Islamic Community of Bosnia Herzegovina || 13 July 2025

Potocari, Srebrenica, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Friday 11th July 2025

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of all worlds, the Savior of the oppressed, the Helper and Friend of the faithful.

With His name everything begins and everything ends.

In Him is the power that gives life to us and everything around us. He gives us eyes to see clearly and hearts to discern clearly between good and evil, between oppressors and heroes, between evildoers and the kind-hearted. From Him, we seek mercy for our exemplar and guide Muhammad, peace be upon him, for his noble family and followers throughout all times.

Brothers and sisters!

Thirty years have passed since the culmination of evil against our people, since the crime of genocide against the impoverished people of Podrinje, who were driven to the brink of endurance by criminals, and then forced into the small area of Srebrenica. That evil ravaged the whole of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the painful 1990s, and here, among these gentle hills, it reached its shameful peak.

Today we are gathered here to meet and look each other in the eye, as brothers and sisters.

In these white tombstones, stone markers of our suffering, our love and our sorrow are inscribed. These white tombstones bear witness to and warn of the cruelty of the enemy and the callousness of the world. We are here to summon memories of our dearest ones — fathers and sons, brothers and sisters. The pain and grief we carry within us will remain with us forever, because they can never be forgotten.

We will never take off the shirt of sorrow we were clothed in on July 11, 1995. We will wear, as believers, the garments of patience, accepting the trial that befell us.

Pain did not break us, we did not lose heart, nor did we bow our heads before evil. On the contrary! We have learnt how to carry the burden of pain that was placed upon us through crime — upon us and our loved ones. Today that burden weighs even on those in whose name the crime was committed, and we will patiently preserve the memory of it.

Srebrenica has taught us that evil never rests, it lies dormant, then resurfaces and attacks its victims again. We live in a time of growing evil and genocide denial. The protagonists of evil hope that lies can erase its boundaries and blur the line between victim and perpetrator. They count on causing confusion and apathy in our hearts and forcing us to retreat in the face of their presence.

Never, and in no way! Deep within us is a resilient strength, which has taught us to distinguish truth from lies. With God’s help, we will prevail, for we will preserve clarity of spirit and the strength of faith to resist.

Today we are joined by our friends from all over the world, brave people — men and women — who refuse to accept forgetting. They have come to bear witness to the truth of Srebrenica with us, because it matters to them.

Brothers and sisters!

This field of white tombstones in Potočari we gaze upon affirms that hatred can never lead to love, murder to life, or violence to freedom.

There is no evil intention that can lead people along the path of good. Only death, despair, sorrow, and pain grow along the path of evil. On betrayed spirituality, only misery can be founded, and on the myth of a chosen heavenly people, only crime. There is nothing sacred or sublime in that — only the seed of death, sown by human hands. The cemetery we stand in speaks and warns that hatred and vengeance can lead only to crime, contempt, and the sickness of the soul.

This place obliges us to think about the future of our people and our Srebrenica. The Almighty says:

“Allah has promised those of you who believe and do good deeds that He will surely grant them succession [as rulers] on the earth.” (Surah An-Nur, 55)

In these few words from the Noble Qur’an, our future unfolds — if we believe and do good deeds. Deep and sincere faith produces powerful, active, and prevailing good.

God’s promise is true. It all depends on us — on those of us who are here today. If we remain steadfast in faith, and strive and invest in knowledge, we will achieve what we desire. And what we desire is for peace and kindness to reign in this corner of the Earth.

It is our duty to care for Srebrenica, because it is the birthplace of our people. We draw our birth certificate from it. Nothing else in this land of Bosnia can compare to it.

From the evil that was eternalised here in Srebrenica, our even greater strength and determination must be born — to grow and live in goodness and in God’s pleasure, free and strong, and that this cosmic good of ours once and for all overshadows and abolishes all the dens and dwellings of evil that constantly lie in wait.

O Muslims, Islam is the religion of pride, dignity, and steadfastness; the religion of mercy, care, and gentleness; the religion of truth and justice; the religion of happiness, hope, and consolation. Let not sorrow cast us into despair, nor pity lead us into sin. The Merciful Allah sometimes grants us His mercy, and at other times withholds it Sometimes He tests us through good, and
sometimes through hardship; sometimes He gives us abundance, and at other times tests us through scarcity. Sometimes He showers us with blessings and comfort, and at other times withholds them.

The Qur’an says:
“Indeed, Allah loves those who fight in His cause in a row as though they are a [single] structure joined firmly.”

Let us move forward together,
as one soul and one body.

Let Srebrenica be a lesson to us — that
mercy is not shown to the weak, and an
oath — that we will never again allow evil
to befall us.

Let us raise our hands in the morning and
evening, and pray and glorify our Lord.
Exalted Allah,

To You we raise our hands.
You know the whispers of every heart.
Help us to find healing for our wounded
souls and eternal peace with You.

Bless, with Your blessing, the people of
Srebrenica and their descendants
for all time.

Plant the memory of Srebrenica in our
hearts — in our present and in the future
of our sons and daughters.
Let Srebrenica be the pledge for our
freedom and life in peace.
Let justice replace sorrow, and hope
replace despair.
By Your greatness and mercy.

Ameen!