--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Bosnian Genocide was something that…" description: "\"The Bosnian Genocide was something that triggered my consciousness and led to an awakening politically for me.\" — Maajid Nawaz" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/maajid-nawaz-7798_awakening_the-bosnian-genocide-was-something-that_885450.jpg" --- # The Bosnian Genocide was something that triggered my… ![“The Bosnian Genocide was something that triggered my consciousness and led to an awakening politically for me.” quote by Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/maajid-nawaz-7798_awakening_the-bosnian-genocide-was-something-that_885450.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/maajid-nawaz-7798_awakening_the-bosnian-genocide-was-something-that_885450.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/maajid-nawaz-7798_awakening_the-bosnian-genocide-was-something-that_885450.jpg) > “The Bosnian Genocide was something that triggered my consciousness and led to an awakening politically for me.” [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Witnessing genocide sparked personal political consciousness and activism. **In simple terms:** Genocide awakened his political awareness. Key Takeaway Turn personal shock into civic engagement. Themes human rights awakening activism political consciousness Mood introspective motivational urgent Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - humanitarian work - policy advocacy - education campaigns - community organizing Key Concepts moral responsibility social justice Questions to Reflect On - How can personal experiences inform broader advocacy? - What steps ensure balanced political action? A Different Perspective Personal trauma may bias perspective. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Awakening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awakening/) [Bosnians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bosnians/) [Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/) [Genocide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genocide/) ## Related quotes > [There was a genocide unfolding against Bosnian Muslims and we, in the United Kingdom, were incredibly angered - a teenager at the time, 15…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/there-was-a-genocide-unfolding-against-bosnian-muslims-and-we-in-the/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [“Europe has another meaning for me. Every time I mention that word, I see the Bosnian family in front of me, living far away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavenka-drakuli/europe-has-another-meaning-for-me-every-time-i-mention-that-word-i/) [Slavenka Drakulić](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavenka-drakuli/) > [I was born Muslim, my parents are Muslim, I am Bosnian. I cannot be anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adnan/i-was-born-muslim-my-parents-are-muslim-i-am-bosnian-i-cannot-be/) [Adnan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adnan/) > [I've had much nastier things said about me in the British press than in the Bosnian press.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-ashdown/i-ve-had-much-nastier-things-said-about-me-in-the-british-press-than/) [Paddy Ashdown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-ashdown/) > [But history does matter. There is a line connecting the Armenians and the Jews and the Cambodians and the Bosnians and the Rwandans. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-bohjalian/but-history-does-matter-there-is-a-line-connecting-the-armenians-and/) [Chris Bohjalian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-bohjalian/) > [We've had it very clear to the Bosnians that our obligation to equip and train their forces is completely conditional on the foreign forces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-christopher/we-ve-had-it-very-clear-to-the-bosnians-that-our-obligation-to-equip/) [Warren Christopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-christopher/) > [If you're a Bosnian and suddenly you get attacked by the Serbs, there's just one way of getting rid of your opponents. It's taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaspar-noe/if-you-re-a-bosnian-and-suddenly-you-get-attacked-by-the-serbs-there/) [Gaspar Noe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaspar-noe/) > [I dream of a world where people from different backgrounds are praying and working for the flourishment of communities different from them, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eboo-patel/i-dream-of-a-world-where-people-from-different-backgrounds-are/) [Eboo Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eboo-patel/) > [See, I believe that it is not true that different races and nations are alike. I'm profoundly convinced that that's a total lie. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-welles/see-i-believe-that-it-is-not-true-that-different-races-and-nations/) [Orson Welles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-welles/) > [In Bosnian, there's no distinction in literature between fiction and nonfiction; there's no word describing that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/in-bosnian-there-s-no-distinction-in-literature-between-fiction-and/) [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) > [I was with the U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali on the day that Srebrenica fell, which happened to be a huge historical turning point in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/i-was-with-the-u-n-secretary-general-boutros-boutros-ghali-on-the-day/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [ \[Albert Camus\]didn't have much hope that things would work out, but he wanted them to. Algeria had reached such a degree of violence that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-camus/albert-camus-didn-t-have-much-hope-that-things-would-work-out-but-he/) [Catherine Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-camus/) > [I'm sure if you were a Bosnian during the war, you would wish to kill Serbs. Just because it is the opposite of you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaspar-noe/i-m-sure-if-you-were-a-bosnian-during-the-war-you-would-wish-to-kill/) [Gaspar Noe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaspar-noe/) > [Let that man be a Bosnian, Herzegovinian. Outside they don't call you by another name, except simply a Bosnian. Whether that be a Muslim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josip-broz-tito/let-that-man-be-a-bosnian-herzegovinian-outside-they-don-t-call-you/) [Josip Broz Tito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josip-broz-tito/) > [I am a living illustration of Bosnian mixing and converting. My grandparents lived in eastern Herzegovina. Very poor. The Turks came and brought Islam.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emir-kusturica/i-am-a-living-illustration-of-bosnian-mixing-and-converting-my/) [Emir Kusturica](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emir-kusturica/) ## More by Maajid Nawaz > [I was held in the Mazra Tora Prison for my role as leader of the pan-Islamist organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir in Alexandria.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/i-was-held-in-the-mazra-tora-prison-for-my-role-as-leader-of-the-pan/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [Ironically, xenophobic nationalists are utilizing the benefits of globalization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/ironically-xenophobic-nationalists-are-utilizing-the-benefits-of/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [I care not to debate which came first, Islamism or anti-Muslim bigotry; suffice to say that both feed into each other symbiotically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/i-care-not-to-debate-which-came-first-islamism-or-anti-muslim-bigotry/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [Let me make this clear: it is our duty to adopt a policy barring the wearing of niqabs in these public buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/let-me-make-this-clear-it-is-our-duty-to-adopt-a-policy-barring-the/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [Expressing myself through language was always something that I had had to learn to do more so than others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/expressing-myself-through-language-was-always-something-that-i-had/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [Not all Muslims wish to express themselves in public through a communal religious identity. Identities are multiple, and some may wish to speak instead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/not-all-muslims-wish-to-express-themselves-in-public-through-a/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [During my teenage years as an Islamist recruiter, I moved to live in self-contained communities in the London boroughs of Newham and Tower Hamlets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/during-my-teenage-years-as-an-islamist-recruiter-i-moved-to-live-in/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [As people's opportunities to succumb to confirmation bias increases online - only seeking out information that confirms their prejudices - ignorance, extremism and close-mindedness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/as-people-s-opportunities-to-succumb-to-confirmation-bias-increases/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [After much soul searching I was able to renounce my past Islamist ideology, challenging everything I was once prepared to die for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/after-much-soul-searching-i-was-able-to-renounce-my-past-islamist/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [Chance explorations on search engines do not 'accidentally' lead users to extremist websites.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/chance-explorations-on-search-engines-do-not-accidentally-lead-users/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [I think I would encourage leaders to start working with communities in order to inoculate angry, young teenagers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/i-think-i-would-encourage-leaders-to-start-working-with-communities/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [The way to tackle Muslimphobia is to tackle prejudice against Muslims. What it is not is to pretend that Islamist extremism does not exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/the-way-to-tackle-muslimphobia-is-to-tackle-prejudice-against-muslims/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [Preying on the grievances of disaffected young men is the bedrock of Islamism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/preying-on-the-grievances-of-disaffected-young-men-is-the-bedrock-of/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [No form of theocracy, whether it's manifested in a violent or non-violent form, is ever good for civilisation, and we have to challenge it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/no-form-of-theocracy-whether-it-s-manifested-in-a-violent-or-non/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [One of the problems we're facing is, in my view, that there are no globalized, youth-led, grassroots social movements advocating for democratic culture across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/one-of-the-problems-we-re-facing-is-in-my-view-that-there-are-no/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) [Explore all 87 Maajid Nawaz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) ## More Awakening quotes > [It is natural that our minds replay old stories, because that is our own mechanism for trying to work out unresolved problems. Yet rerunning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-brach/it-is-natural-that-our-minds-replay-old-stories-because-that-is-our/) [Tara Brach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-brach/) > [Imitation is the first instinct of the awakening mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/imitation-is-the-first-instinct-of-the-awakening-mind/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [“It is not so much about fighting against the ego; it is more about harmonizing with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-sara/it-is-not-so-much-about-fighting-against-the-ego-it-is-more-about/) [Grace Sara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-sara/) > [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [“Low states are a like a poison to the psyche. Millions of people throughout the world take tranquillizers each day to combat depression, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/belsebuub/low-states-are-a-like-a-poison-to-the-psyche-millions-of-people/) [Belsebuub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/belsebuub/) > [The awakening of the soul to its bondage and its effort to stand up and assert itself - this is called life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-awakening-of-the-soul-to-its-bondage-and-its-effort-to-stand-up/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [My political awakening, if I can be as grand as to call it that, was all about what was happening around me. It wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-sturgeon/my-political-awakening-if-i-can-be-as-grand-as-to-call-it-that-was/) [Nicola Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-sturgeon/) > [How often have you sailed in my dreams. And now you come in my awakening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-often-have-you-sailed-in-my-dreams-and-now-you-come-in-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“CWC (Church Women Concerned) enabled us as women in that part of South Africa, to see ourselves as ordinary citizens who found themselves in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sindiwe-magona/cwc-church-women-concerned-enabled-us-as-women-in-that-part-of-south/) Sindiwe Magona > [I feel there is a great spiritual awakening on the planet right now. More than any previous time, people are drawn to meditation, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agapi-stassinopoulos/i-feel-there-is-a-great-spiritual-awakening-on-the-planet-right-now/) [Agapi Stassinopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agapi-stassinopoulos/) > [When I was 20 years old, I got cast in 'Spring Awakening' and got swept up in this experience where it was kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-groff/when-i-was-20-years-old-i-got-cast-in-spring-awakening-and-got-swept/) [Jonathan Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-groff/) > [Motivation is awakening own mind and Inspiration is arising spirit in others to find their own with their heart and soul in all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anuj/motivation-is-awakening-own-mind-and-inspiration-is-arising-spirit-in/) [Anuj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anuj/) > [“Everything we perceive to be solid and static is made up of almost entirely empty space.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-p-kauffman/everything-we-perceive-to-be-solid-and-static-is-made-up-of-almost/) [Joseph P. Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-p-kauffman/) > [Life is perhaps best regarded as a bad dream between two awakenings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/life-is-perhaps-best-regarded-as-a-bad-dream-between-two-awakenings/) [Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) > [“The Illusion - The source of suffering can be linked back to a condition of the mind that creates the illusion of separation--the state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-blanchard/the-illusion-the-source-of-suffering-can-be-linked-back-to-a/) L.M.Blanchard [Browse all 1,440 Awakening quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awakening/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The Bosnian Genocide was something that triggered my consciousness and led to an awakening politically for me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Maajid Nawaz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/the-bosnian-genocide-was-something-that-triggered-my-consciousness/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Awakening" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/the-bosnian-genocide-was-something-that-triggered-my-consciousness/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/maajid-nawaz-7798_awakening_the-bosnian-genocide-was-something-that_885450.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/maajid-nawaz-7798_awakening_the-bosnian-genocide-was-something-that_885450.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/maajid-nawaz-7798_awakening_the-bosnian-genocide-was-something-that_885450.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The Bosnian Genocide was something that triggered my consciousness and led to an awakening politically for me.” — Maajid Nawaz", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Maajid Nawaz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The Bosnian Genocide was something that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/the-bosnian-genocide-was-something-that-triggered-my-consciousness/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/the-bosnian-genocide-was-something-that-triggered-my-consciousness/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```