BiH - Islamist radicalism
09/11/2025
13:18
SARAJEVO, SEPTEMBER 11 /SRNA/ – Security expert Dževad Galijašević told SRNA that the biggest problem in BiH is that Iran has been given the possibility to place its intelligence officers into the so-called Sunni radicalism and to direct former mujahideen and Wahhabis toward terrorist actions against US and Israeli interests, emphasizing that the moves of Bosniak politicians Bakir Izetbegović, Elmedin Konaković and Zukan Helez show that cooperation with Hamas and Tehran is obligatory.
Galijašević pointed out that serious concern is also raised by the fact that the former commander of the 7th Muslim Brigade of the so-called Army of BiH Šerif Patković made himself available to Hamas, noting that this radical movement has been present in BiH since the past war.
"Therefore, the concern coming from Israel is not unfounded. In BiH, Iran is operating from very anti-Semitic positions and is receiving local /Bosniak/ political support. Here, Jews are being persecuted or messages are being sent that they are not welcome. Here, generals from the war, commanders of the 7th Muslim Brigade, are making themselves available to Hamas. That raises concern," Galijašević pointed out, commenting on the call of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for countries that provide shelter to terrorists to expel or sanction them.
He stressed that the terrorist organization Muslim Brotherhood operates in BiH through its Young Muslims and certain Islamic youth organizations, humanitarian organizations, but also through the SDA and SDP BiH.
Galijašević notes that it could be heard that Iran is encouraging anti-Semitic policy in BiH.
"We have seen demonstrations in which support for Palestinians was equated with support for Iran. We are witnessing that Defense Minister Zukan Helez announced the expansion of military cooperation with Iran and then had to back down under pressure from the US, but they continued that cooperation. Iran is strongly present here with many organizations," said Galijašević.
He further stated that SDA leader Bakir Izetbegović recently equated Zionism with Nazism, to which Israeli diplomats reacted strongly.
"In this country, 47 passports of Israeli citizens were supposedly thrown into the garbage, but in fact they ended up in the Islamic Republic of Iran. In this country, the Congress of European Rabbis was banned, which had already been scheduled as an event and was allegedly supported by Christian Schmidt, a Nazi from Germany, and in the end it was canceled," Galijašević reminds.
He emphasized that, if events are compared, it is clear that Izetbegović is saying things that harm both him personally, his party, and Bosniaks as a whole.
"If you see that /Foreign Minister Elmedin/ Konaković bans rabbis from coming here and practically, together with his ministers, prevents that congress from being held, if you see that Helez says what he says, the question arises why someone would do all that which harms BiH, the Bosniaks, and their political parties? Because they have to, because cooperation with Hamas and Iran obliges them. That is what Iran needs, and they are bound to do it," Galijašević believes.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on countries that provide shelter to "terrorists" to expel them or bring them to justice.