New York Times: Bosnians in America: A Two-Sided Saga

The New York Times published this story about a Bosnian community in Chicago.

An excerpt:

A new Muslim cultural center is being built on the north side of Chicago to draw Bosnians who do not attend the suburban mosque. But Imam Senad Agic is not sure it will reach those most in need. “I think we have not done enough to reach out to people,” he said. “I will certainly go there. But I just do not know. Our way is to appeal to the souls of the people who come to us.”

Within the more secular group, too, there are conflicts. When Mr. Mahic suggested at the library meeting that their group also welcome Bosnian Serbs and Croats, the mood quickly shifted.

“Maybe you didn’t see people in your family die in the war,” responded one woman, nearly in tears. “I am sorry, but many Bosnian Muslims will not come if that is the way it is going to be.”

Amela Guso, 21, a college student born in Srebrenica, site of a 1995 massacre of Bosnian Muslims, sat silent but tense during the exchange. “My father’s brothers, cousins, so many family members were killed in the genocide,” she said later. “How can you expect people to just say, ‘O.K., let’s have dinner and hang out with these people?’ ”

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• The New York Times: Bosnians in America: A Two-Sided Saga