with the tradition of this nation. A Christian contents was sucked out from this symbolism and decor: the only thing that remained was: the fire, the eternal symbol of all idolaters (pagans)", Latic comments.

Then he claims that Beslagic and the other secularists wish to lead Bosniacs into Europe without Islam, assessing that this is "spiritual violence, self-humiliation, sub-cultural mire and intellectual sclerosis". He sends word to Bosniacs that religious inspiration is in the foundations of each great culture, and then quotes a stance from Koran: "Those who abandon Islam, the Koran calls 'despised monkeys', they imitate others, thinking that they will think highly of them."

At the end of the text, Latic suggests: "Apart from the SDA which by political means stresses the importance of religion and tradition on the road to total freedom of the Bosniac nation, last week's idolatry in Tuzla will hopefully awaken institutions which are directly in charge of keeping the spiritual upright position of this nation. I mean not only the Islamic Community, but also cultural societies and Muslim public and cultural workers".

Latic's text was broadcast in extenso on TV of the Canton, and after that, Vedad Spahic, editor of Zmaj od Bosne, paraphrased the same text and with the same messages lectured the Tuzla public.

That is why the message of the statement issued by the parents and friends of Tuzla youth reads: "Instead of piety for the killed, instead of sympathy felt by the whole city on anniversary of the tragedy, these two media, headed by journalist Vedad Spahic, have chosen to insult and humiliate not only families and friends of the killed children, but of the whole town which observed the greatest tragedy in its history with dignity.

According to Vedad Spahic and his supporters, we are guilty because we wished our children to rest together, just as they had been killed together, we are guilty because we did not want to separate our children according to national and religious background, just as they had not been separated during their short lives. We are guilty because we had not listened to Reis (Dr Mustafa Ceric), who had come to Tuzla a day after the tragedy to tell us that we would commit a sin if we buried the children side by side. We are guilty because we remember our dear ones just as it was always done in the land of Bosnia for centuries, we are guilty because we light candles for the souls of our dearest ones, just as candles are lighted in front of domeds (miniature mausoleums) and in front of churches and mosques ever since Bosnia is called Bosnia. This city is guilty because it cannot forget the greatest tragedy in its history, Tuzla is guilty - because it is Tuzla when its soul is injured never to heal again.

We, the families and friends of the killed Tuzla young wish to tell Vedad Spahic and his sympathizers not to ever again bring their political hatred close to our memories and memories of this city of the killed youth of Tuzla!

This what they are doing using the greatest tragedy of Tuzla in order to make political points, is disgraceful to such an extent that there are no words to describe such an abyss of ethics. We say just one thing: leave our children alone! Leave our memory because the memory is all we have!", the statement says.

At the protest meeting almost a hundred odd parents and friends of the victims gathered at their joint cemetery. The parents said with tears in their eyes, full of wrath, that it was shameful that death of their children was used as an instrument for political purposes. Many of them are true believers who clearly distinguish politics from religion, with no wish to accept a theological system, as radical groups are trying to impose on them.

"My daughter and I were disgusted watching the contribution on Canton Television. That day I had offered a prayer for my child and participated in observing the anniversary of her death. I could not believe it that 'our Television' would insult us", said Zilha Kurtalic through tears, whose daughter Vesna was killed.

Nevenka Stjepanovic whose son was killed in the tragedy at the promenade, said: "My son was a member of a special unit in the Army of B&H from the first day of the war. I have lost him at the promenade though, not at the frontline. My sorrow is immense, and some journalists whom we haven't asked how we should bury our children, are now raking their bones in their graves. This is a terrible disgrace."

Zekija Beganovic cursed those who manipulated feelings of the citizens and for the purpose of political manipulation cut deeply into the most intimate sections of the soul.

"They are not interested in our children, our feelings. They do not sympathize with us in our grief, but wish to politically manipulate with our wish to bury our children together, just in order to condemn the city authorities who offered us their support", said Zekija Beganovic.

Similar accusations could be heard from Sakib Dzuzela, Semsudin Alagic, Fatima Sarajlic, Rasim Jahic, Dina Kalesic... Alagic called the parents to square accounts with the agents provocateurs by themselves if they continued to insult them because of the manner in which they had buried their children and the manner in which they observed this - for the parents - the most difficult day in their lioves. Dino Kalesic said that Vedad Spahic and similar "ideological informers" were just petty executors of religious and racist ideologists from the top echelons of the SDA.

"Imagine, they are proclaiming us to be idolaters or pagans, they proclaim Christian customs pagan. Who knows where politics will lead us. It is fascism to ban prayers, but it is also fascism to force anyone to pray. As far as I know, there is no coercion in Islam, but religion is a personal affair of any man. They even proclaim Bosniacs to be 'despised monkeys'. How can any being with no consciousness be despised? Strange things are happening, a parent who wished to remain anonymous told us.

It seems that politics is penetrating right "into graves" in Bosnia & Herzegovina too. Necrophilia appears to be the destiny of all the Balkanians. For how long?

VEHID JAHIC