The Roots of Al-Qaeda in Bosnia

The peculiarity of the war in former Yugoslavia (YU hereafter) cannot be understood without considering the role of the Islamic religious group in the period prior to it. However, the very mention of Islam can produce a confusing effect, because it is a very broad notion which implies many things and allows many different interpretations. It is a well-known that Muslims ruled parts of former YU and that some people, as a consequence, declared themselves members of that "nation" but later also stated publicly they were communist and did not adhere to the Islamic faith.

According to the Islamic religious law, they were apostates murtads, for whom sheriat (Islamic law) provides capital punishment. (1)

In order to present to reader with as much specified information as possible, I am going to concentrate on an organization which represents the Islamic faith – the Islamic Religious Community (hereafter: IRC), because in this way the official position of the Islam on the war and crisis in former Yugoslavia will be best exemplified.

As soon as the multy-party system was restored which resulted in a greater degree of political freedom, IRC beagn to propagate a version of Islam which had hitherto been inconceivable. Alija Izetbegovic, the president of Moslem Bosnia and Herzegovina, stated in his book Islamic Declaration: “There can be no peaceful coexistence between the Islamic religion and non-Islamic social and political institutions… no lay principles can be the basis of a state which should express and support ethical principles of the religion…” (2). As regards the foregoing Jakub Selimoski, the last reis ulema (supreme head) of the united IRC stated: “The Declaration by Izetbegovic is based on his adherence to Islam and his religious teachings. Viewed from a religious aspect no one should be irritated by Moslems having a religious obligation to return to the essentially Islamic organization of social relations in countries where Moslems constitute an absolute or great majority of the population. The reason for that is that Islam has its own positions on the issues regarding the social, political and even financial system. (3)

Therefore, the head of all the Yugoslav Moslems clearly said that the positions put forward in The Islamic Declaration were legitimate according to Islam. The foregoing implies an aspiration to the institutionalization of social relations; thus the lax principle is excluded from the process of organizing a state in which all non-Islamic organizations should be prohibited. Consequently, democracy of any type should be annulled and discrimination introduced for those who have non-Islamic views.

Izetbegovic used to be a prominent member of the Young Moslems Movement. Referring to the Young Moslems, the chief of the Muslims said: “the Young Muslims were exponents of the best ideal conceived within our ranks and their upright and honorous ambitions were, in fact, shared by all Muslims”. (4)

In order to illustrate their ambitions it is best to quote Izetbegovic who said once while discussing the political programme of the Young Muslims: “I remember there was a clause putting forward the unity of Muslims all over the world. We interpreted the clause in forms of establishing a big Muslim state…”(5) Izetbegovic goes on to reveal their meanings of achieving the objective: “The plenum was held on 20-21, February, 1949, in the course of which it was decided to start an open fight with the communist system.”(6)

It is very important to stress that Izetbegovic had to admit once that there had been Young Muslims fostering some “terrorist ideas” (7), although in his capacity as the president of the state and the party of Democratic Action, he has been making feverish efforts to win himself and tell the truth risking to lose the support of the West where terrorism in considered and equivalent to evil. As seen above IRC qualified such ambitions as “upright and honorous and shared by all Muslims”.

Those who have analyzed IRC’s publications regularly have logically inferred that IRC has advocated the annulment of the secular principle of the social organization and has been in favour of an ideological Islamic state since the multy-party system was introduced.

On the occasion of setting up the party of Democratic Action which was ready to stake everything to establish an Islamic state in Bosnia, an editorial was published to mark the act of formation in praising terms qualifying the party as “eminently Muslim” (8). A hadis (9) quoted on the front page of the editorial indicated what a Muslim party must stand for, its message being that the whole world would be, eventually, converted to Islam. The words of Mohammed quoted in the “Revival” were aimed at the non-Islamic population of Bosnia and Herzegovina, thus implying that conversion to Islam lay in store of Orthodox and Catholic believers living there.

The announcement of their desire to have Islam spread was not objectionable in itself, as long as it reflect willingness to achieve it by means of persistent and non-aggressive persuasion, so that Islam could be adopted on a voluntary basis.

However, the above hadis was another matter; it was indicated in an explanatory comment printed below the quoted hadis which represented the position of the editorial staff and the Seniors of IRC whose organ the paper was.

It said: “There is a growing self-awareness in the Muslim world that its future lies in the revival on the rule which in not to be established on secularized social and political system but on the words of Allah. The opponents are also aware of the increasing political consciousness of Muslims which had resulted in a fierce confrontation with the world of Islam. But, nobody can prevent US from pursuing the course of action announced in our hadis” (10).

There was a sentence in the above hadis saying the Islam would enter every single household which implied that other religions would cease to exist and also announce the destruction of secular political systems which were to be replaced by the Islamic establishment whose necessary consequence was a discrimination against non-Muslims and women. (11)

All of the articles which had been published in the Islamic press since that point confirmed that the aim of IRC, stated in the above-mentioned editorial, were true. Consequently, an interview with a Secretary General of “The World Islamic League” better known as “Rabita” was published in “The Revival” in which he concluded: “Islam, essentially, represents the unity of the faith and state. That is first and foremost. All the social, historical, political, economic and educational system hitherto developed by Islam fell down after collapse of hilafet i.e. the united Islamic state. The main duty of the present ulama is to re-establish the foregoing Islamic Social institutions and system, first of all, in the regions populated by Muslims. The foregoing systems based on historical experience and knowledge are something that non-Muslims can also benefit from”. (12)

Nasef Omer’s interview took up two central pages of “The Revival” and its title “The Unity of faith and state” was printed in a big, red letters which indicated that the editorial staff and meshihat i.e. The Seniors of IRC attached great importance to the messages imparted by Secretary General of “Rabita” which is the most influential Muslim organization in the world. Evidently, the main task of the ulama i.e. Muslim priests or religious officers, was not to preach faith in God, but to strive for the creation of a state in which all the Muslims would be politically united.

The implication of the above is relevant to the Serbs and Croats in former Bosnia. Was that the Yugoslavia had to be disintegrated in order that Sarajevo could be linked with Turkey, Iran etc.? In view of what Secretary General said about the Islamic state being beneficial to non-Muslims, such a system was to be imposed on the Christian population on Bosnia.

Apart from propagating a need to establish an Islamic state in Bosnia, the organs of the Seniors of IRC also promulgated that a prospective state must become a centre of Islamic expansion to the rest of the world.

During The First Conference of the Muslims of Eastern Europe prof. Es-Sammari of Saudi Arabia said: “Islam is still firmly rooted in Eastern Europe and, with the help of Allah, has all the predispositions to become not only a centre of political power, but also a centre of the Islamic diffusion to the rest of Europe and the Soviet Union.” (13)

Evidently, it has been conceived that the Balkans, above all Bosnia, should become a centre of political power concentrated in a state. Islam conceived in the form of an Islamic state should spread across the rest of Europe.

Apart from propagating the above version of Islam, the propaganda of Jihad was launched as well, the latter being of particular importance. According to the most prominent Islamic theologians of IRC, Jihad was a “declaration of and a conduct of war” (14). It was stated further on, that” Jihad is the climax of the sublimity of Islam. It is a road to dignity, nobleness and sovereignty and for that reason it was obligatory throughout the past and will be so up till the last day” (15).

Obviously, it was ordered to conduct Jihad till the end of the world in order to reveal the sublimity of Islam. “To hanefias Jihad is a struggle against infidels. First, they should be invited to adopt the true faith and if they do not adhere, they should be fought against”. (16) Considering the fact that all Yugoslav Muslims are hanefias, it is clear that, in their view, Jihad presents a mission of converting non-Muslims to Islam under the threat of war in case they decline the offer.

On the eve of the war in 1992 there was an article in “Takvim” (IRC published by the Presidency of the associations of ilmias i.e. Islamic religious officers). and the article exhibited their stance on coexistence and equality between Muslims and non-Muslims. The organ was also approved of by Riaset i.e. the Supreme Islamic Seniority (17) and it said:

“Islam strives to destroy al the states and government opposing the ideology and programme of Islam, regardless of that what part of the earth they may situated in, or what state of nation may be in power. The purpose of Islam is to establish a state based on its ideology and programme no matter which nation is to become a supporter of Islam or which nation is to become undermined in the course of creating an ideological Islamic state. Islam wants whole Globe-not just one part of Globe but the whole Planet”. (18)

The above was not an isolated view held by an extremist but a position of the entire Muslim Religious Community of Yugoslavia and was expressed through the agency of the foregoing organization and its organ “Takvim”.

As for the author of the article named Mevdudi, IRC stated: “El-Mevdudi has no peer in the Islamic world, his ingenious thought reaching and imbuing all regions populated by Muslims.” (19)

The words of El-Mevdudi of Pakistan were looked upon as an Islamic dogma by IRC and printed in 30,000 copies. In the same number, Hasan Hilic, a Yugoslav Muslim theologian confirmed the above in a slightly different way: “God did not oblige Muslims to conduct war in order to force people to adopt Islam, but to establish a just, noble and upright system based on Islam.” (20)

Consequently, Hilic confirmed that God ordered Muslims to wage war so as to establish a just Islamic system on the earth with no thought for the opinion of non-Muslims on the Islamic system and its uprightness feasible by means of killing and bloodshed.

Apart from propagating was as a means of setting up a state, IRC activists also propagated that Muslims, who continued to live in the states based on a non-Islamic concept should revolt against the actual state authorities, not matter whether they came to power legitimately or not.

In reference to the foregoing, it was said in “Takvim”: “It is impossible for a Muslim to realize his intent to live in keeping with Islam in a non-Islamic system. All the laws and taxes which he considers unjust and illegal will be imposed on his household and children, thus making his life unbearable… An individual or a group of people living under the pressure of state authorities who implement a hostile doctrine cannot live according to their conviction. If those people neglected their duty to rise against such state authorities, it would mean they are hypocrites and liars among the Islamic believers. It is for that reason that we have no choice left, but to take over the governing of such a state”. (21)

In view of the fact that about 1.5 million ethnic Albanians live in Federal Republic of Yugoslavia who are 98% Muslim, the foregoing was a clearly defined encouragement to revolt.

IRC started to put into practice that what had been hitherto theoretically achieved by its activists. The abovementioned reis-ul-ulema Jakub Selimoski took part in a session of the” World Council for Mosques” in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, at the beginning of 1992, where it was decided that “Rabita” should propose to the countries participating in the conference to established political and economic cooperation with Bosnia and Herzegovina and recognize its independence.

As for the problem of Kosovo they should help towards its solution so that the ethnic Albanians could also achieve independence which should be followed by political autonomy of the region of Sandzak and subsequently by the joint sovereignty of the Muslims and Christians living in Macedonia (22).

Considering that Yugoslavia still existed at that time within the boundaries decreed by communist Tito, it was an act of blatant interference with Yugoslavia’s internal affairs. Independence of Bosnia was proposed which was not approved of by the Bosnian Serbs and Croats who, taken together, constituted a majority of the population. It was also suggested that the Serbian province of Kosovo and the region of Sandzak should become independent which would, inevitably, lead up to the disintegration of Serbia.

In view of the above-mentioned, what reis al ulem i.e. IRC actually proposed the reconstructing of Yugoslavia with the aim of creating an Islamic religious state through the influence of the world Islamic organizations. A prospective state, as stated in “Takvim”, was to become become an Islamic diffusion centre until the collapse of all states and governments which have resisted to submit themselves voluntarily to Islamic rule.

When the war broke out of Bosnia, IRC issued a fatwa to proclaim it was a religious war – Jihad ; the fatwa i.e. a statement based on Islamic religious laws which should be unquestionably pursued by Muslims said: “Every single individual, male or female, must rise in defence of the Islamic fate according to their competence and ability. If they fail to fulfill the obligation it will mean that they have failed to remain true to their faith and mission in this world… Begin to fight intently and with confidence in Allah – if you survive, you will be gazias ( heroes of Jihad) and if you perish, you will be shahids (those sacrificed for the sake of Islam). During your offensives and clashes with the enemy, say tekbires (Allahu ekber), and, if possible, have a copy of the Koran on you. A Muslim must be aware that his fight is just, securing him the grace of God. A Muslim who has Allah on his side is invincible and dully owns this world and the one to come.” (23)

The above statements are abundant evidence of IRC position on the war in Bosnia: it was a religious war aiming for the creation of a religious state.

It is important to stress the deference between Islamic and Euroamerican usage of the terms offensive and defence. According to Islam the respective terms are irrelevant as stated in “Takvim”: “Jihad is both: offensive and defensive at the same time. A Muslim party launches an offensive against the opposing ideology. Being a party, it has no fatherland from which to expect protection. The party itself must defend the principles which it represents. Hence, the party does not attack the fatherland of the opposing party, but launches an offensive on the opponents’ principles. The objective of the offensive is not to cause the opponents to abandon their principles, but to bring about the collapse of the government which maintains the opposing principles.” (24)

In view of the above it is quite clear that Jihad proclaimed by IRC was identical to that proclaimed in “Takvim”. Its aim was not to defend Bosnia , but to form an Islamic state, not only in Bosnia but in neighbouring Serbia and Croatia by using military means to annul the secular principle of the social organization.

1) Quoted from the Koran .Translated by Besim Korkut,Sarajevo,1984,edited by Islamic Religious Community of Bosnia,p.617.footnote 33

2) Alija Izetbegovic, Islamic Declaration , Bosna Edition , Sarajevo , 1990, p.22

3) “The Revival” (Preporod) an Islamic organ published by the Seniors of IRC, 15 January, 1991, p.20

4) Glasnik the organ of the Supreme Islamic Seniority of SFRJ(Federal Socialist Republic of Yougoslavia) , Sarajevo, No. 6/1991, p.808

9) ibid.1. March, 1991; a hadis is declaration or an act of Muslim prophet, Mohammed and his fellows fighters, in case they were given his permission; hadises have been compiled in a canonized collection which constitutes Suna i.e. Islamic tradition. Suna and the Koran represent the sources of Islam. Cf. Fikret Karcic,”Serijatski sudovi u Jugoslaviji 1918-1941”(“Shari’atLaw Courts in Yugoslavia between 1918-1941”) edited by Islamic Theology School, 1986 and Dzananovic Ibrahim,”Idztihad u prva cetiri stoljeca islama”( Ijtihad in the First Four Centuries of Islam”), Islamic Theology School, Sarajevo, 1986

11) I have already written about the same subject in the following publications: - “Political System of Iran and Human Rights”, in Political Thought, Zagreb, No. 4/1990 - “The Position of Orthodox Christians in the Islamic World”, in Orthodoxy between Heaven and Earth, Nis; - “Human Rights in Islamic Countries”, in Marxist Thought, No.5/1986;Beograd - “Human Rights in Islamic Political Systems in the Light of the Universal Islamic Declaration on Human Rights”, in International Issues, No. 2/1991, Beograd;

19) Ebu-L-A’ El-Mevdudi “The Basic Requirements for Understanding the Koran”, edited by the Seniority of IRC of B. and. H.,Croatia and Slovenia, Sarajevo, 1984, p. 6

I do. Clear out the Jihadists and the place will be a better place for all. They just play one against the other until they are in a position to clear out ALL the Orthodox Christians, which is what the entire region was before the Muhammadans came along. It was the Serbs who finally rid the land of the Ottoman empire control in 1912.
You need to go a little further back into history to settle other disputes, which will never be settled as long as the Jihadists are there to stir the pot. There are just using Croats and Albanians to their advantage, their true allegiance is to Muhammad and the umma.

Well, the writer does leave out important little facts, like WW2, and Hitlers aid to the Albanian muslims, who made up the bulk of the SS division under command of Hussaini (Arafats uncle) which slaughtered over 100,000 Serbs, a million Jews,
and destroyed much of the orthadoxy, and was a central proccessing area for all the Jews in Eastern Europe. The Jihadists got their leg up at that time, cancelling all gains from the defeat of the jihadists in 1912.
Now thanks to Clintons blunder, the Serbs may fall for good.Complete genocide.

Husseini did not command any units. His role was strictly to serve as an ambassador to Balkan Muslims to encourage them to join the various SS units set up by the Germans. In particular, he was important in urging Bosnian Imams to get Bosnian Muslims to join the SS Handzar unit.

The Handzar unit was not at all involved in the rounding up or murder of Jews, but they did slaughter Serbs.

Once in Berlin, the Mufti received an enthusiastic reception by the "Islamische Zentralinstitut" and the whole Islamic community of Germany, which welcomed him as the "Führer of the Arabic world." In an introductory speech, he called the Jews the "most fierce enemies of the Muslims" and an "ever corruptive element" in the world. Husseini soon became an honored guest of the Nazi leadership and met on several occasions with Hitler. He personally lobbied the Führer against the plan to let Jews leave Hungary, fearing they would immigrate to Palestine. He also strongly intervened when Adolf Eichman tried to cut a deal with the British government to exchange German POWs for 5000 Jewish children who also could have fled to Palestine. The Mufti's protests with the SS were successful, as the children were sent to death camps in Poland instead. One German officer noted in his journals that the Mufti would liked to have seen the Jews "preferably all killed." On a visit to Auschwitz, he reportedly admonished the guards running the gas chambers to work more diligently. Throughout the war, he appeared regularly on German radio broadcasts to the Middle East, preaching his pro-Nazi, anti-Semitic message to the Arab masses back home.

To show gratitude towards his hosts, in 1943 the Mufti travelled several times to Bosnia, where on orders of the SS he recruited the notorious "Hanjar troopers," a special Bosnian Waffen SS company which slaugh-tered 90% of Bosnia's Jews and burned countless Serbian churches and villages. These Bosnian Muslim recruits rapidly found favor with SS chief Heinrich Himmler, who established a special Mullah Military school in Dresden.

The only condition the Mufti set for his help was that after Hitler won the war, the entire Jewish population in Palestine should be liquidated. After the war, Husseini fled to Switzerland and from there escaped via France to Cairo, were he was warmly received. The Mufti used funds received earlier from the Hilter regime to finance the Nazi-inspired Arab Liberation Army that terrorized Jews in Palestine.

To show gratitude towards his hosts, in 1943 the Mufti travelled several times to Bosnia, where on orders of the SS he recruited the notorious "Hanjar troopers," a special Bosnian Waffen SS company which slaugh-tered 90% of Bosnia's Jews and burned countless Serbian churches and villages. These Bosnian Muslim recruits rapidly found favor with SS chief Heinrich Himmler, who established a special Mullah Military school in Dresden.

The SS Handzar had no role in rounding up or killing Jews. This is a fallacy. The best book on the SS Handzar by far is Himmler's Bosnian Division: The Waffen-SS Handschar Division 1943-1945 by American author George Lepre.

I highly recommend it.

Himmler was fascinated by the concept of Jihad, and intended the SS Handzar to be entirely Muslim staffed, but was forced to compromise due to military and diplomatic pressures.

The units were staffed with German officers and NCOs, and the rank and file were partially added with Roman Catholics since the Croatian Leader Ante Pavelic felt that a wholly Muslim unit would seek to place itself as a military source of autonomy for Bosnia, and to secede from Croatia.

Also, the SS Handzar rebelled against the Germans in the small town of Villefranche in Southern France, during training.

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