🇺🇳 The French army has confirmed the death of General Philippe Morillon, the former commander of UNPROFOR in Bosnia and Herzegovina. While he is celebrated in his homeland as an exemplary officer, in Bosnia and Herzegovina his name remains inseparably linked to the fate of Srebrenica and the unfulfilled promises of the international community.

🇺🇳 أكد الجيش الفرنسي وفاة الجنرال فيليب موريلون، القائد السابق لقوات الأمم المتحدة للحماية (UNPROFOR) في البوسنة والهرسك. وبينما يُحتفى به في بلاده باعتباره ضابطًا مثاليًا، يبقى اسمه في البوسنة والهرسك مرتبطًا ارتباطًا لا ينفصم بمصير سريبرينيتسا وبالوعود غير المُتحققة للمجتمع الدولي.

☪⚜ Mubera Mujagić - Forgotten Victim of Yugoslavia

In the 1980s, professor Mubera Mujagić wrote to Belgrade’s NIN magazine, demanding that Petar Petrović Njegoš (The Mountain Wreath) and Ivan Mažuranić (The Death of Smail-aga Čengić) be removed from school textbooks, arguing that these works insult Muslims and spread hatred. At a meeting of the Sarajevo Writers’ Association and the League of Communists, she openly voiced her opposition. In a 1985 interview
she asked a key question:

If some are offended by her proposal, why not be offended by the verses themselves?
“The mountains reek of the unbaptized… the land stinks of Muhammad… how these converts stink… If people’s hair stands on end because of my proposal, there are more whose hair stands on end because of these verses,” she wrote.

She warned that misinterpreted literature at a young age can create animosity between peoples, especially when myths confuse Muslims with Turks and perpetuate centuries-old "guilt".

“Such ethical messages are unacceptable. They train future nationalists to respond blow for blow. My intervention aimed to prevent that.”

The cost of speaking out?

After the letter to NIN, an ideological campaign forced her to leave her school. She was practically on the streets, abandoned by society. By 2004, four years before her death in May 2008, Mubera lived in extreme poverty in Sarajevo: sick, hungry, without electricity, water, heating, pension, or health insurance.

18 years after her death no street, school, or public recognition exist for her in Sarajevo.

✍ Achievements: Mubera Mujagić is the Author of 14 books, member of the European Academy of Sciences, winner of six European medals and Italian trophies,published in dozens of languages, named Woman of the Year (USA, 2003)

📝 Note: What are "The Mountain Wreath" and "The Death of Smail-aga Čengić"?

"The Mountain Wreath" is considered a foundational work of Montenegrin and Serbian literature which uses harsh ethnic/religious language against Muslims.

"The Death of Smail-aga Čengić" is a, historically significant ,Croatian epic poem glorifying revenge against Muslims.

First ayah of Surah al Ikhlas 🤍 الآية الأولى من سورة الإخلاص

I think... I am getting better at this

📝 One of the things I adore about the foreigner, the brother or the sister who arrives in our land for a few days and nights is that, through them, we can perceive our home anew. What do I mean by that, one might ask. The beauties of one’s own country, after being seen time and time again, lose their charm. The buildings, the mountains, the rivers that move other people have become regular and ordinary to us. Like watching a movie multiple times, they lose their effect; we cannot turn back time, nor can we forget. Therefore, the closest thing we can experience to reliving moments of beauty is to be with someone who sees them for the first time. So when someone arrives here, we get to see ourselves again, be ourselves again, and relive our lives through the eyes of a welcome stranger.

📝 أحدُ الأمور التي أُحبّها في الغريب، في الأخ أو الأخت الذين يأتون إلى أرضنا لبضعة أيام وليالٍ، هو أنّنا من خلالهم نستطيع أن نرى وطننا من جديد. ماذا أعني بذلك، قد يتساءل المرء. إنّ جماليات الوطن، حين تُرى مرارًا وتكرارًا، تفقد شيئًا من سحرها. فالمباني والجبال والأنهار التي تُحرّك مشاعر الآخرين أصبحت بالنسبة إلينا مألوفة وعادية. وكما هو الحال عند مشاهدة فيلم مراتٍ عديدة، يفقد أثره؛ فلا نستطيع أن نعيد الزمن إلى الوراء، ولا أن ننسى. لذلك فإنّ أقرب ما يمكننا اختباره لإحياء لحظات الجمال من جديد هو أن نكون مع شخص يراها للمرة الأولى. وهكذا، حين يصل إلينا شخص ما، نتمكن من أن نرى أنفسنا من جديد، وأن نكون أنفسنا من جديد، وأن نعيش حياتنا مرة أخرى من خلال عيون غريبٍ مرحَّبٍ به.

🇱🇷 Jackie Arklöv – Liberian Neo-Nazi HVO War Criminal

Jackie Arklöv was born in 1973 in Liberia to a Liberian mother and a German father. At the age of three, he was adopted by a Norwegian couple who later moved to Sweden. As a child, Arklöv struggled with identity issues, bullying, and not fitting in. He reportedly attempted to scrub and paint his skin white and, during his teenage years, embraced neo-Nazism, identifying with what he saw as the “losers” of World War II.

In 1992, Arklöv traveled to Zagreb and joined Croatian forces, believing they were ideologically compatible with his extremist views. After a brief period with foreign volunteers, he joined the notorious Ludvig Pavlović Unit, a paramilitary formation infamous for war crimes. In his own diary, Arklöv described surprise attacks on Muslim villages near Mostar, including throwing grenades into homes, mass killings, and the removal of civilian bodies. He openly expressed hatred toward Muslims and showed no concern over the fascist violence of his unit.

When not involved in combat operations, the unit operated prison and concentration camps such as Gabela and Dretelj. Multiple witnesses described Arklöv as particularly sadistic. Among other acts, he tortured detainees like Muhamed Begović using a fire-extinguisher hose with a metal nozzle. His diary entries reveal a pattern of casual, alcohol-fueled violence driven by ideological hatred.

In 1995, Arklöv was captured by Bosnian military police. In August 1996, he was released in a prisoner exchange following intervention by Swedish authorities and evacuated to Sweden by UN forces. His case was retried there, but he was acquitted due to a “lack of evidence.”

Unable to adapt to civilian life, Arklöv later took part in a bank robbery with other neo-Nazis, during which two police officers were killed. He was subsequently convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.

What living in Sweden does to a person.

If you know you know

🇧🇦 Hutovo Fortress, or Hutovo Town, is a fortress that probably dates back to antiquity and is located at the foot of Mount Žaba in southern Herzegovina. No archaeological research has been conducted at this site. The settlement dates from the Roman period. Experts assume that during Roman times there was likely a Roman watchtower here, overseeing the road that passed through Hutovo.

🇧🇦 قلعة هوتوفو، أو مدينة هوتوفو، هي قلعة يُرجَّح أن يعود تاريخها إلى العصور القديمة، وتقع عند سفح جبل جابا في جنوب الهرسك. لم تُجرَ أي أبحاث أثرية في هذا الموقع. ويعود تاريخ الاستيطان فيه إلى الفترة الرومانية. ويفترض الخبراء أنه في العهد الروماني كانت توجد هنا على الأرجح نقطة حراسة رومانية تشرف على الطريق الذي كان يمر عبر هوتوفو.

People in the Global South watching Westerners make YouTube videos explaining why their countries are “failed states” (after the West stole everything they had)

Response to one of the comments:

The West did not oppress and extract resources from Bosnia, other Balkan countries, South America, and so on because they were socialist, communist, or ideologically opposed to capitalism. The character or beliefs of the victims in relation to the Western world are irrelevant. We abandoned Yugoslav socialism and accepted the so-called virtues of democracy and capitalism, and in return their banks and corporate private sector stole our wealth, ruined our industries, impoverished our people, embargoed us, got us killed by the tens of thousands in an existential war and genocide, and had their rich hunt us like dogs in our own cities. All of that is post-socialism. They kill because they are murderers; they steal because they are thieves; they are uncivilized, and they are 20th- and 21st-century Vikings. We are not poor, we are not underdeveloped, and we are not corrupt- we have the misfortune of being within the reach of evil.

علم جمهورية البوسنة والهرسك الاشتراكية (1943–1992)

ردًّا على أحد التعليقات:

لم يقم الغرب باضطهاد البوسنة، أو بقية دول البلقان، أو أمريكا الجنوبية، وغيرها، ونهب مواردها لأنها كانت اشتراكية أو شيوعية أو معادية أيديولوجيًا للرأسمالية. إن طابع الضحايا أو معتقداتهم في علاقتهم بالعالم الغربي أمر غير ذي صلة. لقد تخلّينا عن الاشتراكية اليوغوسلافية وقبلنا بما يُسمّى فضائل الديمقراطية والرأسمالية، وفي المقابل قامت بنوكهم وقطاعهم الخاصّ والشركات الكبرى بسرقة ثرواتنا، وتدمير صناعاتنا، وإفقار شعوبنا، وفرض الحصار علينا، والتسبّب في مقتل عشرات الآلاف منّا في حرب وجودية وإبادة جماعية، بل وجعلوا أغنياءهم يصطادوننا كالحيوانات في مدننا. كلّ ذلك حدث في مرحلة ما بعد الاشتراكية. إنهم يقتلون لأنهم قتلة، ويسرقون لأنهم لصوص، وهم غير متحضّرين، وهم فايكنغ القرنين العشرين والحادي والعشرين. لسنا فقراء، ولسنا متخلّفين، ولسنا فاسدين- بل ابتُلينا بسوء الحظ لكوننا ضمن نطاق وصول الشر.

How to solve the Greenland issue ✍

🇧🇦⚜ Bosnia (#Bosna) written in Arebica using the Diwani Jali noscript

Arebica is a writing system that was used by Bosniaks between the 15th and early 20th centuries, until the Latin noscript was imposed during Austro-Hungarian rule. It modified Arabic letters to represent sounds that Arabic does not have.

Diwani Jali is a highly ornamental, ceremonial style of Arabic calligraphy that developed in the Ottoman Empire.

I combined these two to create this piece. Any mistakes or inaccuracies are due to my lack of skill or incomplete knowledge of either subject.

🇧🇦⚜ البوسنة (Bosna#) مكتوبة بـ الأريبِتسا باستخدام الخط الديواني الجلي

الأريبِتسا هي منظومة كتابة استعملها البوشناق بين القرن الخامس عشر وبدايات القرن العشرين، إلى أن فُرض الخط اللاتيني خلال فترة الحكم النمساوي-المجري. وقد عُدِّلت فيها الحروف العربية لتمثيل أصوات لا توجد في اللغة العربية.

الديواني الجلي هو أسلوبٌ زخرفيٌّ احتفاليٌّ بالغ التزيين من فنون الخط العربي، نشأ في الدولة العثمانية.

جمعتُ بين هذين العنصرين لابتكار هذا العمل. وأي أخطاء أو عدم دقة فهي ناتجة عن قلة خبرتي أو نقص معرفتي بأحد الموضوعين.

🇧🇦 Trebinje 📍تريبينيه 🇧🇦

When you’re Eastern European in the UK and you want to integrate into the local culture but still stick to your roots 😎