 |
|
Title: The Bridge Betrayed: Religion and Genocide in Bosnia (Comparative Studies in Religion and Society , No 11) (Comparative Studies in Religion and Society , No 11)
ISBN: 0520216628
Author:
Michael A. Sells
Publicate Date: 1998-12-10
Publish: 1998-12-10
List Price: $7.00
Average Customer Rating: 4.0
Format: Paperback
 |
|
|
|
|
Amazon Lowest New Price: $6.99
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $4.54
Amazon Merchant Price: $7.00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Customer Review: |
|
1: The Bridge Betrayed
The title of this book refers to the Bridge of Mostar in the city by that name in current day Bosnia. The bridge was built by the Ottomans in the 16th century and symbolized to many a bridge between East and West, Christian and Muslim etc. For hundreds of years, this area was home to a flourishing pluralistic culture that included Bosnian Muslims, Catholic Croats and Orthodox Serbs. This was all shattered when the nationalist tendencies that followed the break-up of Yugoslavia erupted in war and ethnic cleansing in the early 90s. In 1993, Croat nationalist forces destroyed the bridge in what Sells claims was a systematic campaign to eradicate Islamic culture from the region.
Contrary to the myth of the Balkans as an inherently violent place of ancient hatreds, Sells sees the conflict's origins as much more recent. He describes how the Nazis occupied Croatia and engendered ethnic strife in the entire region. But the main thrust of the book is the religious nature of the conflict and what Sells describes as out and out genocide against Bosnian Muslims. This was perpetrated by both the Catholic Croats and Orthodox Serbs, with the latter seemingly the main culprit. Sells makes the case that the Serb's fanatical "Christoslavism" (a view that sees Slavs as inherently Christian and any Slavic converts to Islam as race traitors) was the driving force behind the entire conflict and describes the horrific consequences of this fanaticism. Bosnian civilians were routinely raped, tortured, and murdered with the support of many high ranking clergy. One of the most disturbing aspects of the situation was the attitudes and actions (or lack thereof) of the UN along with the American and European governments. Sells claims they knew genocide was happening but used the excuse of perennial conflict in the region to justify their non-action.
My only complaint would be that Sells is a bit heavy on the moralizing and comes across as quite anti-Christian. He even goes so far as to place the Bosnian genocide into an alleged long line of European (and American) Christian violence against non-Christians. While there may be some truth to this view, I would call it a gross simplification to say the least. Nevertheless, this was a compelling and disturbing read.
|
2: Perhaps the most idiotic thesis I have ever read.
To even claim that the reasons behind the "genocide" lay in Serbian nationalism is a fairly good sign that the person making that claim does not know the basic facts on the ground. For example, most of the Serbs who committed crimes were not Serbian nationalists but people with legal problems even in former Yugoslavia...Social misfits and gangsters who exploited anarchy which marked the war in order to enrich themselves and satisfy their own sick instincts. To claim that Serbs were somehow inherently connected to the Myth of Kosovo in their behavior is even more misguided claim, for the vast majority of war criminals did not have nationalistic tendencies, nor did they believe in God, nor did they know much about Serbian history including Kosovo. They were people who believed in nothing and very often worked for the Communist secret service UDBA back in the days of SFRY. Therefore there is a complete disconnect between the people who committed the crimes and Serbian mythology, which Mr. Sells does not mention. When it comes to nationalism, if Serbs were indeed so much more nationalistic than others, than how come Karadzic had some much trouble starting the SDS back in the summer of 1990 when almost every known Serbian intellectual joined the reformists of Ante Markovic, an inherently Yugoslavian faction? This is in contrast to the Muslims and the Croats who founded their nationalistic parties with a relative ease earlier than Serbs did. Just few criticisms of a seriously flawed book, whose author does not even attempt to be balanced, and in the process ends up getting even the most basic facts wrong. I am truly sorry to have this man on the faculty of my own school.
|
3: Well balanced and true
One more proof in numerous historical documents discussing the genocide and atrocities against Bosnian population. It points the finger in the right direction of the culprits. The book provides plenty of evidence that the genocide was committed by Serbian forces with blessings from Serbia and Montenegro.
|
4: More than The Bridge Betrayed!
Sells has been know to write interesting books covering issues and clashes between Christians and Muslims, due to his Serbian heritege and his background as a Professor and chairperson of the Department of Religion at Haverford College, in the US. He critisices his own in a very tough and honest way. Even if some fanatics will claim that he only speaks about the horrible acts of crime conducted by Serbians and Croats.
Sells gives us a detailed look into the, by the Serbs, created mythology. I say created, some of you may say revised, but in any case it hade the purpose to seduce it's own pepole to commit the most serious war crimes since the Soviet gulag camps or the concentration camps of the third rich.
Serbs use the death of Prince Lazar at the infamous battle in Kosovo between the Serbs and the Ottomans, Muslims have since been considered Christ killers and the primary target of Serb hatred. You can have your own opinions about this, but fact is that the Serbs used this myth to put a spell on there own people. Much like Adolf Hitler.
Sells writes in a way that many people might find hard to understand. Even if the book is only 150 pages it takes quite a while to get through. It is packed with information and it is not happy reading. It breaks your heart to hear about all the massacres that took place in Europe. As Europeans we should know better then let it happen again. And even as I knew about many of what Sells is writing, due to my background.
The West didn't do anything about the situation before it was too late. The reason to this may be that they didn't want to argue with Russia in imbalance that only needed something to fuel a last fight against the capitalists. Comments, by Sells, about secret NATO supply stores can't be taken seriously due to the level of speculations surrounded the breakup of the Warzawa pact. Fact is that Sovjet hade huge supply stores in the former Yugoslavia. And Serbian leaders made sure to take control over those, at an early stage of the conflict.
It is hard for a European to hear that those genocidal theories were used again, didn't we learn anything??? The Orthodox church were involved in those crimes and that is something I didn't expect, but that's why we are protestants in Sweden, not fundamentalists.
In all, a really good book that will open your eyes to the crimes committed by people that should know better. Serbians and Croatians was involved in World war II and it seems that people that suffered want revenge, much like Israel...
BUY!!!
|
5: Awsome
I just finished reading this book and it was so intriguing that I finished it in one sitting. It will open your eyes, on the matter of Bosnia, so big that you'll be able to see the craters on Uranus, if there is any over there. Read it!
|
|
|
|
|
