The Story of Srebrenica by Isnam Taljic

This book is well written. It is devoid of angry condemnations and rancour. Actually, I am rather pleased that the writer has approached the subject in such a manner. What's so surprising is that he's a Muslim. There are good people all over the world, especially in the most war torn regions in the world. Srebrenica is no exception.



Translated from Bosnian by Muhamed Pasanbegovic
Published by Silverfish Books 2004

IT IS not without good reason that I intentionally avoid reading books
about war and on war. Srebrenica, as the world now knows, represents a
black chapter in the book of mankind.
Official records put the number of Muslim men and boys massacred in
Srebrenica in July 1995 at 8,000. In reality, the death toll, including
women and children, is closer to 13,000.
Isnam Taljic, who used to be a reporter and editor, wrote this novel as
fiction. He was born in northeastern Bosnia. But from its pages, spring
images of the actual horrors that took place in Srebrenica.
It is a thinly-veiled composite saga of lives that were lost in a one-
sided war where the innocent became the main targets. When an excellent
writer's imagination blends in with one's own, it becomes an inextricably
shared experience. Taljic stands among the best that Bosnia has to offer.
He is the recipient of numerous journalism awards and the author of 12
works, including six novels.
Surprisingly, this book which dwells on lives that were lost or
irreparably damaged is devoid of anger and hostility. It is a masterful
mix of literary prose, a historical map of destiny and an unshakeable
faith in Islam.
Some readers may not see the full picture that is painted by Taljic's
skilful hands at one sitting. It would become clearer on a second reading,
and that too at a slower pace.
But what is clear in the end is that Bosnians, particularly residents of
Srebrenica, are also people like the rest of us. Their only disadvantage
in 1995 was being Muslims.
At that time, the UNPROFOR (United Nations Protection Force) under the
command of General Bertrand Janvier refused to defend the declared "Safe
Area" and allowed Serbian army General Ratko Mladic to move into
Srebrenica.
The complicity between UN commanders and the armies of the then Serbian
President Slobodan Milosevic has become a burning issue in man's
relentless march down the road of human rights up to the present century.
Even as late as last year, mass graves were still being found in
Srebrenica.
The Story of Srebrenica is not a deliberate intention to jolt the
reader's conscience but a reminder to the rest of the world that a
massacre of any ethnic community is a crime against mankind.
Taljic writes with a passion that can only come from personal experience
of the vagaries of war. The physical pain and the gradual loss of hope
resulting from families being torn apart are penned in starkly realistic
words that hold one's imagination in a vise-like grip.
Amid the suffering that has become synonymous with Srebrenica is the
unwavering faith in Islam. It is heartening to learn that Taljic has
elected not to judge or to condemn the perpetrators of this ethnic
cleansing.
Central to this book's theme is compassion. And with compassion comes
forgiveness. Definitely, a resounding call to the conscience of man all
over the world, more so to the members of the UNPROFOR who were guilty of
gross negligence in the protection of innocent lives.
This book, which has been adjudged the best published work in 30 years
of Bosnian, Herzegovinian and Bosniak literature, comes at a time when
parts of the world are still being shaken by armies running rampage across
villages and towns.
Perhaps, this splendid work may eventually loses its impact with the
passing of years but its message should have its rightful place in our
hearts and minds - that everybody deserves protection because we all come
from the family of man.
That when man loses his humanity, it's time for a courageous soul like
Taljic to remind us of mankind's greatest treasure - love for others and
care for the weak and innocent.
Read it with an open mind with no preconceived notions and you will
benefit from it. Read it especially if you are a non-Muslim, so that you
could walk in your brethren's shoes in a journey without distance and feel
the warmth of his heart next to yours.