Obituary (Objective

Published in ZPE 207 (2018)

It is beyond the bounds of the likelihood that an individual can escape the consequences of war as witnessed in History. It impacts an individual; both physically and psychologically. Kashmir‘s which has been engulfed by sadistic conflict since the late 1980s. This open-ended warfare in Kashmir has made the life of every human being even worse than hell. It is obvious, that physical injuries are noticeable but psychological injury often go unacknowledged. Shahnaz Bashir, in his debut novel ―The Half Mother‖ brings to us a story of Haleema – a mother and a daughter yesterday, a ‗half mother‘ and an orphan today; tormented by not knowing whether his only son Imran is dead or alive, torn apart by her own solitary existence. This research paper will put insight into the protagonist Haleema heartbreaking tenacious journey as a solitary woman who battle for her son – Imran whereabouts, her right to dignity and life till her last breath

The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social and Community Studies, 2016

2018

The story behind the sad icon of a boy on the beach.

Life Writing, 2008

Women’s Side of War, 2008

This story reflects author’s personal experience as a child navigating survival during the Bosnian war, 1992-1996. Introduction from the Editor: Dear women, This letter, my favourite form of communication, is addressed to each one of you separately and, particularly; to every one of you who wrote or spoke whilst others recorded. Also, it is to those who will read this. Just as I saw those of you in my mind whose stories are here as I read about you, at the same time, I saw all of you who will read this in the future. The women’s word has often been used and frequently misused, dis- torted, and (mis)interpreted. On the one hand, women were the real victims of a specific war strategy, and on the other hand, this victimisation was used as a "case": a weapon of war propaganda, turning women into victims twice over. Those who listened attentively to what the women had to say and those who faithfully wrote down and promoted their words were, however, few and far between. It seemed important to me to obtain these records: collect them in one place, and thus, endow them with new force. I would not have ven- tured into this, had I not already seen that women wanted to hear these words; that they mattered to them, and that this hunger to know and exchange wartime experiences never ends. I see this book as an incentive to continue joining your personal experiences (in the ways you find best). Thereby also continuing to add to a women’s history which is still in signifi- cant contrast to the other: an undoubtedly men’s-only history, dry and mer- cilessly impersonal, not allowing any individual voice to break through and attain its legitimate place. After all these years, perhaps we should take stock of all that we had to go through. We should take stock of the enormous effort we have invest- ed. Our effort will allow us to realise how strong we have been and will make it possible to recognize our true strength by reminding us of all of the tragedies and the trials and tribulations that we have surpassed. That is the purpose of this book: to see how important female friendships were to us, how much we helped - or should have helped – each other; to enable us to rely on our own forces as responsible citizens; to refuse to be cast forever in the role of victims; to refuse to be allotted only an insignificant role whenev- er decisions are made. And still, we are confronted with our own tremendous expectations when it comes to the implementation of decisions which are not our own and are even dangerous for us. We must re-examine the traditions we have passed on and maintained, and we must see whether those are our A Letter (In Lieu of an Introduction) 9 real values. Women, beyond our natural strife, we must establish new values for cooperation and peace that will signify - above all - life without fear. I have attended numerous women’s meetings and have seen how important it is for women to talk about what happened to them in the wars and, at the same time, to hear what happened to others. Surrounded by women ready to listen attentively, they found the courage to speak about things that they had kept silent about before. Because there had been nobody willing to hear their stories, or because it was too painful for them, or because they feared the consequences of speaking, they had remained silent. But each story was another story’s beginning. I learned what should not be read anywhere, what did not fit into the "official version." Knowledge was weighed, questions and examinations were re-opened, opinions changed... The responsibility of others was established, one’s own civil responsibility rooted. Support was created. I am confident that in this book you will find some answers and per- haps learn something new as well. Even more importantly, I hope that you will find and feel compassion for the OTHER WOMAN - perhaps by simply recognising your own experience in that Other Woman’s experience. Experience is always unique and therefore incomparable. Every record in this anthology is personal, and a collection of such personal experiences acquires the strength of the universal. Our power can be great if we join together our modest strengths. Through a united effort, we can make visible this invisible women’s side of war. No effort is worthless if our strong voice against the war can be made to prevail and prevent future wars. Yours truly, Lina *** This book, an anthology of women’s records about the wars waged on the soil of the former Yugoslavia in 1991-1999, is the product of a year- long exploration in cooperation with many women’s organizations, human rights organizations, organizations which deal with the past and reconcilia- tion, and the individual women who bravely voiced their experiences, record- ed their experiences and/or endorsed these experiences. We made our selec- tions from the sources within our reach. The available sources are listed in the Bibliography. We hope that this book will not remain the only one of its kind and that it will encourage further research and more books. With the exception of some inevitable abridgements marked (...), we have reproduced all of the texts faithfully. Share your thoughts. Please send us your feedback. linavuskovic@gmail.com Translated by Mirka Janković