From: ahsharif@violet.uwaterloo.ca (AH Sharif)
Subject: Bosnia
Keywords: Death camp.
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1992 20:56:11 GMT


The following is an old posting. I thought you might find some 
interests in it during this long weekend. Irrespective of race/faith/colour,
if you do have any sympathy for humanity, do something. If you get any
opportunity to show your support, by all means, use it.

#########################################################################
>I found this in soc.culture.turkish:- zafar
>In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Benificent
>Assalamu'alaikum:
>
>The war in Bosnia rages on. Tens of thousands of Muslims have been
>killed.  More than 3000,000 have been mercilessly driven out of their
>homes. The Serbs now hold 90 percent Bosnian Territory.
>
>As if the sight of mutilated bodies, and of crippled children was not        
>enought, the pictures of Serb Concentration camps and chilling description
>of numerous Serb Death Camps rocks our imagination.  Our continued silence 
>is incriminating: Our collective conscience, it seem, has been put to death 
>by a snipper bullet. 
>
>In a land where adult corpses cost $300, and the cadavres of children bring 
>in $150, it is no surprize that human conscience fell victim so easily.  
>"Death Camps", "Ethnic Cleansing", "Humanitarian Nightmare":  The rhetoric
>is endless.  The international press continues its flirtation with the 
>crisis in the "Balkan Slaughter-House", but, predictably, each day brings a
>new development, a new issue, a new media-darling: "Bosnia?  Interesting 
>but not always news worthy".  The "Leaders of the World", both of Muslim and 
>non-Muslim countries, treat the crisis adroitly: "Some resolve by the UN on
>maintaining the supply of food and medicine shall suffice in pacifying the 
>feeble noise of our Collective Conscience: meanwhile, the pragmatice solution 
>is to ignore the problem."  The Champions of the Western Way of Life(Deen), 
>who constantly invite the "pagans" of the East to bow at the Alters of 
>Democracy and Freedom, theorize that arming the Bosnians will only prolong the
>"Humaninatarian Nightmare".  The best solution is to let the war to take its
>course and to hope that the Serbians war machine will serve a Coup de Grace to
>the Moslem forces.  After all, "lasting World Peace" and the "New World 
>Order" is more important than Six Million Muslims. 
>
>Already the Bosnians are being compared to the Palestenians:  A people without
>a homeland. But this very comparison actually exposes the fundamental problem
>with the the international response.  The plight of the Palestenians is similar
>to the Exodus of the Bosnians in that in both peoples were victims of 
>over-zealous nationalism (which was driven by religious chauvanism).  However,
>blind nationalism (which was driven by religious zeal).  However,  
>is no place the Bosnians can turn to and no Muslim country has even reacted
>to the tragedy in the same way it did to the Zionist take-over of Palestine.
>
>It is apparent from Serbian actions that they will stop at nothing short of 
>"cleansing" the area of all Muslims.  The Bosnians Muslims are not a distinct 
>ethnic group and they are being massacred for no other reason than they are 
>Muslims.  The Serbs consider them traitors because they adopted a religion
>which was not of their "ancestors".  The Serbs massacre the Muslims to rid their
>lands of the "impure" influences of Islam.  And Europe watches perhaps becuse theyfear that one day they will have to deal with "Global Islamism", and the 
>presence of another Muslim state in Europe could be dangerous.  When all the 
>facts of the situation are reviewed, it seems that the situation in Bosnia 
>is comprable to the fall of MUSLIM SPAIN, not to Palestine.
>
>
>The real tragedy of Bosnia is not that the United States did not act to stop
>the massacring of Muslim women and children in former Yugosalavia.  The 
>tragedy is that we, the Muslims of the world, the students, the workers and 
>businessmen witness this massacre and fail to do anything about it.  How
>brutal must Serb attacks be before we deciede to act?   Will we simply await
>the day that Islam is cleansed from Bosnia and than write nostalgic Odes 
>to Bosnia? 
>
>The Chetniks (Serbian Guerillas) destroyed mosques in Bosnia and the Muslims
>remained silent.  The Serbs tied Muslim girls to fences and stripped them
>for "Public Use", and We did not act. Thousands of elderly men and young  
>children were mercilessly slaughtered and we failed to help any of them.  
>And the Jews were more vocal about Serbian Death Camps than Muslim were! 
>
>Afghanistan became a Jihad for Muslims because it was on the priority list of 
>the Western governments to teach the USSR a lesson.  Why has the Bosnian 
>situation not stirred the same response in the Muslims?  
>
>Our Brothers in Bosnia need our help.  Presently, they don't need Physical 
>help.  President Izetbegovic has repeatedly requested the uplifting of 
>the arms Embargo on Bosnia.  There are tens of thousands of men in Bosnia
>who are willing to fight but they have few weapons to fight with.  The Serbs
>who have the arsenal of the Yugosalavian army behind them have already 
>occupied 90 percent of the Bosnian Territory.  Time is of essence.
>The main focus of our efforts should be to help Bosnian Muslims aquire 
>weapons and put political pressure on the governments of the countries
>we live in to do more for the Muslims in Bosnia. 
>A few suggestions for possible actions are:
>
>   1)   Send donations for Bonsia to any major Islamic Organization in 
>        the U.S.  ICNA and ISNA are among the many organizations who are
>        trying to gather funds for Bosnia.
>
>   2)   Try to increase awarness about the issue among Muslims and Non-Muslims
>        by organizing marches, seminars, protests, and whatever else you 
>        think might work.
>
>   3)   If you know any Muslim from the regions express your moral support
>        to him/her
>
>   4)   Call the White House, the State Department and your local Senators 
>        and Congressmen
>
>   5)   Call the Embassies of Muslim countries  and ask them to help the 
>        Bosnian Muslims
>
>   AND MOST IMPORTANTLY
>
>   6)   Remember your Brothers and Sisters in Bosnia (and in other parts of 
>        the world like Kashmir , Algeria, Somalia and Burma ) in your prayers
>
>
>
>
>"May Allah help Muslims against the Kuffar and Guide them in their efforts to
> become better Muslims" 
>
>Ameen
>
>Wassalam
>                    
>
>Raheel Khan (gt7242a@prism.gatech.edu)
>
>-- 
>KHAN,RAHEEL
>Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
>uucp:	  ...!{decvax,hplabs,ncar,purdue,rutgers}!gatech!prism!gt7242a
>Internet: gt7242a@prism.gatech.edu