The Balkan Caliphate: the enemy within

SETimes: "Kosovo, Turkey boost military co-operation" 

Kosovo and Turkey continue to deepen their bilateral relations, particularly in the area of military co-operation.(...) Kosovo is performing a strategic review of its security sector, and during the next few years it is anticipated the process will result in the transformation of the Kosovo Security Force into the country's army.

19 March, 2013
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Serbia in the Dock: of Realpolitik and the unethics courts

The Slog: "WAR CRIMES: Milosevic intimate about to become Serbian Prime Minister"

Is the Hague’s War Crimes Court anything more than an irrelevant hypocrisy? The news that Ivica Dacic (a former close colleague of Slobodan Milosevic) is almost certainly going to be the next Serbian Prime Minister should give everyone connected to the real world where morality counts pause for thought. (...) >>>

Jul 29, 2012
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Progress Report: Summary

Politeia: "Euro Police Convention Duped by Balkan Terror Threat" - BLOG BURST -

The 11th European Police Congress, to be held in Berlin on 29-30th January is the target of a Balkan Al Qaeda franchise. The convention will be inaugurated by Franco Frattini, Vice President of the European Commission, Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security. The second item on the agenda is "Global, European and National threats by Terrorists: National Concepts to face the Challenge."

In a programming note (bottom Programme section) it is advised that one of the speakers, Dr Darko Trifunovic - a maverick young investigator from the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Security Studies - will not be able to attend due to "pressure and death threats" made against him by radical groups that are under his investigation. He has decided not to "expose himself and the congress to further danger." (...) >>>

Updated: 12th Jan. 2008

Updated: 20th Jan. 2008 - The Jawa Report: "Bosnian Islamist Website Posts Death Threats, Gets Hacked"

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Part 1 "The Simple Truth" in the series of posts titled "Progress Report" looks at the reasons behind the current aggressive self-assertion that is taking place within the Islamic world, in particular where the virulent anger and hatred towards those outside it, ultimately stems from.

The short take is that Islam - as a non-secular religion that sees as its teleological fulfillment the domination of the world in a global Ummah - cannot psychologically cope with the fact that events on the ground during the last millennium or so, point in the very opposite direction. As a result they feel humiliated and offended to the core. The current upsurge might well be identified as the last chance of fulfilling the destiny. It is, after all the third such attempt, the 3rd Jihad.

Psychologists can explain how Muslims deal with that gaping discrepancy and the unremitting cognitive dissonance as a result of it. But the distortion of reality stemming from the psychological coping devices of paranoia and projection - externalising blame and avoiding responsibility at all cost - do not help in solving the sheer intractable problems that are by now felt by everyone.

Part 2 "Plugging the Holes Against Reality" posits the case of Iran, that sees wiping Israel off the map as a short cut to the fulfilment of the Islamic destiny. Shi'ite myth thereto requires the coming of the twelth Imam, an event that will be accelerated by the apocalyptic destruction of the enemy. In the Western atmosphere of appeasement and growing antisemitism throwing the rabid dog a bone, is no longer a taboo.

The ethically neutral stance that Western politicians are trying to maintain, is a philosophical myth as well as a deal with the devil. In the choice between food or poison, the middle of the road is death. Misguided? Yes, to say the least. Harmless? No. But more trouble is ahead.

Even more vigorously enforced is the idea that lumping innocent Muslims with their co-religionist terrorist counterparts is an act of unfairness and a line that will not be crossed. But at this point the reasoning is reversed, and the terrorists are lumped with the innocent. This fallacy has five fatal consequences.

Politicians and voters abdicate the moral choice between the innocent and the terrorists; 2. as a consequence the terrorists get a free pass; 3. the innocent, thus lumped together with the radicals, do not get the support they need to distance themselves from the radicals. They have no other choice than to submit to them, caught in the multicultural ghetto; 4. what's worse, any chance of reforming Islam from within is hence forfeited; 5. Westerners, seeing it their duty to defend the values of liberal democracy against Sharia type onslaughts, as well as special privileges demanded by Muslims on the basis of religious beliefs, are harassed by the radical elements, as well as criminalised by their political representatives. In Europe the fallacy has been cast into law, thus insulating terrorists and radicals even from verbal critique.

Like the innocent Muslims - who are now lumped with the radical camp, like it or not - the defenders of Western values are caught between a rock and a hard place. They might seek protection from intimidation, directing appeals through the official channels, but not for long. The current tendency is blaming the victim. The reasoning goes along lines like "as it is well known that Muslims are easily inflamed, why offend them?" Next stop: free speech, turned penalized provocation! From the looks of it, far from conducting a war on terrorists, Europe has unleashed a wave of repression on the critics of jihad!

"Progress Report", "Plugging the Holes Against Reality" also lists two cases of men running foul of such legislation. Although the details are as yet scarce, one such case is an unapologetic Christian and patriotic blogger from England, Lionheart. He's running the risk of being clasped in irons the moment he sets foot on home soil, back from 'self-imposed' exile? What happened is as yet unclear, but one would assume he's committed murder and mayhem! Actually it would appear he's had a bit of a bust-up with a Muslim.

Part 3 "The Assault on the Rule of Law" brings up the matter of frivolous lawsuits brought against critics. It often results when money is no object. They may serve a secondary purpose: if the case is won, the advantage is favourable jurisprudence; if lost, the sued party is intimidated and diverted, and may hence serve as a lighted reminder to others like him.

The third instalment also lists the case of Dr Darko Trifunovic of the University of Belgrade who is conducting investigations into the origins, ambitions and operating methods of what he calls "White Al Qaeda", the home grown branch of the terrorist franchise organization in the various areas of the Balkans. It first took foothold in Bosnia-Herzegovina after the Western powers in the 90's conspired to allow Aghan war veterans to enter the territory. Since the Dayton Peace Accord Iranians as well as Saudi Wahhabis flooded the place with funds, overbearing mosques and subversive organizations, one of which has members throughout the Bosniak diaspora in Europe, Canada and the US.

Dr Darko Trifunovic has also found new links between Bosnia and terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the London and Madrid train bombings. Specifically mentioned are Mohammed Atta who coordinated the 9/11 outrage, and Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Bosnian citizenship holder and war veteran, former Al Qaeda 'Operations Chief', who - according to Dr Darko Trifunovic - took over the leadership of the Al Qaeda media campaign ('the Committee') during the planning of the 9/11. Atta's place of residence before launching off to Hamburg and the US, was a Bosnian hamlet, 8 km outside Maglaj.

Dr Trifunovic up to now has been able to conduct his investigations from the ivory tower of the University of Belgrade in relative tranquility. When it transpired however he was invited as a forum speaker during the upcoming 11th Police Congress and the results of his research would thus become public, no methods have been shunned to intimidate him, discredit him as a person and as a scholar. With accusations of 'Srebrenica denial' and 'hate mongering' - references to laws prohibiting Holocaust denial and inciting racial hatred - attempts have been made to get him banned from the police convention; impersonations and cyber manipulation being but the least methods of choice to muzzle.

Apart from the personal injury done to Trifunovic himself, the public damage is two-fold: researchers are being harassed to prevent them from doing their jobs, interfering with the right of enquiry. The consequences of such actions on the academic level could well be considerable. The second part is even worse: the intimidation of officials conducting criminal enquiries, undercutting the rule of law, leading ultimately to mob rule.

The West's hazardous plans for the independence of Serbian province of Kosovo loom large. The ultimate purpose of the diplomatic exercise in brinkmanship is as yet covered in geopolitical nebula. "Never mind the Al Qaeda and Wahhabi influence, the Serbian heartland of Kosovo being subjected to the rule of the fifteen crime families of Albania who are up to their eyeballs involved in heroin trafficking; or that the current leader of Kosovo once led the bin Laden funded KLA, and the creation of an independent Greater Albania with its fingers in the annual $40 billion criminal drug trade steamrolling through the Balkans: it is a very progressive and enlightened ideal."

The series concludes that ... we can all go safely to sleep tonight - all is quiet on the Eastern front ...

Related files:
- The Balkan Caliphate
- Blog Censoring and Cyber Jihad
- Legal Jihad
- The Propaganda Hirabah: the Media War
- The Liberal Dictatorship: Legislating Surrogate Morality

Notes to "Progress Report"

[1] Excerpt from Foreign Area Officer Association: "Green Flag Over the Balkans"

"BOSNIA'S RADICAL GROUPS

"The Active Islamic Youth (Aktivna Islamska omladina - AIO) is an indigenous fundamentalist organization with the goal of promoting an Islamic state in Bosnia.and is the one organization in Bosnia within the IZ that causes the most concern with ties to terrorism and fundamentalist Islam. 14 Established in Zenica in 1995 and associated with the mujahadeen the group's main activities has been to organize protests in opposition to Bosnian state action against the foreign fighters, publishing promotional material and books showcasing AIO's religious and political extremist ideology. Its Islamic weekly magazine SAFF and organization's website, have been fonts of radical Islamic preaching, gaining notoriety for publishing interviews with terrorists who have fought against US forces in Iraq and expressing solidarity with the jihadists and suicide bombers in Israel.

Since 2002 the AIO has expanded to include computer and internet facilities, multi-media Islamic libraries, offices and conference rooms in centers located in Sarajevo, Tuzla, Zenica, Travnik, Mostar, Zavidovi i, Gornji Vakuf, and Sanski Most - all located in the Federacija. 15 In addition, the AIO has members throughout the Bosniak Diaspora in Europe and the US. Through outreach activities such as summer camps, internet cafes and youth centers the AIO has been effective in recruiting young, disenfranchised Bosniaks and raised suspicion in countries that host these Bosniak-AIO sponsored camps. The appearance of bearded men and women dressed in chadors in Sarajevo is noticeably increasing and of great concern to residents who adhere to the traditionally moderate form of Islam practiced in Bosnia. According to Western sources the recruiting focus of radical Islamists in Bosnia are: (1) unemployed youth, (2) orphans of the 1992-95 Bosnian civil war, (3) rural communities in Bosnia, and (4) Bosnia's Muslim poor and disaffected.

The Muslim Brotherhood Group or Muslimansko bratstvo, is smaller and less well funded than the AIO. However, it represents a significant threat due to its prominence as a Bosnian Islamic portal. 16 Islam Bosna (www.islambosna.ba), the organization's website offers promotional material, video clips and flyers typically denouncing US or Israeli aggression against the Muslim world. Its advocating of establishing an Islamic state in Bosnia, sympathy with Hamas and destruction of Israel highlight concerns about this website. Islam Bosna has supposedly distributed at least 80,000 copies of some of its posters and operates a well maintained and largely unregulated message boards and information postings. This poses an exceptional threat given the grave concerns recently of terrorist organizations utilizing radical Islamic websites to pass information and conduct terrorist attacks. Another concern is the Muslim Brotherhood Group's success in attracting Bosniak youth membership through its website. According to the Nezavisne Novine daily in 2002 the oldest members were just 25 years old. 17"

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Excerpt from Jamestown Foundation (Global Terrorism Analysis)" "Wahhabism and al-Qaeda in Bosnia-Herzegovina", by Stephen Schwartz (21st Oct. 2004)

"The most prominent Wahhabi organization in Bosnia is the Active Islamic Youth (Aktivna Islamska Omladina or AIO). Early in 2003, the Sarajevo weekly magazine Slobodna Bosna (Free Bosnia), which has an aggressively secularist and sensationalist tone, described the AIO as a front for the Saudi High Commission for Relief and the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation. [2: Ahmetasevic, Nidzara, Buturovic, Adnan, and Fazlic, Mirsad, “Fishers Of Children’s Souls: Third Offensive Of Young Muslims,” Slobodna Bosna, Sarajevo, January 30, 2003.] The Bosnian branch of al-Haramain was shut down after it was designated an al-Qaeda affiliate by the U.S. Treasury and the Saudi government. (...)

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Excerpts from Worldpress.com: "The Young and the Old: Radical Islam Takes Root in the Balkans", by Risto Karajkov

"One of the founders of the A.I.O., Muris Cupic, a former fighter himself, has repeatedly argued that there is no danger of militant Islam in Bosnia. But his colleagues in the A.I.O., which has a few hundred members, are often identified as promoters of fundamentalism. They have issued strong statements of criticism addressed to their fellow Muslims for not behaving like true believers and having acquired too much from their Christian neighbors.
The A.I.O. were put under surveillance in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and were found to have been funded by the Saudi Al-Haramain Foundation, later declared by the United States to be a sponsor of terrorism.

The Islamic Community in Bosnia, under the leadership of Rreis-ul-Ulema (Chief Imam) Mustafa Ceric, often described as a pro-American promoter of tolerance, has been trying to assimilate these groups even though they hold sharply conflicting views on Islam.

Ceric, who holds a Ph.D. in Islamic studies from the University of Chicago and is a recent recipient of a UNESCO award for intercultural understanding, seems to be able to keep a fine balance between reassuring the West that Bosnia is safe and cultivating relations with the radical Muslim offspring in his backyard.
A case that put A.I.O. in the spotlight was the 2003 murder by a young Muslim fanatic of three ethnic Croat returnees on Christmas Eve. The killer claimed he was a member of the A.I.O., which the organization denied, conceding that he might have attended some lectures. Ceric swiftly condemned the act and called on young Muslims to "stay away from superstition, false books, and teachers who do not want to understand the authentic life in our homeland," a clear reference to outside hardliners.

But in an interview he gave last year to the Islamic youth magazine Saff, Ceric rejected anonymous statements by fellow Muslim officials that organizations such as A.I.O. should not be considered part of the Islamic Community. "The Islamic Community is more important than me, us, and them," he said. "Thus, we are all the Islamic Community."

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[2] Excerpt from Jamestown Foundation (Global Terrorism Analysis): "Wahhabism and al-Qaeda in Bosnia-Herzegovina", by Stephen Schwartz (21st Oct. 2004)

"Alongside Slobodna Bosna and other periodicals in Sarajevo, one also finds the unmistakable Wahhabi journal SAFF, which describes itself as an "Islamic Youth Review." The August 15 issue of SAFF includes, on its slick cover, a box with the arresting heading "Exclusive from Iraq: Suicide Actions as a Defensive Strategy." SAFF also includes, along with criticism of Mustafa Ceric, an article describing the Algerians in Guantanamo as Bosnians, which they no longer are, and a report that the Shia rebel Moqtada al-Sadr, in Iraq, has called for the execution of Wahhabi infiltrators in that country. [3: SAFF, Sarajevo, August 15, 2004, issue number 128.]