ISLAMIC EXTREMISTS NOT JUST DANGER TO SERBS, BUT TO ALL OF CHRISTIANITY IN EUROPE

It is important to point out, says Vukelic, that the activities of Islamic extremists in BiH do not pose a threat only to Orthodox Serbs, but also to all of Christianity in the entire region and beyond. The goals of Islamic extremists are global until the entire Balkans, and later Europe and the world, become a single "Islamic state - caliphate".

By: Vesna Šurbat

BELGRADE, OCTOBER 5 /SRNA/ - Religious hatred towards Serbs in BiH is not abating, and the increasingly frequent attacks on them, as well as on the clergy and facilities of the Serbian Orthodox Church /SOC/ are proof that Islamic extremism remains deeply rooted among the Bosniak population, Milan Vukelić, a political scientist from Belgrade specializing in issues of religious extremism, told SRNA.

He pointed out that the recent religiously motivated attacks in BiH are undoubtedly a consequence of past events and wartime operations on the territory of the former Yugoslavia.

"All data shows that Islamic extremism in BiH has remained deeply rooted among the population, even years after the war in the 1990s, and the current and increasingly frequent attacks on Serbs, Serbian Orthodox Church clergy and facilities are proof that the situation is no different today," Vukelić pointed out.

This expert on religious fundamentalism and extremism emphasizes that the activities of Islamic extremists in BiH pose a danger not only to Orthodox Serbs, but also to all of Christianity, which is exposed to serious challenges in the entire region and beyond.

He noted that, according to Islamic fundamentalist ideology, the world is divided into the land of peace /dar al-Islam/ and the land of war /dar al-harb/, which must be in constant conflict until Sharia rules the entire planet.

Vukelić says that this shows that the goals of Islamic extremists are global and are not limited to just one territory, the complete Islamization of BiH in this case, but rather involve expanding borders to neighboring countries until the entire Balkans, and later Europe and the world, become a single "Islamic state - caliphate".

"I sincerely hope that the international community will strongly condemn the uncivilized acts we have witnessed in recent days, and that the prosecutors' offices in BiH will sanction all those who threaten the safety of other people, as well as the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, which is, after all, guaranteed by the Constitution of BiH," Vukelić stressed.

BiH PROVIDES SANCTUARY TO INDIVIDUALS LINKED TO ISLAMIC EXTREMISM

Looking at the per capita population, Vukelić emphasizes that BiH is a country that had a very high rate of citizens leaving for Syria and Iraq, and on the other hand, even years after the end of the war, there are ongoing accusations that BiH provides sanctuary to individuals associated with Islamic extremism.

The conflicts of the 1990s, which almost everyone presented as civil, were essentially, he says, of a religious nature, and he recalls that three peoples from the same area, speaking the same language, were only distinguished by religion.

Vukelić noted that numerous mujahideen from Islamic countries saw the conflict between their Bosnian brothers in faith and the "infidel" Serbs as a jihad and understood it as a religious obligation, but also an opportunity for the founding of a new pan-Islamic caliphate in the Balkans.

It is estimated that around 4,000 of them, mostly from Arab countries, were in BiH during that period, says Vukelić, and recalls that the so-called Army of BiH included the "El Mujahideen" unit, which consisted of fighters from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan, Algeria, Syria, Afghanistan, as well as jihadists from Western European countries, such as David Valat, who was convicted for participating in the war in BiH.

"Numerous sources state that several hundred mujahideen remained on the territory of BiH, and that they even enjoyed the support of certain political actors close to Islamic fundamentalist circles, among which the Party of Democratic Action /SDA/ stands out," he emphasized.

Some of them, Vukelić said, were also linked to Al-Qaeda, which is confirmed by the report of the US Congressional Commission investigating the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, which mentions three individuals who fought against the Serbs in BiH between 1992 and 1995.

He also stated that after the war, numerous suspicious non-governmental organizations took root in BiH, funded primarily by Saudi Arabia, whose first and primary goal is to spread the Wahhabi network in these areas, most often under the guise of humanitarian work and education, and many have also been accused of financing terrorism, such as the Al-Haramain Foundation.

After the outbreak of conflict in Syria and Iraq and the entry of the Islamic State onto the global jihadist scene, Vukelić says that more than 1,000 fighters from the Balkans joined this or one of its related terrorist organizations, mostly the Jabhat al-Nusra Front.

"From the territory of BiH, between 250 and 300 fighters traveled to the Middle Eastern battlefield in the period from 2012 to 2016, and between 50 and 70 returned to their homes. Some of them were prosecuted and convicted for participating in foreign battlefields, but also for recruiting and encouraging people to go to the front," Vukelić emphasized.

He noted that highlighting Islamic extremism as a threat to the entire region is not intended to offend moderate Muslims, including Bosniaks, and to put them in the same category as terrorists, members of the Islamic State, Al-Qaeda and other extremist organizations.

"Islam is certainly not a religion that encourages terrorism; on the contrary, Muslims are, numerically speaking, the biggest victims of terrorist acts by Islamic extremist organizations," says Vukelić.