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Quiet Flows the Una
high-ranking Muslims in the
government of the puppet
Independent State of Croatia,
Grandmother succeeded in
having her husband released
from the camp after he had
been there for two years.
Before that, according to
family history, he had been
interned for six months at the
Stara Gradiška concentration
camp, which is mentioned
in a song: ‘Jasenovac and
Gradiška – the home of Max’s
butchers.’
Grandmother’s
husband
survived
the
murder-
sprees of sadistic Croatian
commander Max Luburić
and the slaughterhouse of
Jasenovac.Her insidercontact
saw to it that her husband
was transferred to serve in
the Croatian Home Guard,
where he was given the rank
of captain on account of his
university education. After a
while he deserted the Home
Guard and went over to the
Partisans. My Grandmother
wasknowntopossessperhaps
even mystical powers, and
her inner strength exercised
a powerful suggestion on
people she spoke to, who
would do what she said
without reflection. That
was our explanation of how
she managed to rescue my
grandfather from Jasenovac.
Like every true miracle-
worker, my Grandmother
never spoke about her
powers. She used to say that
reality was a toy in God’s
hands and that people were
aided by Allah, to whom
she prayed five times every
day from when she was
eighteen. ‘Man proposes,