WAHHABISM IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA - Part 3

WAHHABISM AT THE DOORSTEPS OF EUROPE

CURRENT SITUATION OF WAHHABISM IN BIH

 

By Juan Carlos Antúnez

BIH in the 1990s was in a unique situation: it had the political and mobilizing structures in place for the creation of an Islamic state. Nevertheless, it lacked the cultural framework around which to mobilize social support, nor did it have a context in which to develop a strong Islamic social movement. Islam was used more in a nationalist context rather than as a pervasive issue that could transform society. At the moment, despite its efforts, the Wahhabi movement does not have many supporters in BIH. The general population appears to be afraid of their fundamentalist approach towards religion.

The BOSNIAN Muslims have been among the most secularised Muslim populations in the world. The largely secular and European attitude among the Bosniaks has caused friction with foreign Islamic extremists. In the past, Islamic radical groups have been financed through the donations of Arabic countries and by non-governmental organizations that were headquartered in BIH. These NGOs have been present in the Balkans since the 1990s, many evolving from the conflicts in BOSNIA and KOSOVO. Since then, these organizations have developed support structures that have proven to be easily exploited by terrorist and extremist groups. As a consequence of a number of worldwide terrorist attacks, the situation dramatically changed with police starting to raid a number of Arab charities. The arrests of suspected terrorists alerted local and international attention to the birth of a different interpretation of Islam in BIH. 

TIME FACTOR 

Radical networks have been looking for other financial sources to support their activities and are careful to avoid police and intelligence agencies. An important consideration that guides the groups is time. They do not attach the same imperative to their objectives that Western nations might. The spreading of their radical ideas transcends a time-linked end state. If they perceive that the situation is not good to achieve their goals, they may move to isolated areas where they can practice their version of Islam, waiting for the right moment to proceed with their ‘mission’: that is to establish BIH as a homogenous Islamic country, based exclusively on the principles of the Sharia. This is the concept of Hijra or emigration that radical groups associate with a kind of spiritual retirement outside a ‘corrupted society’ or Yahilia, the ‘dark’ period before Islam. Some BOSNIAN Muslim radicals have lost their respect for the leaders of the official Islamic Community. These Salafis consider the local Islamic Community as ignorant, lacking initiative, indifferent and transgressing Islamic norms. This is the likely attitude of some radical groups in BIH currently.

ORDINARY BELIEVERS ARE VERY OFTEN STAUNCH OPPONENTS OF SALAFIS

BIH local authorities and the Official Islamic Community attempt to counter Salafi influence. Additionally ordinary believers are very often staunch opponents of Salafis, and this might be the insurmountable obstacle for Salafism in BIH. That accounts for the old generation of BIH, but young might be easily lured into extremism, especially when the economic situation in BIH deteriorates further.

It is possible that the Wahhabi movement does not have many supporters in BIH because the general population is afraid of their fundamentalist approach towards religion. They want to maintain the traditional local and moderate version of Islam.

The measures that have been taken by the local and international authorities to raid a number of Arab charities, to block their bank accounts, to search for suspicious financial operations and to close some of these organizations, have been successful and, consequently, these organizations have to find alternative financial sources to support their activities. Nevertheless NGOs in BOSNIA are thriving and provide a backbone for various dubious radical organizations as well as organized crime syndicates. 

BIH Wahhabi movement is currently comprised of two main streams:

- a Salafi / Wahhabi stream loyal to the BIH Islamic Community;

- a Salafi / Wahhabi stream outside the control of the BIH Islamic Community. This stream can also be divided into two main groups: Missionary and Jihadi.

a) ‘Wahhabi’ stream ‘loyal’ to the BIH Islamic community

Nezim Halilović, high-ranking official of the B-H Islamic Community, has been considered to be the main Salafi / Wahhabi leader in BIH.Despite this, he is totally opposed to those Salafis / Wahhabis that want to split from the Islamic Community. According to Halilović, they are undermining the unity of Muslims. Halilović is likely the leader of those Salafis who want to distance themselves from the more radical elements and gather around the official Islamic Community. Some local scholar refuses that Halilović is a Salafi or a Wahhabi follower and labelled him only as an ultra conservative and nationalistic traditional BOSNIAN believer.

Former AIO members, (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_Islamic_Youth )close to SAFF magazine, (see: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,USDOS,,BIH,,4681081f16,0.html )as Semir Imamović, defend that is possible to cooperate with the Islamic community if it will benefit Islam and Muslims. This circle has also defended the need for dialogue between islamic scholars and religious leaders of other faiths and confessions, and confessions, and for religious tolerance since both are firmly rooted in the Koran and the Sunnah of Allah́s Prophet. 

Samir Avdić, member of SAFF circle, has stated that he would cooperate with SIPA (State Investigation and Protection Agency) in denouncing terrorist. Semir Imamović, has recommended that Bosnian Salafists should be advised on how to be civil to other people, and how to show respect for the opinions of others. SAFF has published the fatwas issued by important scholars, the European Council for Fatwas and Research (ECFR), as well as a part of the study by Abdul Karim Zaidan which he presented at the session of the Rabita (Muslim World League) Fiqh (Jurisprudence) Council in which he sets forth the arguments about when permission can be granted to engage politically, to vote, and take part in elections.

‘Wahhabi’ stream ‘outside’ the BIH Islamic community

The Salafi / Wahhabi community outside the control of the BIH Islamic Community can also be divided in two main groups: Missionary and Jihadi.

BOSNIAN NGO’S, THE QUINTESSENCE FOR COVERT FUNDAMENTALIST ACTIVITIES AND OC (ORGANIZED CRIME) SYNDICATES  

Muhamed Porča, the Imam of the ‘Al-Tawhid’ Mosque in Vienna, who has repeatedly stated his opposition towards the BIH Islamic Community, is considered to be the spiritual leader of the BOSNIAN Salafi / Wahhabi movement in AUSTRIA, and a middle-man between some Middle Eastern NGO’s and Salafis / Wahhabis in BIH. Members of the official BIH Islamic Community have condemned Porča’s and other radical leaders’ idea to set up a parallel Islamic Community in BIH. Porča can be considered as the leader of BOSNIAN Missionary Salafism / Wahhabism without any relationship with the BIH Islamic Community. 

After his studies in SAUDI ARABIA, Porča arrived in Austria in 1993 to serve as an imam. From the moment he was denied a job at Sarajevo's Faculty of Islamic Studies on his return to BIH, Porča started implementing the idea of creating an Islamic community parallel to the official one lead by Reis Mustafa Efendi Ćerić. Porča has not succeeded in this but he has managed to strengthen the Wahhabi movement especially among the BOSNIAN Diaspora to an unprecedented extent. 

AUSTRIA, MAIN BASE FOR WAHHABISM IN EUROPE?

Taking into account that the largest BOSNIAN Diaspora resides in AUSTRIA and GERMANY, such influence could have a profound impact for EUROPE.

This outcome took time to achieve, but, owing above all to the inertness of the BIH Islamic Community, Porča and the like-minded Adnan Buzar and Senad Podojak had ample time. The Islamic Community of Bosniaks in AUSTRIA, as well as the Islamic Community of Muslims in AUSTRIA, have unequivocally disassociated themselves from the Wahhabi movement, whose members - they believe - are doing unprecedented damage to all Muslims in AUSTRIA. Despite such denouncements, Vienna still is the main base for Wahhabi missionaries.

 See: https://occidentallibertas.wordpress.com/2011/11/16/the-vienna-connection/

‘The Diaspora has been neglected and ... there was no reaction to developments among their members. Most of the divergence among BOSNIAN Muslims was originated in the EU. Many individuals and in some cases ‘džemats’ refer to Vienna and at the same time their links with BOSNIAN scholars are becoming increasingly tenuous. As a result relations with the Muslim community have become so strained that Muslim have drawn arms against Muslims, and some have even come to an untimely end. There is no answer as to how all this will end because it is not yet clear if the current state of affairs will have any impact on BIH. Many young men who started practicing Islam feel lost and are at the mercy of those who sow confusion. They often complain that BOSNIAN Salafis have become relaxed about their work because they have not issued tekfir against the Reis and other scholars’.