Action Alert

Phone: 312-829-0087

Fax: 312-829-0089

Email: kosova@justiceforall.org

Internet: www.justiceforall.org

1300 BCE		Ancestors of the Albanians known as Illyrians settle in Balkans
600 CE		Various groups of Slavs, the ancestors of Serbs, settle in Balkans.
1180 CE		Stefan Nemanj formed the first united Serbian state.
1389 CE		Battle of Kosova-Polje: Serbia is defeated by an Ottoman army. Serbian Nationalists have used this battle as a seat of anger towards the "Turks" and Muslims in the area.
1459 CE		Kosova becomes a province of Ottoman Empire.
1912-13 CE		Balkan War -Serbia conquers most of Kosova region.
1939- WWII CE		Kosova Albanians revolt against Serbian rule and join Albania.
1946 CE		Allied powers (particularly Russia, France, and Britain) forcibly incorporate Kosova into Serbia. Kosova remains under the Serb dominated Kosova League of Communists.
1974 CE		Limited autonomy granted to Kosova, after Albanians take over Kosova League of Communists-still part of Yugoslavia.
1987 CE		Milosevic, then head of Serbian communist party, used anti-Albanian and extreme Serb nationalist rhetoric to come to power.
1990 CE		Milosevic terminates autonomy of Kosova. Kosovar Albanian autonomous government is shut down. Civil rights of Kosovar Albanians denied as de-facto Serb military control Kosova.
June 25, 1991 CE		Slovenia and Croatia are first Yugoslav republics to declare independence.
October, 1991 CE		Kosova declares independence, recognized only by Albania.
1992 CE		Macedonia and Bosnia declare independence.
1992 CE		Serbs start genocide of Muslims in Bosnia.
August, 1992 CE		Concentration camps and Rape camps of Muslims (primarily) and Croat victims uncovered.
July, 1995 CE		Serbs capture one of six U.N. declared safe havens, Srebrenica. Population of Muslim teenage and adult males executed. U.N. soldiers do not intervene.
November, 1995 CE		The Dayton Accords are signed, stopping conflict on heel of NATO airstrikes against Serbs, and recent Muslim and Bosnian Croat victories against Serbs.
1995 CE		Dr. Ibrahim Rugova, democratically elected President of Kosova, travels to Washington requesting international mediation. U.S. Administration refuses.
Summer, 1997 CE		Kosova Liberation Army (KLA) is formed out of frustration following little progress by Rugova.
1998 CE		Serbs massacre mostly women and children in Kosovar Drenica village in March followed by Bosnia -style ethnic cleansing starting in mid-May.

Kosova or Kosovo

You may be wondering what differences does it make. Well, it’s kind of like spelling your name right. The people of the region use Kosova, so we should too. Kosovo means black bird.

Kosova in Numbers

Of Kosova’s 2.2 million people, approximately 90% are ethnic Albanians, 5% of whom are Catholics and rest are Muslims. Ethnic Cleansing has resulted in 400,000 Albanians losing their jobs. There is 45% unemployment in Kosova. Hundreds of Albanians have been systematically killed since March 1. About 100,000 were forced to flee their homes thus far.

Ethnic Cleansing 101

Here is a step by step process being used by Serb Fascists to get rid of people they don’t like. This method was perfected by Serbs in Bosnia where they named it "Ethnic Cleansing":

Keep the media & Diplomats out.

Shell the village until everyone flees

Then burn the houses so no one comes back

If this does not work, then rape women in front of their husband and children

Later kill men and let women tell their horror stories so no one will even think of coming back.

How You Can Help Kosova

If you can help in any of the following ways, please contact us immediately by phone or e-mail:

Become a Masjid Local Contact: able to reproduce and distribute Kosova updates at Masjid/center/MSA.

Organize a local committee for Kosova work.

Join our activists’ mailing list: ready to mobilize people in your area for a specific action i.e. phoning, letter writing.

Become a Kosova Ansar: get 3 people to pledge $10 per month to help us cover our overhead, printing etc.

Media Rep.: we need your help if you have had experience with the media, have written press releases, etc.

Congressional Rep: we need to know if you have met or know your Senator or Representative.

Please call U.N. Ambassadors of Muslim Countries to make the following points:

Recognize Kosova as an independent nation as was done in the case of Bosnia.

Open a diplomatic office in Kosova.

Strengthen ties with Albania and Macedonia to assist the refugees.

Bring main Serb war criminals to the War Crimes Tribunal.

Send reporters and relief to Kosova

Please call & Write to your elected officials to make the following points:

Please call and write to your senators, representatives, the White House, and the Secretary of State. A letter with handwriting really makes a big difference. Choose at least the first 4 of the following:

- Conduct airstrikes on Serb forces and order no flight zone.
- Recognize Kosova's right of self-determination Force Serb army withdrawal.
- Allow Kosovans to arm themselves for defense.
- Allow journalists to visit areas of ethnic cleansing.
- Allow Red Cross and other relief groups to operate in areas of ethnic cleansing.
- Open diplomatic offices in Kosova.
- Arrest war criminals sitting in Belgrade.

Please donate generously for the Kosova Task Force, USA

Email: kosova@justiceforall.org.
Phone: 312-829-0087 and Fax: 312-829-0089. Mailing address: 730 W. Lake St., Suite 156, Chicago, IL 60661.