The Bosnian genocide of 1992-1995 stands as the worst atrocity on European soil since World War II — over 8,000 innocent people massacred in Srebrenica alone, 14 concentration camps established, systematic rape used as a weapon of war, and entire communities ethnically cleansed. Even Hollywood took notice, with Angelina Jolie being moved to tears while visiting Bosnian rape victims and producing a film about the conflict. Yet tragically, much of the world has forgotten or never knew about this genocide. In this powerful episode, Dr. Hashim Covic, former president of the Bosnian-American Cultural Association in Chicago, joins The Deen Show to revisit this history — not to stir hatred, but to create awareness, honor the victims, and expose the dangerous double standards that persist to this day.
The Architects of Genocide Were Orthodox Christians — But We Do Not Blame Christianity
“Slobodan Milosevic, Radovan Karadzic — the ‘Butcher of Bosnia’ — and Ratko Mladic were all practicing Orthodox Christians charged with genocide, crimes against humanity, and racial purity experiments. But do we blame Christianity for their evil? No. So why is Islam blamed every time a fringe criminal claims to act in its name?”
This is the critical point that every fair-minded person must confront. The masterminds behind the Bosnian genocide — Milosevic, Karadzic, and Mladic — were motivated by nationalist extremism, not religion. They established concentration camps, ordered mass executions, and orchestrated ethnic cleansing against Muslim Bosnians. Yet the world never asked Christians to collectively apologize, never labeled Christianity as violent, and never subjected Christian communities to surveillance. The contrast with how Muslims are treated after any incident involving a misguided individual claiming Islam could not be more stark or unjust.
- Over 8,000 Muslim men and boys were executed in the Srebrenica massacre of July 1995, the single worst atrocity in Europe since WWII
- 14 concentration camps were established by extremist Serbs in Bosnia during the conflict
- The Bosnian-American community in Chicago sent 20 containers of humanitarian aid and helped resettle refugees from concentration camps
- The International Criminal Tribunal charged Karadzic with genocide and crimes against humanity — he led Europe’s worst experiment in racial purity since the Nazis
- Despite the scale of this Christian-perpetrated genocide, no one demanded that global Christianity condemn these acts or reform its teachings
Islam Is Open to All — Serbs, Croats, and Every Human Being
“One of the reasons why God sent us to this earth is to improve relationships with each other and to help each other. I ask anyone — do your own research, find the truth, and do not blindly follow what the hate machine tells you about Islam.”
Dr. Covic’s message is one of mercy, not revenge. Islam does not teach Muslims to hold grudges against entire nations or faiths for the crimes of individuals. It teaches justice, forgiveness, and the invitation to truth for all of humanity. Whether you are Serbian, Croatian, or from any other background, Islam welcomes you with open arms — the only requirement is sincerity with your Creator. As Dr. Covic reminded the audience, what the church teaches and what Jesus (peace be upon him) actually taught are often contradictory, and anyone genuinely following the message of Jesus will find that it leads them to the same submission to the One God that Islam calls to. May Allah grant justice to the victims of every genocide and guide all of humanity to the truth.
