WAHHABISM AT THE DOORSTEPS OF EUROPE
Topics:
- Wahhabism versus Islamic community?
- Recruiting tactics in BIH
- Recruitment of BOSNIAK Diaspora
- BOSNIAK’S youth increasingly choose to study in Muslim countries rather than EUROPEAN countries
- Sandžak region, not only the gateway for BALKANS organized crime syndicates, but also for spreading Wahhbism to Europe?
By Juan
Carlos Antúnez
After the reported closure of the
AIO, Muhamed Porča, has appointed himself as the leader of the emergent Islamic
Youth in Europe, an organization or movement that has appeared as a parallel of
the AIO that insists on being point of reference for all the Bosniaks which no
one should digress. In BIH Porča is using Selam organization to take the
control over those Salafis that are not maintaining contacts with the BIH
Islamic Community. These Salafi communities, such as those in the area of
Bihać, Maoca and Bocinja, have decided to isolate themselves from official mesdžids
and tears apart of the BIH Islamic community , embracing the concept of hijra,
or emigration, to be a part of the jahilia, the corruption, the dark period
before Muhammad spread their message.
Safet Kuduzović is considered to be
one of the Missionary Salafi / Wahhabi leaders in BIH. Kuduzović is a graduate
of the Islamic University in JORDAN, with a Masters degree, and a former Imam
of the BOSNIAN Salafi Kewser Džemat (Muslim religious congregation) in Linz, AUSTRIA.
Kuduzović is a well-known and active figure in BOSNIAN Salafi circles. It is
possible he currently resides in BIH. Kuduzović actively cooperates with the
Studio-din portal (www.studio-din.com), Salafi / Wahhabi missionary portal, and
advices it on its political and religious direction.
In its 1 June 2007 edition, ‘SAFF’
magazine reported that after the death of Jusuf Barčić, a majority of members
of his group had chosen Nusret Imamović to be their new leader. ‘Saff’ reported
that Imamović was well known as a religious leader and primary school teacher
in the village of Gornja Maoca. For more background information see:
Nusret Imamović is a prominent
Salafi / Wahhabi cleric originating from Kalesija. Imamović’s reporting started
in 2002, when Barčić was imprisoned, Imamović had taken over the leadership
over his network.
Major media attention has been drawn
to an important inter-ethnic incident that occurred on 15 July 2006, in the
Bukvik settlement near Brčko, when some 10 persons, known to belong to a
Wahhabi group, clashed with three Bosnian Serbs. One Bosnian Serb, Mihajlo
Kisić, was seriously injured and allegedly gunshots were fired too. The Brčko
District (BD) Police started an investigation, and six Salafis / Wahhabis were
detained by the Tuzla Police. BD Police increased the security around the
detention centre as it was close to Gornja Maoca. A few days after the incident,
the local police detained Imamović. He is known to have contacts with Nedžad
Balkan, who was arrested together with Imamović, after the Bukvik incident.
Imamović is close to Vienna-based Wahhabi cleric, Muhamed Porča. Imamović is
one of the few Bosnian Salafis / Wahhabis who has publicly refused any kind of
collaboration with the BIH Islamic Community. He is linked to the ‘Selam’
organization.
WAHHABISM VERSUS ISLAMIC COMMUNITY?
A mainstream Islamic biweekly
‘Preporod’, published by the Islamic Community of BIH, in its 15 March 2007
issue featured an editorial by the Editor in Chief, Aziz Kadribegović, entitled
‘Destruction of the Islamic Community as a Long Term Goal’, in which the author
claimed that Bosnian Salafists were contemplating a new strategy for their
mid-term activity. Kadribegović wrote that ‘Preporod’ had learned that one of
the Salafi authorities in the Diaspora, a JORDANIAN student with a Masters
degree mentioned as ‘S.K’ (probably Safet Kuduzović), having grasped the
seriousness of the situation in which his companions could find themselves, and
having realized that ‘the sand that until yesterday appeared as mortar has
started to crumbled’, had held a meeting with a group of ‘the most mature
Salafi / Wahhabi Da’ias or missionaries’. At this meeting, he presented them with
the basic elements of a new strategy for the Salafi / Wahhabi movement, which
the editorial called ‘the Organization’.
According to ‘Preporod’, the leader
of the meeting stressed that:
‘The Organization’s activity in the
EU countries must remain a strategic interest, because the BIH Islamic Community
was weaker abroad than in BIH, which created a manoeuvring space for the
Organization’.
He told meeting participants that
the strong ‘Organization’ outside BIH could:
‘Financially assist ‘the brothers’
in BIH, and act as a powerful platform for a more aggressive approach in BIH’.
RECRUITING TACTICS IN BIH
The editorial also commented that the leader highlighted the
importance of a new generation of missionaries graduating from Middle Eastern
Islamic universities, who would be returning to BIH shortly. ‘These
missionaries are better educated than the BIH Islamic Community missionaries,
more eloquent, and, most importantly, fully committed to their work and ideas.
In time, they will overwhelm the BIH Islamic Community and take full control of
the Muslims in BIH’.
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| Saudi funded Mosque in Sarajevo |
At the meeting, the importance of avoiding future incidents was also highlighted. As
‘Preporod’ wrote, he advised that ‘brothers’ at all times ‘give the impression
that they are normal citizens in BIH and in the EU countries in which they
reside’. ‘With this goal in sight, we must bury immediately the hatchet
with the Rijaset, BIH Islamic Community executive office, and the
representatives in BIH and abroad’. Jusuf Barčić was not mentioned at the
meeting, which led Kadribegović to conclude that Barčić was probably ‘a lone
shooter’ and not a member of ‘the Organization’. However, ‘some brothers from
Sandžak’ were mentioned in this context at the meeting. According to the
editorial, it was proposed that those ‘who cannot be controlled’ first be
‘isolated’ by ‘the Organization’ and, if this did not work out, then to
‘denounce them’ openly in Islamic papers such as ‘Saff’ (an Islamic youth
magazine reflecting of Salafist, favouring some sort of cooperation with BIH
Islamic Community) and ‘Al Asr’ (Islamic Salafi / Wahhabi bi-monthly, published
by the BOSNIAN Salafi ‘Hidžra’ Džemat (BOSNIAN version of the Arabic word
Jama'at) in HOLLAND, more theological in nature).
As for the group’s attitude towards
Muslims sentenced on terrorism charges, the participants of the meeting have
reportedly agreed that ‘brothers’ should be advised ‘not to embark on similar
undertakings’ in the future, in view of the stiff sentences envisioned for
these acts. However, the meeting decided against a public distancing from
individuals charged with terrorism. Terrorism verdicts ‘should be ignored’ and
‘there should be no public reaction to them’.
RECRUITMENT OF BOSNIAK DIASPORA
Assumptions taken in the previous
chapters of this paper support the above information and give credibility to
the ‘Preporod’ article. Salafi / Wahhabi future strategy may be summarized as:
- Recruitment of Bosniak Diaspora.
This recruitment is especially easy and profitable for ‘the Organization’
because:
A. the BIH Islamic Community is
weaker abroad.
B. the BOSNIAN ‘converted’ Muslims
are a healthy financial source.
C. Converted Muslims abroad are able
to spread Salafism / Wahhabism in their close circle when they come back to BIH.
- Well trained Salafi / Wahhabi
scholars will argue with those who are less prepared within the BIH Islamic
Community. In 2003, there were about a hundred BOSNIAN students of Islam in
different Middle East countries. Although many of them would easily find their
place in the BIH Islamic Community upon return to the country, some of these
students could adopt Salafi / Wahhabi ideas.
BOSNIAK’S YOUTH INCREASINGLY CHOOSE TO STUDY IN
MUSLIM COUNTRIES RATHER THAN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
In 2010 the number of
BOSNIAK students studying in different Middle Eastern and Far East Muslim
countries has increased significantly. In the not too distant past, BOSNIAK
families used to send their children to study in EUROPE. As the EU visa regime
became more restrictive and the economic situation for many BOSNIAK families
deteriorated, they increasingly opted to send their children to Muslim
countries, such as MALAYSIA, TURKEY, JORDAN, EGYPT and of course SAUDI ARABIA for
studies, since these countries willingly provide scholarship as well as
sponsorship programs for BOSNIAK students. Furthermore SAUDI ARABIA and also
IRAN and TURKEY deliberately target BOSNIA’S education system by providing
special loans for education projects etc.
- Silent creation of a parallel
Islamic religious structure, without publicly facing the official one but with
the final goal of defeating it.
- Not to be directly linked to any
kind of terrorist activity.
ALTHOUGH ANY MISSIONARY ACTIVITY CANNOT BE SEEN AS A THREAT
PER SE, THE RISK OF MISSIONARY ISLAM TO BIH SECURITY HAS TO BE ANALYZED FROM
THREE PERSPECTIVES:
- To understand the meaning of this
threat, it is necessary to pay attention to a concept very common amongst
radical Islamic movements: The concept of ‘Takfir’ - the practice of declaring
that an individual or a group, previously considered Muslims, are in fact
Kafirs, or apostates. The sentence for apostasy under Sharia law, as
traditionally interpreted, is execution. For this reason, orthodox Islamic law
normally requires stringent evidence in support of such accusations. In many
cases this requires an Islamic court of religious leaders to pronounce a Fatwa,
or religious decree, of Taqfir on an individual or group. Also texts of
scholars as Ibn Taymyyah and Abd Al Wahib recommended the ‘utmost restraint’ in
Taqfir. However, certain extremist movements have been very ready to practice
Taqfir, for which they have been condemned by mainstream Muslims. Modern
groups, such as the Algerian GIA, take this practice to an extreme, and regard
virtually all non-strictly orthodox Muslims as Kuffar, whose blood is
legitimate to shed. Taqfir might have
taken root in some ‘groups of young Muslims in BIH’. This position can be
considered a threat, especially for the safety and security of Bosnian Muslims
who do not agree with Salafi ideas and can be seen as ‘impious’ and be targeted
by radical groups.
- Members of the Salafi / Wahhabi movement may change their approach to
Islamism when its perceived that they are not going to attain their goal as
a result of preaching and proselytizing, and so they may take a more radical
and violent stance. The lack of a result by the Wahhabi mission and the
religious attitude of the BOSNIAN Muslim mainstream, who wants to maintain the
traditional local and moderate version of Islam, may hasten this process.
- Salafi / Wahhabi groups are used
to spot talent by Jihadi groups that find highly motivated and religiously
convinced youngster.
Jihadi Salafism / Wahhabism
Jihadism defends an armed struggle
that has three main variants:
- Internal: a Jihad against
nominally Muslim regimes which the Jihadis hold to be ‘sinful’ and thus legitimate
targets for insurrection.
- Irredentist: the fight to redeem
land considered to be a part of Dar Al Islam or Muslim territory, from
non-Muslim rule or occupation.
- Global: the Jihad against the
West, particularly the US and their associates.
The three different strands of
Jihadism can, and are, used in various combinations by the same Jihadist group
simultaneously, according to their objectives.
SANDŽAK REGION, NOT ONLY THE GATEWAY FOR BALKANS ORGANIZED
CRIME SYNDICATES, BUT ALSO FOR SPREADING WAHHBISM TO EUROPE?
No jihadi leaders have been reported in bih, although Nedžad Balkan, labeled as the leader of a Sandžak
Jihadi group, maintains contacts with religious leaders in BIH. For further
background information see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand%C5%BEak
as well as http://www.bmlv.gv.at/pdf_pool/publikationen/crime_omero.pdf
(page 47), http://www.transconflict.com/about/where-we-work/the-balkans/sandzak/
and http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2667210/posts
http://www.bmlv.gv.at/pdf_pool/publikationen/rel_exterm_vs_fried_beweg_05_radical_movements_moderate_balkan_islam_e_hecimovic_17.pdf
Nedžad Balkan, also known as Abu
Muhammad, who was born in Vienna AUSTRIA, is a BIH citizen of Sandžak origin.
He studied at the Islamic University in Medina, SAUDI ARABIA, but he left
without graduating, reportedly disappointed with the SAUDI political regime.
Upon his return, he stayed in AUSTRIA, where he preached at the ‘Al-Tawhid’
Mosque. He left the mosque due to disagreement with Muhamed Porča and other
members of the congregation. Nedžad Balkan led the ‘Sahaba’ Mosque in Vienna’s
7th County. In 2005, Balkan was placed under observation of the AUSTRIAN
Police, for condoning the London bombings and for making extremist statements
for the AUSTRIAN press. According to
‘SAFF’ magazine, Balkan is considered to be the ‘highest religious authority’
of the Jihadi group Kelimetul-Haqq and of young extremists in Sandžak. www.kelimatulhaqq.co.nr, the website of the group Kelimetul-Haqq (Words of the Truth, Right
Words) is the first openly Jihadi Bosniak website, actively promoting the
concept of holy war and disseminating Jihadi videos and lectures.
However,
its radical message appears to have little support outside its base in the
Sandžak region. www.islamskadravska.com, whose
content is hard-core Salafi. There are indications of ties with the
Sandžak-based Jihadi group Kelimetul-Haqq. The website is also linked to www.abuhamzabrigade.tk and www.bugojnocity.tk.
Both are Bugojno-based minor Salafi / Wahhabi web pages.
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