Sunday, March 22, 2015
The Bosnia List
Trebincevic writes, "In the censured (sic--I think he means 'censored'), Serbian-created version of Balkan history I was taught at school in Brcko, the Serbs portrayed themselves as defenders of the peace or innocent victims. During the 1992 war, power-hungry politicians had played on the Old World distortion that we (Muslims) were aggressors like the ancient Turks or modern militant Islamicists, using that illusion to justify ethnocide" (66). Later, in the USA, a neighbor asks Kenan's mother what she thinks of Osama Bin Laden. If you're a non-Muslim, how is this book changing your view of modern-day Muslims, if at all. If you're a Muslim, what part(s) of Kenan's experience strike a familiar chord for you? Were you taught a "censored" view of history in school? If you went to school in the US, how much did you learn about slavery? About how the first American settlers from Europe treated the Native Americans? About how Americans put Japanese-American citizens in internment camps during WWII? What other stories do you feel were misrepresented to you as a child?
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Nothing strikes me as surprising, iv used textbooks from both the US and other countries. My global 1 and 2, and US history teachers in high school did this specifically to show how sides of stories are told differently. The books written in the US portray wars as another countries fault, vice versa with the other countries. Not blaming it on them, but telling what happened in a way to make it seem like the other side was at fault. I know we celebrate colombus day but he wasnt a saint. When he came over he mistreated everyone, murdered many and brought over diseases, though im sure that wasnt his fault.
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