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Home Primary Memorial day Message from the Chairman

Message from the Chairman

Dr Waqar Azmi OBE, Chairman of Remembering Srebrenica, talks about his reasons for establishing the charity and its ongoing work.

“I grew up with the harrowing scenes of the war in Bosnia on our television screens – watching neighbour turn against neighbour, friend against friend, ethnicity against ethnicity. I will never forget the Omarska concentration camp, and that ethnic cleansing, systematic mass rape and genocide were all happening in Europe. These were the darkest moments in our lifetime and we owe it to the victims to learn the lesson of Srebrenica: that the evil of hatred, racism and bigotry must be confronted if we are to create a better and safer society for all.

For me, Bosnia was a horrific reminder of the vulnerability of ordinary people. It made me question how this could happen on our doorstep when the world had pledged ‘never again’ after World War II. And if the xenophobic claims of ethnic superiority could prevail amongst white indigenous people who are assimilated and have lived together for hundreds of years, what chance do ethnic minority communities have in Europe? This horrific atrocity made such an impact upon my life that in 1996, I decided to leave academia to take up a job as Chief Executive of Worcestershire Racial Equality Council to work towards the elimination of racism and racial discrimination, and the promotion of good race relations. I have continued to work in this area in different capacities, leading to the establishment of the charitable initiative Remembering Srebrenica.

“These were the darkest moments in our lifetime and we owe it to the victims to learn the lesson of Srebrenica.”

On Srebrenica Memorial Day, we honour the victims and survivors of the genocide, and pledge to commit ourselves to creating a cohesive society for everyone. We will continue to commemorate this day each year in the UK and do follow up work by running Lessons from Srebrenica visits to Bosnia to learn first-hand about the genocide, as well as lead year-round public awareness campaigns and activities to teach the consequences of hatred.

Our aim is to encourage everyone in our society to learn about the consequences of hate and discrimination. We would want to work with local organisations to establish local commemorations in different cities and towns, encourage school projects and local community relations work so that people have the opportunity to play their part, however big or small, in helping to create a better and safer society for everyone.

There is no doubt that in Britain we have come a long way on race relations and achieved a lot. However, we must also recognise that there is still a lot to do. Racism, discrimination and the promotion of hatred, continues to persist. We must recognise the dangers of these and understand that failure to play our part can result in something gruesome. The Srebrenica Memorial Day, therefore, is important not just as an act of remembrance but as a lesson for generations to come. I want children of today, who did not grow up with those terrible scenes of genocide on their televisions, to not only know what happened in that Bosnian enclave, but to also pledge ‘never again’.”

Nov 18, 2014francesca cleverly
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November 18, 2014 Memorial dayBosnia-Herzegovina, genocide, Srebrenica, Waqar Azmi
Nina BermanWhat is Memorial Day?
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Remembering SrebrenicaFollow

Remembering Srebrenica
SrebrenicaUKRemembering Srebrenica@SrebrenicaUK·
20h

In Bratunac this morning, a town near Srebrenica where numerous Bosniak-Muslims were ethnically cleansed and murdered, a sign wishing a happy birthday to Ratko Mladic, the convicted genocidal war criminal, was hung up. Genocide glorification continues.

📷 via @suljagicemir1

155285Twitter
Remembering Srebrenica Retweeted
SrebrenicaUKRemembering Srebrenica@SrebrenicaUK·
3 Mar

Don’t forget we are still recruiting for a project officer to assist us in the planning and implementation of the 26th commemoration of the Bosnian genocide. Come join our team and make a difference!

https://t.co/HdLiprf7zY

46Twitter
SrebrenicaUKRemembering Srebrenica@SrebrenicaUK·
6 Mar

We were honoured to have Fikret Alić speak about his experience of surviving the death camp of Omarska at our National Commemoration. This shocking photo continues to haunt the world & serves as a reminder of what happens when we turn our back on humanity. https://t.co/BCfEexbNXS

49160Twitter
SrebrenicaUKRemembering Srebrenica@SrebrenicaUK·
5 Mar

Join us on March 11th as we mark #InternationalWomensDay with a discussion on gender and genocide; throughout and post-conflict. We'll be joined by experts and survivors in what will be an insightful discussion. Save the date now. We'll be sharing more info shortly!

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Remembering Srebrenica Retweeted
OsborneTweetsPeter Osborne@OsborneTweets·
5 Mar

Two evenings that I believe will be fascinating - 29th and 30th March at 7pm. On-line unfortunately but then again if not we might not hear from Srebrenica survivor @NedzadAvdic direct from Bosnia - register by emailing goodrelations@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk

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 The charity 
A Project of Ummah Help. Registered charity no. 1142686. Registered company no. 7369796. Click here to find out more.
 Latest news 
Remembering Srebrenica’s 2021 Theme: Rebuilding Lives
February 4, 2021

Every year, Remembering Srebrenica selects a theme that reflects an aspect of the genocide that must be commemorated, but also speaks to communities here in the UK.  The theme for 2021 is ‘Rebuilding Lives’.  In albeit very different ways the Covid pandemic has brought loss and difficulties to millions, shattering individuals and communities, who are […]

Hatidža Mehmedović – A mother’s legacy
November 26, 2020

Hatidža Mehmedović was born in the area surrounding Srebrenica in 1952. Before the genocide, she lived her entire life in Srebrenica, where she had married her childhood friend, Abdullah, and had two sons, Azmir and Almir. Hatidža and Abdullah built their home in Srebrenica and lived a simple life as a family before the war […]

“Untold Killing”: first serialised podcast about the genocide in Bosnia launched
October 22, 2020

London, United Kingdom — This past July marked 25 years since the genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina, often referred to as the worst atrocity on Europe’s soil since the Holocaust. The story of Srebrenica, a small town in Bosnia, remains a dark stain on Europe’s history and yet the full details remain unknown to many.  […]

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