9781422281369

At this time Prijedor was inhabited by two communities— Bosniaks, who were mainly Muslims, and Serbs, who were pre- dominantly Orthodox Christians. These two groups of people had been enemies in the past, but for forty years they had lived peacefully side by side. Muhamed was a Muslim, but he knew and liked many Serbs. In 1990, when he was 51, Muhamed decided to run for office as mayor of the city. The entire Muslim community

Words to Understand in This Chapter

abduction— taking someone away by force. anti-Semitism— prejudice against Jews. atrocity— a shockingly cruel act, usually involving violence.

classification— the allocation of items or people into groups according to type. concentration camp— a prison camp used in war for the incarceration of political prisoners or civilians. dehumanization— the process of removing a person’s or group’s human qualities, in the eyes of others. economic depression— a long period when trade is very slack, marked by high unemployment and poverty. ghetto— a run-down area of a city lived in by a minority group, especially a group experiencing discrimination. polarization— the process of exaggerating the differences between items or people so that those differences become ever more clear-cut s and extreme. propaganda— organized publicity, often by a government, to promote a particular view. refugee— someone who is seeking refuge, especially from war or persecution, by going to a foreign country. symbolization— the process of identifying a particular group with a symbol.

8

Genocide