FALSE CLAIMS THAT CROATS AND MUSLIMS MASSIVELY SAVED SERB CIVILIANS IN ERA OF NDH

BELGRADE, FEBRUARY 2 /SRNA/ - Founder of the Forgotten Roots Foundation Dragan Radović told SRNA that a false narrative is spreading on social media claiming that Muslims and Croats - particularly their religious leaders - in BiH during World War II, under the Independent State of Croatia /NDH/, massively saved Serbian civilians, including children, women and the elderly, warning that such claims should be treated with extreme caution, as documented facts show the opposite.

Radović stated that during research conducted in multiple archives for the Foundation's projects, he found that some Muslims who are now claimed to have saved Serbs were, in fact, convicted as Nazis. He advised the public not to accept what he described as false stories being promoted via social networks. "Many stories are being circulated about Muslims and Croats saving Serbs. I am not saying that this did not happen-there were such cases - but not to the extent and in the manner it is now being presented. In Bosanska Krupa, there is a documented example of a Croat who appeared to be saving Serbs, calling them to come to his house to hide them from the Ustasha, but in reality he gathered them so they could be more easily captured," Radović said. He added that while working on the documentary film Garavice, he encountered numerous testimonies about crimes committed by imam Bećir Borić, and announced that he is now preparing a documentary film that will focus exclusively on that topic. "The crimes near Cazin were organized by imam Borić himself. The new film will include everything related to these crimes, detailing what he did, supported by numerous documents. I have obtained additional information, new photographs and maps, and all of this will be used," Radović said. He stressed that it is difficult to single out the largest crime attributed to Borić because, according to him, they occurred on a daily basis. "In terms of brutality, the massacre in Milostrah stands out, where more than 250 people were killed in a single day, followed by crimes in Krndija, Bukovica and Rujnica. Some of the victims were exhumed and buried, some partially, while others were never recovered," Radović said. Radović noted that there are many other examples in which Islamic religious leaders personally organized and carried out crimes. "One such crime occurred in Pridvorica on Christmas Day in 1942. This is the atrocity that inspired the book The Knife and the subsequent film adaptation. The crime was organized by imam Uzeir Belalić. The entire Serbian population of the village, about 180 residents, was killed. Entire families were wiped out-17 women and children from the Nosović family alone," Radović said. He added that this was preceded by the crime at the Korićka Jama pit on June 4 and 5, 1941, when 134 Serbs were killed, allegedly led by imam Muharem Glavinić. "I am nearing the completion of a film on this crime. It must be finished by the end of this year," Radović said. According to Radović, Islamic religious leaders were organizers of crimes against Serbs in Bosanska Krupa, Sanski Most and other locations, and he is considering compiling all such cases into a single book documenting instances in which Islamic religious leaders directed and carried out crimes. Radović also said that while researching crimes against Serbs, he came across testimonies in which some members of the Ustasha saved Serbs, and that he documented those cases as well. "There are such positive examples, but it is not as it is now being portrayed, nor was it as widespread as some Croats and Muslims want us to believe today," Radović said. As one example, Radović cited the case of Bojana Grgić, the wife of Dragan Grgić, author of the book Korana Like a Wound, who was the sole survivor of her ten-member family. "Her father was killed at Garavice, six sisters were killed on their doorstep in crimes attributed to imam Borić, her brother died as a fighter, and she was the only survivor. How did she survive? According to her own testimony, during the massacre in the village, when imam Bećir arrived, one Ustasha gestured for her to remain silent and shielded her with his body so others would not see her. That is how she survived - saved by an Ustasha," Radović said.