Committee for Conflict Transformation Support |
CCTS
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Responsibility - what is it? - The role of religious communities in the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina 1992-1995by Abdulah Fetahovic, a trainer for non-violent communication, conflict resolution and leadership currently studying at Sarajevo University Eight years after the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina I have not seen any religious community or a church seriously or critically examine its responsibility for the war and everything that happened within it. The tens of thousands of dead people, hundreds of ruined buildings, enormous number of gatherings at which manipulation of faith for the purpose of the war was carried out openly, and the evil use of the religious symbols were not enough to waken the conscience of the religious communities. At many of those gatherings, where the representatives of all the faiths were present, I was an eyewitness to a silent alliance of non-negotiation and non-discussion of the war and war crimes, particularly about the role played by religion, its clergy and its institutions. The religious communities and churches mutually granted amnesty for and to themselves, for public show only. Within them hatred toward others has still been rife. The manipulative use made of 'our' victims to intensify animosity has served their purpose in adding the fuel to the fire. It is rare to hear of our own accountability and of others who were tortured at our hands too. Even when such discussion has taken place it has been extremely superficial, and has not contributed to supporting the rebuilding and transformation of society. This conspiracy of silence is one of the pillars supporting our failure to re-examine our responsibility, in the whole of Bosnian society. It could well be asked, "If people of faith and our spiritual representatives are not ready to face the responsibility of the past - all the crimes that have been committed - why should we?" This is a fair and logical question. The issue of our own responsibility has vanished somewhere into space and in this particular case it is the space of religious communities. Members of those communities should ask themselves, "Where am I in relation to God? What is my duty to God?" Has any religious community expelled any of its members because they committed a crime? Has any religious community expelled any of its members because they preached and supported crimes - destroying religious objects, massacre, rape, concentration camps, mass killing, torturing, burning, plunder, extortion or anything else, including blasphemy? What would one have to do to be excluded from a religious community or church? Have any such exclusions taken place? (I have not heard of any, but if anyone knows of such a case, it would ease my heart to hear about it. Please write to: fetah114@yahoo.com) Since Allah/ God is the Most Merciful and the Most Compassionate, repentance and forgiveness are possible, and this is an important truth for believers. But true repentance must include a willingness to accept punishment for the crime committed. To grant amnesty to a criminal is to risk usurping God's role. From the point of view of faith it is essential that believers should make a wholehearted commitment to accepting responsibility and to atonement.
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