Mass Killings Of The Killings Of Muslims example essay topic

Ethnic Cleansing is a form of genocide. It is a ritual that is still being practiced in Bosnia. It consists of attacks on settlements, mass killings, torture, rape, and starvation. The victims have primarily been Muslim civilians with casualties totaling 200,000. The violence can be attributed to the defeat and killing of Prince Lazar in Kosovo by the Turkish people. This event took place in 1389.

Lazar is looked upon as a Christ like figure by the Serbian's. A play written by Prince Bishop Petar the II called The Mountain Wreath, glorifies the mass killings of the killings of Muslims as well as the defeat of Islam. It also talks about people who convert to Islam being the responsible for the death of the Prince Lazar. In 1989 on the anniversary of the play the battle for Kosovo which main theme is the extermination of Slavic Muslims and race betrayal.

A million Serbian's came to Kosovo to honor it. Religious organizations and churches in the region have ignored the issue surrounding the mass killings. In fact some have blessed armies that have returned from "kill and plunder expeditions". The city of Zvornick celebrated the fact that the city was now one hundred percent free. "Ethno nationalist celebrated the feast of St Sava founder of the Serbian Church by burning down the 300-year old mosque at Trebi nje and massacring the towns Muslims". The Serbian Church was primarily responsible for the destruction of Bosnia.

They were successful in rallying the people against the Muslims in 1988-89. The church was then under pressure worldwide. People wanted to see if they would indirectly support the genocide or support the victims of the cruel crimes. New types of ethnic cleansing have been introduced by the Bosnian Serb army, which controlled over seventy percent of the army by the early nineties.

The Serbian Orthodox Church is in full support of this ethnic cleansing. It consists of women children and the elderly are told to leave or have to face execution. The Muslim's homes are looted. They have to leave all of their valuables including their homes.

The women are raped and the men beaten and sent to work on slave labor camps. Sells says that "The horrendous suffering in Bosnia has led to the radicalization of some Bosnian Islamic Leaders". Although the Serbian church is under fire at this time for ignoring the issues of the ethnic cleansing it may be too late to do anything for the Muslim population in Bosnia. Sells says as of 1994 " The Serbian Republic that controls 70% of Bosnia is close to its goal of 100%". The few that remain are being killed off daily. Before reading the article on the ethnic cleansing rituals in Bosnia I was unaware of what was actually going on and the reasons behind it.

It is amazing that this act of genocide has occurred so late in history and nothing dramatic has been done about it. The reasons for the mass killings are absolutely ludicrous. The Serbian's are actually holding a grudge for the death of Prince Lazar, which happened in 1389. The Serbian's compares this man to Christ, which is completely against all of the books.

This is a criminal act and I don't believe in killing or exterminating a group based on their religious beliefs. As long as man continues to have various interpretations of religion there will continue to be conflict. Unless there is some type of occupation of the land the weaker group will always be victimized by the stronger groups. The issue that shocked me the most in the article was the role that the Serbian church played. Their silence is very much interpreted as support for the horrendous acts that are occurring. I believe that the churches should be neutral and these acts go against everything that the bible stands for.

In a sense it is a form of hypocrisy on the church's behalf. Another issue that I had with the subject is the passive role that NATO has taken on this issue. The act of ethnic cleansing of the Muslims in Bosnia should never have escalated to this level. In my opinion because other countries don't have much to gain, they are unwilling to get involved. In my opinion I don't believe that there was a need for our country to go into Iraq the second time. I believe that the situation in Bosnia was more pressing and more legitimate.

The Serbia's were guilty of the same crimes as Hitler but on a smaller scale. If we constantly allow such acts to continue it will send a message to other countries that this form of genocide will be accepted and tolerated. In my opinion I believe that all human beings should have the freedom no matter what country they are from and what their ethnicity is to choose and practice their religion of choice without the fear of being killed and stripped of their cultural heritage.