There was a disturbing sight less than two weeks ago in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia: at an event in support of the Gaza Strip, held in the presence of the PLO ambassador to the country, Serif Petkovic, former commander of the seventh brigade in the Muslim army of Bosnia, declared that he was "putting himself at the disposal of Hamas" and was ready to fight shoulder to shoulder with members of the organization that carried out the horrific massacre on 7 October.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina capital
Petkovic's statement was made in front of cameras and received applause. According to a senior official in Bosnia's foreign ministry, the statement is "just the tip of the iceberg of the growing radicalization among Muslims in the country, and a symptom of growing ties between them and Islamist movements such as Hamas and Hezbollah."
During the Balkan Wars of the 90s, many volunteers and mercenaries came to the Balkans from Islamic countries to fight alongside Bosnian Muslims against both Serbs and Croats. Most of them were attached to Petkovic's Seventh Brigade, which included a special unit called Al Mujahid, which was known for its particular cruelty and excelled in committing war crimes. Although the Muslim population in the Balkans is predominantly Sunni, Shiite extremists also saw the Balkan arena as a convenient ground for action. In 2016, many years after the end of the fighting in Bosnia, Hezbollah leaders admitted that the organization had secretly trained Bosnian fighters, and even sent its operatives to participate in battles against the Serbian army.
When the Balkan wars finally came to an end, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey reached out to the Muslim communities in the new countries born on the ruins of Yugoslavia – especially Bosnia, which has a large Muslim population. Their goal was to increase religious piety and reshape local Islam. The methods of operation included the establishment of mosques and religious schools, the flow of humanitarian aid accompanied by religious preaching, and the invitation of young people from the Balkans to study Islam.
Signs. The intensity of the flames increased, Photo: AP
The beginning - in al Qaeda
The seeds planted in the 90s began to bear fruit with the emergence of jihadist organizations that purported to challenge Western hegemony. First it was al-Qaeda, which appealed to young Muslims in Bosnia. Subsequently, ISIS also attracted them to its ranks. Bosnian authorities have tried at least 40 civilians who joined the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria after returning home, but nothing has been done to address the atmosphere that has fueled support for Islamic fundamentalism.
"The opposite is true," a senior Bosnian official told Israel Hayom. "The authorities seem to be lenient about the rise in anti-Semitism, which stems from Islamist extremism." Indeed, the facts that surface reinforce his words. In recent years, streets and schools in Sarajevo have been named after Hussein Dozo and Mustafa Busoldzic – two of the top Muslims who served in Bosnia's pro-Nazi regime during World War II.
Another shock occurred when soccer fans posted a distorted Israeli flag at one of the games, with a swastika in the center instead of a Star of David. In another game, they sang a song calling for the murder of Jews, waving Petkovic's unit flag.
Attacks on Israel
Hamas's barbaric attack on Israel on 7 October and the fighting in Gaza have intensified the flames. Zlatan Begić, the leader of Bosnia's Muslims and one of the three members of the joint presidency running the country, called the Israeli government a "terrorist" and its actions a "genocide of the Palestinians." Željko Komšić, his Croatian presidential colleague (who was elected to the post with Muslim votes), supported his position, and after defending Hamas, called Israel's ambassador to the country, who dared to remind him of what Hamas terrorists did on 7 October, "stupid, liar and evil."
Amir Kabiri. Intimidated, Photo: Ami Shumen
On 22 October, thousands of people held a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Sarajevo, waving PLO and ISIS flags, the flag of the Bosnian Muslim Army and anti-Semitic signs. "Anti-Semitism has raised its head in the Muslim parts of Bosnia, and there is no one to stop it," the Bosnian foreign ministry official concluded, expressing concern that it would not end only with words. He also notes that Amir Kabiri, an Israeli businessman and owner of a football team from Bosnia's Croatian side, has recently received explicit death threats, and warns that cooperation between Bosnian Muslims and terrorist organizations in the Middle East could also lead to terrorist acts.
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