Thank you Elodie... this is good stuff. I may want us to put forward a discussion on this tomorrow. Let me mull what we have here first. Elodie Dabbagh wrote: Link: themeData Link: colorSchemeMapping Tension between the two Muslim communities: Wahhabism appeared in the Balkans in 1992, when young radical Arabs went to Bosnia to fight with the Muslims. Most of them left, but some of them, particularly the Wahhabis, obtained Bosnian citizenship by marrying Bosnian Muslim women. They then spread to the rest of the Balkans. In Macedonia, their presence is reported especially since 2001 and the Macedonian media is consistently reporting that the Wahhabists are active in Macedonia, even alleging that the ANA (Albanian National Army) possessed concrete links with Osama bin Laden and Mujahedin. The non-Muslims are scared of them, but the main resistance the Wahhabis encounter in Macedonia comes from the Muslims. The main problem in Macedonia (the same problem exists in other countries of the Balkans) is that the Wahhabis are trying to spread their ideology and to take over the countrys Muslim community. To do so, they attack the traditional Muslims of the Balkans who are resisting and spread their ideology in poor cities and neighborhoods, where it is easier to recruit. The Wahhabis are now trying to take over the mosques in Skopje. Officially, all the mosques in Macedonia are under the control of the Islamic Religious Community (IVZ), which gives its approval for the construction of mosques also. The tensions between the two Muslims groups are growing. In early July for example, Ramadan Ramadani, allegedly wahhabi (he denies he is a Wahhabi), was dismissed to be replaced by an imam from IVZ. Ramadan Ramadani and his Wahhabi `friends did not let the new imam enter the mosque. Three people were arrested. According to the Islamic Religious Community, in 2003, Ramadani, together with a group of wahhabis, invaded the community with Kalashnikov assault rifles and forced then Skopje imam to raise his nomination. Ramadan Ramadani is of course now upset with IVZ and is trying to have its chief replaced (Sulejman Rexhepi). The imams of the IVZ have called for unity. These are the kinds of problems that Skopje is facing now. The Interior Ministry is keeping an eye on all of this too, but without doing much. Sulejman Rexhepi had said that the ministry is passive about the emergence of wahhabi followers in the country. Politics: Arben Xhaferi, former leader of the Albanian Democratic Party, was one of the main outstanding local critic of Wahhabi influence. DPA is against radical Islam and the Wahhabis. Look at this press release from their official website. They call the DUI DUI criminal gang led by Ramadan Ramadani. Source (Macedonian) Some Wahhabists were part of the DUI/BDI during the 2006 campaign. Source Officially, what the DUI is doing is trying to solve the crisis between the two communities. The DPA accuses it of supporting the Wahhabists. Sources: da.mod.uk/colleges/arag/document-listings/ balkan/08(06)KM.pdf mia.mk/default.aspx? vId=72684040&lId=2&pmId= a1.mk/vesti/default.aspx?vestID=126040 (Macedonian) inpress.mk/default.asp? ItemID=60AFC15866DE8844A6C4EE35CE694CD5(Macedonian) Good article (two parts): Wahhabism in the Balkans: threat to regional stability? todayszaman/tz-web/news-203026- wahhabism-in-the-balkans-a-threat-to-regional- stability-1-by-hajrudin-somun.html todayszaman/tz-web/news-203148- wahhabism-in-the-balkans-threat-to-regional-stability-ii- by-hajrudin-somun.html -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Marko Papic Geopol Analyst - Eurasia STRATFOR 700 Lavaca Street - 900 Austin, Texas 78701 USA P: + 1-512-744-4094 marko.papic@stratfor
Posted on: Sat, 16 Nov 2013 12:02:16 +0000
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