July 11, 1995 – 20 years ago this past Saturday – Serbian soldiers began a genocide against Bosnian Muslims. Although the United Nations had designated the Bosnian city Srebrenica a safe zone in war-torn Yugoslavia, it wasn’t safe. 8,372 Bosnians were slaughtered. The New York Times says, “This was the worst atrocity on European soil since World War II; the entire region is dotted with mass graves.” “I lost my dad in the massacre,” said Edmir Oric of St. Louis. “They found his body five years ago in 2010, and we buried it at the memorial. So, yeah, it hurts.”
Some 15,000 Bosnians tried to escape. Nedzad Avdic was among them, fleeing with his father and uncle. He lost his father. “I cried, calling for him. But everyone wanted to save themselves.” He and his uncle were caught and taken to a town 35 miles from Srebrenica. “They called for us five at a time.” Seema Jilani reports, “They heard shots and bodies crumpling to the ground. His uncle went first, in hopes of somehow sparing him. It was the last time Mr. Avdic ever saw him alive. His uncle’s remains were finally located two years ago in a secondary mass grave (his body was bulldozed and reburied in another location to conceal war crimes).” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 12; B1, 3; New York Times, July 12; Sunday Review, 7).
Now from Srebrenica to World War II genocide: Nickolaus Westermann is a history professor at London University. His new book, “KL, A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps,” is 865 pages long. Reviewer Roger Cohen writes that the book “is claustrophobic in its evocation of the depths to which people can succumb. Readers may find themselves wanting out, but there is always worse to come” (NY Times, Book Review, July 12; 12). That’s enough for this Monday morning.
When Jesus was asked about a slaughter, He said, “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3). We imagine that we wouldn’t perpetrate such crimes, and we might not. We can imagine being victims of a terror attack. Either way, you and I are part of a deeply fallen, sinful humanity. On this normal Monday in America, Lord, have mercy upon us.
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