WAHHABISM IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA

<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY9x3BwVq1U1h2nyAXrLmC6oIlZCu_020IKJ-80pBi_z9i9IfbABzZpMDoudPYWnx-KdZp6WCD9Xcmee0Aq1q1tWgW-SXIL0EjsP9zaRI-8MN3_JwccOWn8sPMjOLcRZ7aSuXxrkNoUZa7/s1600/bosniak-shooter-470x306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY9x3BwVq1U1h2nyAXrLmC6oIlZCu_020IKJ-80pBi_z9i9IfbABzZpMDoudPYWnx-KdZp6WCD9Xcmee0Aq1q1tWgW-SXIL0EjsP9zaRI-8MN3_JwccOWn8sPMjOLcRZ7aSuXxrkNoUZa7/s400/bosniak-shooter-470x306.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sarajevo US Embassy shooter identified as Wahhabi Islamist, 28 Oct 2011</span></h3></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">WAHHABISM AT THE DOORSTEPS OF EUROPE </span></b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Part One</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Wahhabism in BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA (BIH) is an alien, small, but according to some sources growing tendency within BIH. It is relatively successful in recruiting young ‘converts’ from within the BIH moderate Muslim tradition circles. Wahhabism identifies mainstream BOSNIAN Muslims as false Muslims and even as enemies. It has some potential to result in growing, and even violent confrontation with moderate Muslims and non-Muslims alike. This could have serious ramifications for BIH in its efforts to maintain a pluralistic society, as well as complicate the International War on terrorism, by providing an ever safer environment for transient terrorists. If the Wahhabi reportedly growth tendency is not effectively stopped and reversed by the indigenous Muslim structures, the challenge of Wahhabism in BIH will have serious implications for the rest of EUROPE.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">For most INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY (IC) personnel, dealing with any kind of Islamic issue is something they still are trying to get used to. Part of the local media, often biased by nationalistic or/and political interests, have tried to present the problem of Wahhabism in BIH as a growing tendency that is a threat to safety and security not only in the country but also in the rest of EUROPE. These media have used a discourse very similar to that used at the beginning of the 90’s, changing the term ‘Islamic fundamentalism’ by ‘Wahhabism’. On the other hand, media close to the BOSNIAK establishment have tried to ‘hide’ any evidence of the Wahhabi presence in BIH, or at least to play down the importance of the phenomenon.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Most of the information gathered until now is based on the regurgitation of media or biased spread of rumours without further confirmation, as well as personal experiences and witness accounts. A serious analysis must try to define who is a real follower of Wahhabism, in order to avoid misinterpretations. Only then can proper proposals be developed for stopping the ‘reported’ growing tendency, and reversing it.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">This is an analysis of Wahhabism in BIH, intended to represent original thinking about the real picture of the Islamic community in the country and not a ‘regurgitation of open-source wisdom’.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">FOREIGN MUSLIM COUNTRY SUPPORT THROUGH NGOS </span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA5SKFaNMJ3XFtOQUVkK0eyYwsf3sakJ7oMBZbU3sNTH3tjzS5-2wQ9b51S1ufBJBEF5lJWUKluDHDpBphLbA3F7j14O7hWQzLMgmeDtd87J9unZpvFN09b85z6zcB1dUQWwb1YBwPNKxr/s1600/day-8-bic-bosnian-islamic-centre-evening-sunlight-through-crescent-metalwork-fence-post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA5SKFaNMJ3XFtOQUVkK0eyYwsf3sakJ7oMBZbU3sNTH3tjzS5-2wQ9b51S1ufBJBEF5lJWUKluDHDpBphLbA3F7j14O7hWQzLMgmeDtd87J9unZpvFN09b85z6zcB1dUQWwb1YBwPNKxr/s320/day-8-bic-bosnian-islamic-centre-evening-sunlight-through-crescent-metalwork-fence-post.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Islamic Community Center in Sarajevo </td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">During and just after the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina (BIH) the relationship between the BOSNIAK part of the new state of BIH and the Muslim world were elevated to an unprecedented level. The financial support coming from foreign Muslim countries undermined the power of the well-organized and structured BOSNIAN Islamic community. The Islamic revival that began in YUGOSLAVIA in the 70’s decade, which was developed in the framework of the local Muslim institutions and tradition, turned during and after the war to a more politicized revitalization influenced by foreign elements as the Arab fighters and Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) from the MIDDLE EAST.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The Official Islamic community has been taking control of Islam in BIH since the end of the 1992-95 war. However, the Islamic Community has recognized the presence of religious organizations outside its control, and that one of these organizations is an obstacle for the legitimate activities of the wider Islamic Community.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Besides efforts on behalf of the Islamic Community to counter Wahhabi influence, ordinary believers are very often staunch opponents of Wahhabism and that might be the really insurmountable obstacle in front of Wahhabism in BIH. Since the end of the war the largely secular and European attitude among the BOSNIAKS has caused friction with foreign Islamic extremists. Different reports on incidents involving moderate and radical Muslims have shown that Wahhabi communities are willing to use coercive methods to spread their radical ideas. Traditional Muslims have also demonstrated that they can use radical methods to counter the spread of the Wahhabi movement in BIH.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Assessments show that, despite their efforts, the Wahhabi movement does not have many supporters in BIH. The general population is afraid of their fundamentalist approach towards religion. BIH Muslims want to maintain the local traditional and moderate version of Islam. This could change however the minute the already fragile economic situation in BIH changes for the worst and the young generation of BIH has nowhere to turn to. Recruitment techniques by radical Islamic elements are cleverly orchestrated through a complex network system that allows luring moderate young Muslims into becoming part of their organizations by offering scholarships, money and work.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">ELEMENTS OF THE LOCAL MEDIA PORTRAY THE PROBLEM OF WAHHABISM IN BIH AS A GROWING THREAT AGAINST THE SAFETY AND SECURITY WITHIN BIH AND PERHAPS WITHIN THE REST OF EUROPE.</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">While the predominance of traditional ‘BOSNIAK’ Islam is widespread, the Wahhabi movement has established itself in some areas of BIH. Some radical groups have been determined in their efforts to publicly confront the role of the BIH official Islamic Community and its control over Islamic religion in BIH, using their radical Wahhabi interpretation of the Koran. Their actions have drawn the attention of both local and international media and security services.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">An element of the local media, that often shows nationalist or political bias, has tried to show the problem of Wahhabism in BIH as a growing threat against the safety and security within BIH and perhaps within the rest of EUROPE. This media element has used a theme that is similar to that used at the beginning of the 1990’s, in changing the term ‘Islamic fundamentalism’ to ‘Wahhabism’. To counter this, media close to the BOSNIAK establishment, have tried to ‘hide’ any evidence of the Wahhabi presence in BIH or, at least, to downplay the significant of their influence.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">ISLAM IN BIH: SHORT HISTORICAL REVIEW</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">THE OTTOMAN PERIOD</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Islam in BIH was introduced by the <b>Ottoman Empire</b>. From 1463 to 1878 this empire ruled the area. So, the history of Islam in BOSNIA is intimately connected to the history of Islam in the <b>Ottoman Empire</b>. The State within the <b>Ottoman Empire</b>, like other Muslim empires before, was organized according to the principle of organic unity of religious and political authority. They did however introduce an unprecedented hierarchy of Muslims scholars or Ulama. Muftis, Mudarris and Imams, together with judges, Qadis, and Friday prayer preachers, or Khatibs, were under state jurisdiction and they were very often state officials. Because this rigid organisation, there was little autonomy in interpretation and practice of Islam in BOSNIA.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The Ottoman</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">troops also brought the <b>Sunni Islam</b>and the official legal school to the <b>Ottoman Empire</b>: the Hanafi School of Jurisprudence. The Hanafi is one of the four Sunni legal schools. It is the largest one and it is followed by approximately 30 percent of Muslims worldwide. This school is predominant in TURKEY, northern EGYPT, LEVANT, and amongst the Muslim communities of the BALKANS, CENTRAL and SOUTH ASIA, CHINA, RUSSIA and UKRAINE. Hanafi School has been considered by many authors as the most open-minded School. Early Hanafism was associated with the partisans of Ra’y (translation: Opinion). Other schools, however, especially Hanbalism, that wanted to base everything on formal reports about the prophetic Sunna, grew out of the party of Hadith. This has been cast as ‘rationalism vs. traditionalism’. According to the Hanafi School, the Iytihad, or individual reasoning, is often a used source of the Sharia, or Islamic Law, together with customs or 'Urf, hence a degree of flexibility in interpretation.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">THE HABSBURG PERIOD</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In July 1878 the Congress of EUROPEAN powers held in Berlin, gave Habsburg monarchy the right to occupy and administer BOSNIA. The BOSNIAk resisted the occupying <b>Habsburg</b> forces but their three-month resistance was eventually crushed in October 1878.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The relations between religion and state in the <b>Habsburg monarchy</b> were based upon the concept of ‘recognized religious communities’ which was adopted in 1874. According to this concept, the state guarantees freedom of conscience, belief and private manifestations of religious beliefs and practice.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The Habsburg</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">government introduced this concept in BOSNIA. Six religious communities were given the status of ‘recognized religions’: Islamic, Serbian Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Greek Catholic, Evangelic and Judaic. The status of Islam dramatically changed. Instead of being the basic principle of social cohesion as it was in the <b>Ottoman</b> times, it now became one of several ‘recognized religions’ within a non-Muslim state. The BOSNIAKS became a religious minority instead of being a part of the ruling elite.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">This change brought about a new challenge to the BOSNIAKS: to build up a system of the administration of Islamic affairs that would not be identical with the organization of the state. Christians and Jews in BOSNIA were in comparative advantage. Under the <b>Ottomans</b> they already had a separate communal organization, which enabled them to easily adapt to the <b>Habsburg</b> regime. Relying upon <b>Ottoman</b> heritage and responding to new challenges during the first two decades of <b>Habsburg</b>rule, the BOSNIAKS built a new administration of Islamic affairs. This system included religious hierarchy or 'ilmyya, religious education or maarif, endowments or waqf and sharia courts for religious issues.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The system was gradually built through the struggle over the prerogatives for the appointment of key officials, allocation of funding and the running of institutions. The struggle ended on 15 April 1909 when the <b>Habsburg</b>monarch approved the Statute for autonomous administration of Islamic endowments and educational affairs.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The basic features of the administration of Islamic affairs envisaged in the Statute of 1909 were the creation of a council of ulama headed by the Rais Ul Ulama and the introduction of autonomy and elections into the administration of endowments and religious schools.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">THE KINGDOM OF YUGOSLAVIA</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In 1918 the <b>Habsburg</b> monarchy disintegrated and BOSNIA was incorporated in a new South Slav state, initially called the KINGDOM OF SERBS, CROATS AND SLOVENES and later renamed as the Kingdom of YUGOSLAVIA. The administration of Islamic affairs in BOSNIA, as developed in the <b>Habsburg</b> times, continued to function. The Muslims in other parts of YUGOSLAVIA had a separate religious administration.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">This state of affairs lasted until 1930, when the new regime of the <b>Yugoslav King Aleksandar Karađorđević </b>decided to introduce a unified administration of religious affairs for all Muslims in the country and virtually took over the control of that administration, according to his ideology of ‘Yugoslav Unitarism’, which viewed different South Slav ethnic groups as one nation and attended to eliminate any organization alongside ethnic criteria.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The state control over the <b>Yugoslav Islamic Community</b> was, to some extent, relaxed in 1936, when a BOSNIAK-based political party, the YUGOSLAV Muslim Organization, joined a coalition government in Belgrade. The relaxation of state control over the community did not mean the return of autonomy from 1909. Rather, a new type of influence was introduced, that of a Muslim political party.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">According to the 1936 Yugoslav Islamic Community Constitution, the seat of Rais Ul Ulema, which had been moved during the previous period to Belgrade, returned to Sarajevo.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red; line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">THE SECOND WORLD WAR AND THE TITO PERIOD</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The World War Two broke out in 1939 and the Nazis and their collaborationists occupied BOSNIA, together with other parts of YUGOSLAVIA. The leadership of the Yugoslav Islamic Community stuck to the policy of keeping the existing administration of Islamic affairs intact until the war ended.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The end of the war in 1945 was accompanied by the change of state organization and political regime in the country. The Unitarian concept of YUGOSLAVIA was replaced by that of federation, kingdom by republic and parliamentarian democracy by socialist ‘people’s democracy’. These changes greatly affected the position of Islam, as well as other religions, and the organization of the Islamic community.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The socialist regime proclaimed ‘the separation of church from state’ and the principle that ‘religion is a private affair of the citizens’. These principles of secular state were interpreted in socialist practice as subjugation of religious communities to state as ‘allies of the capitalists’ and the persecution of those known to be believers.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The change affected in the social, political and legal positions of religion in BOSNIA affected all segments of the administration of Islamic affairs. First, Sharia courts were abolished (5 March 1946) and the Islamic law lost its binding legal force for the Muslims.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Second, in 1952 the government closed all elementary religious maktabs and left only one secondary school, the ‘Gazi Husrevbeg’ Madrasa in Sarajevo, to prepare future imams and khatibs. Religious instruction to the ordinary believers could be given only during weekends in mosques and even that legal possibility was restricted by the policy of the local authorities.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Third, waqf property was largely expropriated and nationalized between 1945 and 1958. During the late 1960s, the socialist regime in YUGOSLAVIA became more liberal. Consequently, more space for activities was given to religious communities. At the same time, the Federal Constitution of YUGOSLAVIA of 1968 gave more power to federal units. These developments found their reflection in the Constitution of the Islamic Community of 5 November 1968.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span lang="ES-AR" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">By Juan Carlos Antúnez</span></div>

WAHHABISM IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA

Sarajevo US Embassy shooter identified as Wahhabi Islamist, 28 Oct 2011 WAHHABISM AT THE DOORSTEPS OF EUROPE   Part One Wahhabism in BOSNIA-...

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treats in the mail

Were we supposed to have had a weekend? Because if we did, I missed it. I barely sit down and its Monday again. Oh joy. I've got errands and sanding to do today for I've made myself quite the ambitious schedule for the week. I find I'm my most nieve on Monday mornings, might as well set my sights high.<br /><br />I do though want to share the highlight of my weekend. Look at the pretty package I received on Saturday.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8sc63_GWCcFlUBLrIVsOX9n4SKEGRQXeaCcDcjk4MaH1zYOR8HZGlQ3g27NsVa4w_Jb4TyxUJOTyNkLgTSRHiWC6kazEPdftAHMD4Gahd05pyL9epRRfxJgjOrYt0lt6ORb06a8t1Y44-/s1600/birclose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8sc63_GWCcFlUBLrIVsOX9n4SKEGRQXeaCcDcjk4MaH1zYOR8HZGlQ3g27NsVa4w_Jb4TyxUJOTyNkLgTSRHiWC6kazEPdftAHMD4Gahd05pyL9epRRfxJgjOrYt0lt6ORb06a8t1Y44-/s640/birclose.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>It is the canvas I won on <a href="http://www.withlovefromkat.com/" target="_blank">Kat's fab blog</a> from the uber talented Liz at <a href="http://www.birdaria.com/" target="_blank">Birdaria</a>. It is even bigger and better than I expected, and my expectations were high! I will be pinning more this week for sure as it is never too early to start my Christmas list. (are you listening Luke?)<br /><br />So thank you again to Liz and to Kat for the wonderful gift. I've got big plans for it!<br /><br />To a successful Monday!

treats in the mail

Were we supposed to have had a weekend? Because if we did, I missed it. I barely sit down and its Monday again. Oh joy. I've got errands...

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THE BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA DOSSIER

<br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZIs_dG1pFkU0Krqy7nv3MV4BgcfOOOUwWFkhO87hX0m3Ksd65ENsiM9KvNasOLeAWi06kPX1_hcRIO5gbbx9cQbiAWsE6-IILcBL3rrzE09ES5R4Kek8J653OOjxnr13QnvIaI4fHFHz7/s1600/bosnia-and_herzegovina_on_map_of_europe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZIs_dG1pFkU0Krqy7nv3MV4BgcfOOOUwWFkhO87hX0m3Ksd65ENsiM9KvNasOLeAWi06kPX1_hcRIO5gbbx9cQbiAWsE6-IILcBL3rrzE09ES5R4Kek8J653OOjxnr13QnvIaI4fHFHz7/s320/bosnia-and_herzegovina_on_map_of_europe.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">Read interesting information about the country at the doorsteps of Europe and its multicultural and subsequent political problems</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">BOSNIA SUFFERS FROM UNRESOLVED ISSUES SIMILAR TO THOSE WHICH SPARKED YUGOSLAVIA’S COLLAPSE</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/07/bosnia-suffers-from-unresolved-issues.html"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/07/bosnia-suffers-from-unresolved-issues.html</span></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdiMiBMNFv1u79n33P27tDHkZ6i1SYvydAolvmGXMdI4XCkSMsnJMXd_hjqa8D2fYFUcFCV-UmBicF4BopzeoHZZjRIGtK9HDUIXttw6980c1I5rEVcovt9kEv9n9P98LzEsYcKnvpCMXA/s1600/413I0J8ZsYL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdiMiBMNFv1u79n33P27tDHkZ6i1SYvydAolvmGXMdI4XCkSMsnJMXd_hjqa8D2fYFUcFCV-UmBicF4BopzeoHZZjRIGtK9HDUIXttw6980c1I5rEVcovt9kEv9n9P98LzEsYcKnvpCMXA/s320/413I0J8ZsYL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" width="289" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">BOSNIAS ETHNIC RIFT - THE KEY HINDRANCE TO ECO POLITICAL ADVANCE</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/07/ethnic-rift-key-hindrance-to-bosnias.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/07/ethnic-rift-key-hindrance-to-bosnias.html</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">BOSNIA 2012</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/07/bosnia-2012.html"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/07/bosnia-2012.html</span></span></a><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue;"><br /></div><div style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>BOSNIA, EUROPEAN UNIONS STEPCHILD</b>  </span></div><div style="color: red;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/07/bosnia-european-unions-stepchild.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/07/bosnia-european-unions-stepchild.html</a> </span><br /><br /><div style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>BOSNIA, CURSED BY EUROPEAN UNION</b></span></div><div style="color: red;"><br /></div><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/08/bosnia-cursed-by-european-union-eu.html"><span style="font-size: large;">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/08/bosnia-cursed-by-european-union-eu.html</span></a><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>

THE BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA DOSSIER

Read interesting information about the country at the doorsteps of Europe and its multicultural and subsequent political problems BOSNIA SUF...

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It Had To Be France.

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line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style><![endif]--> <br /><div class="MsoNormal">The Internet streaming worked well this afternoon. I got to watch a bunch of swimming without very many issues. I just hope that it works well tomorrow morning, when I’m going to want to watch the men’s gymnastics team final. There’s no way I’m going to wait till tomorrow evening to find out who won.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Main Blurb</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">All right, Team USA swimming. I have not been impressed. After all the uproar I’d heard about this team, I was expecting more golds. The women get bronze in the 4x100. Allison Schmitt gets silver in the 400 free. Michael Phelps doesn’t even medal in the 400IM. Elizabeth Beisel, very sharp in the preliminaries, loses out on gold and ends up with silver in the 400IM. And the men’s 4x100 relay, namely Ryan Lochte, surrenders the gold in the last 25 meters to – of all countries – France. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It had to be France. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Remember what I said yesterday about this relay in 2008? Well, pretty much the opposite happened. The first half of the US team – Nathan Adrian and Michael Phelps – had great swims. Phelps especially had a great swim. But Cullen Jones – once again in the relay that I wasn’t so sure he should be in – gave up some ground in the third leg. And Ryan Lochte was the one that allowed France to come back and outtouch him at the very end. He certainly didn’t look like “the god of the pool” as I read this afternoon. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I’d almost say “Why didn’t Jason Lezak swim the final leg?” if I hadn’t seen him swim the final leg in the preliminary relay and give up the lead to Australia. Oh well.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The only two male swimmers with which I was satisfied were Peter Vanderkaay and Brendan Hansen. Both of them got bronze in the 400 free and 100 breaststroke, respectively. Both Vanderkaay and Hansen were thought to be past their prime, but were able to secure another medal for their trophy cases. Hansen, to my delight, defeated his rival Kosuke Kitajima, who didn’t make the podium after winning gold in the event the past two Olympics. (Sound familiar?)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">And then there’s Dana Vollmer, who seems to be the only swimmer living up to her expectations. She cruised in every part of that 100 butterfly – prelims, semis, and final. She is the first woman to swim the 100 butterfly under 56 seconds and she did it to win gold. At least one of you got the memo to dominate. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Tomorrow we’ve got the men’s 200 free final, the men’s and women’s 100 back finals, and the women’s 100 breaststroke final. To Ryan Lochte, Matt Grevers, Missy Franklin, and Rebecca Soni (or Breeja Larson): I demand gold. I demand dominance. No more making stupid lip-synching videos to “Call Me Maybe” and time to FOCUS. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mini Blurbs</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">I have decided that the men’s breaststroke swimmers are the rock stars of swimming. Between Kitajima’s unearthly shrieks in the past couple of Olympics to today’s winner Cameron van der Burgh deciding to sit on the lane line for a 2-minute tanning session, I haven’t seen any other swimmers treat their victories so dramatically. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Two of the NBC team who usually covers the NHL for the network – Mike Emrick, and Pierre McGuire – are covering water polo, which shows you what NBC feels is the sport closest to water polo. And they’re not that far off. It’s a mix of hockey and basketball in the water. You can’t touch the ground, you play offense and defense, you’ve got a goalie, and you can sit in the penalty square (albeit for just 20 seconds) – but if you go in their three times, you foul out. I got to watch the men’s water polo match against Montenegro. They look pretty good!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I fast forwarded through the women’s cycling this morning, and noticed that the field was much smaller than the men’s road race yesterday. It didn’t help that the weather was awful for them in their 3 ½ hour ride. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I ended up having two swimming preliminaries on my screens this afternoon. I had the live men’s 200 free on my computer, and the delayed women’s 100 back on the television. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">My sports list today? Weightlifting, gymnastics (both), women’s cycling, men’s volleyball, swimming of all kinds, men’s water polo, beach volleyball (both), men’s basketball, rowing (doubles and eights), and diving!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">If anyone is assuming I have been a lazy bum all weekend, my classroom is being remodeled the next two weeks, so I have been bringing work home. It allows me to do work <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and</i>watch the Olympics. You couldn’t ask for a better setup.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">If you won a gold medal, would you sing the national anthem? I would try, but would probably forget the words. I’d try to hide it by crying instead. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Can you imagine what Jordyn Wieber must have been thinking at the start of the qualifying for women’s gymnastics? “I hope we all do our best!” </div><div class="MsoNormal">Can you imagine what Jordyn Wieber must have been thinking at the end of the qualifying for women’s gymnastics? “Aly – you weren’t supposed to do your <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">absolute</i> best!” Oops. The hype caught up with Jordyn. Go Aly!!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">By the way, isn’t the Fab Five trademarked by the Michigan men’s basketball team? Or was that trademark eliminated with all the other wins of that era? </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I wonder if the swimming commentators for NBC actually record their commentating in real time with the events, or if they record it afterwards. In the 100m breaststroke Rowdy Gaines said at the beginning of the race, “Don’t count out Brendan Hansen in lane 8.” Did he just have really good intuition? Or did he already know Hansen was going to get bronze? I’m not opening up a conspiracy here – I just would like to know.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Tomorrow is all about gymnastics and swimming. Here we go!</div>

It Had To Be France.

The Internet streaming worked well this afternoon. I got to watch a bunch of swimming without very many issues. I just hope that it works w...

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SUNNI VERSUS SHIA: THE MIDDLE EAST’S NEW STRATEGIC CONFLICT

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font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style><![endif]--> <br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 3;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHQkTdxQMXc-pOSxIeAkn0jIj_IquRtjTEulBeSy4WFCvkYtHwZ5pQ9Ky57qgl5uRAnLOeafpIHpBWNu-5mS-HQrz1XYwzlea0ro_bzgoyiErj788uqGg7NrznwDVsv0aLou7GghJDEztz/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHQkTdxQMXc-pOSxIeAkn0jIj_IquRtjTEulBeSy4WFCvkYtHwZ5pQ9Ky57qgl5uRAnLOeafpIHpBWNu-5mS-HQrz1XYwzlea0ro_bzgoyiErj788uqGg7NrznwDVsv0aLou7GghJDEztz/s320/images.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span><span style="color: #1c3448; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; letter-spacing: 0.5pt;">O</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">f course, conflicts between <b>Sunni </b>and <b>Shia</b> Muslims are not at all new, but the fact that this is becoming a central feature on the regional strategic level is a dramatic shift. After all, as long as there were secular-style regimes preaching an all-inclusive Arab nationalist identity, differences between religious communities were subordinated. Once there are Islamist regimes, theology becomes central again, as it was centuries ago.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">However, no one should misunderstand the situation. This is fundamentally a struggle for political power and wealth. When <b>Sunni</b> and <b>Shia</b> states or movements battle, they are acting as political entities not pursuing old theological disputes.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The growing power and influence of IRAN’S Islamist regime posed a tremendous problem for Arab <b>Sunni</b> Islamists. They generally did not like IRAN because it was <b>Persian</b> and <b>Shia,</b> yet it was the only Islamist game in town. Thus, Arab <b>Sunni </b>Islamist Hamas became an IRANIAN client. The IRAN-IRAQ war reflected these antagonisms, as best seen in IRAQI propaganda. Yet IRAQ’S regime was also able to keep the <b>Shia</b> majority there under control.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Saddam Hussein’s removal by a U.S.-led international intervention opened up the question of confessional relations in IRAQ. The Arab <b>Shia</b>were inevitably going to win any election, given their three-to-one advantage over the <b>Sunni</b> and the <b>Kurds</b> opting out for what is, in effect though not name, their own state in the north. Despite the terrorist, anti-AMERICAN, and al-Qaida elements of the <b>Sunni</b>insurgency, it was essentially a last-ditch attempt by the <b>Sunnis</b> to reclaim power. It failed and while violence continues, the main <b>Sunni</b> emphasis will be on negotiating the best possible division of power.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">THE “ARAB SPRING” WAS AN OVERWHELMINGLY SUNNI AFFAIR</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In LEBANON, the <b>Shia</b> triumphed too, led by <b>Hizballah</b>and aided by SYRIA and IRAN. But all of this was prelude to the year 2011. The “Arab Spring” was an overwhelmingly <b>Sunni</b>affair, their own equivalent in some ways of IRAN’S 1979 revolution. Only in BAHRAIN, where they were repressed, did the <b>Shia</b>take the offensive.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8urJXFCKRf3DocJOpOVZuZq7LS94vyQfFGVXANZdr1Y88nSdPSnI5Yp1OAvQWB1m6J5BbMX1zu6ikQayB4LLWxazqxhhZQHGEAscdLFPgOwn-n_v7A4vBjcbmrvDZeMrRSyh_hWxuIZDK/s1600/1images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8urJXFCKRf3DocJOpOVZuZq7LS94vyQfFGVXANZdr1Y88nSdPSnI5Yp1OAvQWB1m6J5BbMX1zu6ikQayB4LLWxazqxhhZQHGEAscdLFPgOwn-n_v7A4vBjcbmrvDZeMrRSyh_hWxuIZDK/s320/1images.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">EGYPT, TUNISIA, and LIBYA all had <b>Sunn</b>i insurgencies against <b>Sunni</b> Arab governments. The situation in SYRIA is far more complex with an <b>Alawite</b>non-Muslim regime that pretends to be <b>Shia </b>Muslim and is allied with IRAN, opposed by a variety of rebels. Nevertheless, in this context, the upheaval is a <b>Sunni</b>-led (though far from just Islamist) revolt against a “<b>Shia</b>” regime.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Here’s the bottom line: <b>Sunni </b>Arab Islamists no longer need IRAN or even Turkey because they now have their own power. What is likely to emerge is at least a loose <b>Sunni </b>Arab and largely Islamist-flavored bloc consisting of EGYPT, the Gaza Strip, LIBYA, and TUNISIA along with the Muslim Brotherhood elements in JORDAN and SYRIA.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">DIVIDED ENTITIES</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The key element here is the Muslim Brotherhood, an organization that doesn’t like <b>Shia</b>Muslims in general and IRAN in particular. Little events, like Brotherhood guru Yusuf al-Qaradawi’s support for the <b>Sunni </b>regime in BAHRAIN against the Shia opposition, show the direction of their thinking. The even more radical <b>Salafists Wahhabi</b>— a term now used for the small revolutionary Islamist groups, are even more anti-<b>Shia</b>. One factor here is the continued unwillingness of the majority of Arab states to welcome <b>Shia</b>-ruled IRAQ into their ranks. IRAQ is not going to become a satellite of IRAN. It certainly feels more comfortable in a <b>Shia</b> bloc but will probably continue to be relatively uninvolved in regional affairs.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Note, too, that to a large extent this situation leaves the <b>Palestinian</b>Authority as an orphan. While it can depend on very general Arab, IRANIAN, and TURKISH support, the Islamists prefer to back Hamas, especially the ever-stronger <b>Sunni </b>Islamists. This, of course, encourages the <b>Palestinian</b>Authority’s (Fatah’s) alliance with Hamas while also weakening its leverage toward that Islamist partner. (And that means a continued disinterest in negotiating with Israel, much less reaching a negotiated solution with it.)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Thus, despite appearances, 2011 was a defeat for IRAN and TURKEY because <b>Sunni </b>Arab Islamists are far less receptive to Tehran’s influence and view it as a rival, while Arab Islamists don’t want leadership from TURKS either.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Can these blocs unite effectively against the UNITED STATES, the WEST or ISRAEL? In a word: No. Their power struggles for regional power and for control of individual states (BAHRAIN, LEBANON, SYRIA, and to a far lesser extent IRAQ) will keep them in conflict. Even on the anti-ISRAEL consensus each side will seek to exploit it for their own, often conflicting, interests.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSIlK1HvmMxg-VbEEO6rNEE_nseETZjRKxXqjynraW0JTl_WdWU2MlbQ-ZadIGcL40ixY1XpFLL0YcFS74rGJNe5vFyrdROfu2yMJYNYp5Ft1bPWyn5kfooKM_4QA21XLG_LpKyfdZthCE/s1600/2images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSIlK1HvmMxg-VbEEO6rNEE_nseETZjRKxXqjynraW0JTl_WdWU2MlbQ-ZadIGcL40ixY1XpFLL0YcFS74rGJNe5vFyrdROfu2yMJYNYp5Ft1bPWyn5kfooKM_4QA21XLG_LpKyfdZthCE/s320/2images.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">By the same token, however, the hope for moderation is minimal. In a region when regimes and movements are competing to prove their militancy and loyalty to a radical interpretation of Islam, nobody is going to want to make peace with ISRAEL. And regimes will only work with the UNITED STATES if they feel that America can and will protect them, a rather forlorn hope with an Obama Administration eager to make friends with Islamists.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">There is also another aspect to this SUNNI-SHIA rivalry, the formation of blocs, the competition in militancy, and the battle for control of individual states. The region will continue to waste lives, time, and resources in political strife as the lure of ideology and power rather than pragmatism and economic productivity. This is still rule even if the old regimes have fallen.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A different version of this article appeared in the Jerusalem Post.</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>

SUNNI VERSUS SHIA: THE MIDDLE EAST’S NEW STRATEGIC CONFLICT

  O f course, conflicts between Sunni and Shia Muslims are not at all new, but the fact that this is becoming a central feature on the reg...

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BOSNIA 2012

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVROXZars1v24jW0_QkOBCsqSrg0NW1DGrFrg4zP7cSurQ5LmxwJ3bVazpp1h870_00AA6uON3tkAoZC_S2KHE6eg4lpB6OsA01hK0nrXQcSu2Lff0uJfxQZmbgdWYVgPX-tdnBvT46ENA/s1600/Church+and+mosque.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVROXZars1v24jW0_QkOBCsqSrg0NW1DGrFrg4zP7cSurQ5LmxwJ3bVazpp1h870_00AA6uON3tkAoZC_S2KHE6eg4lpB6OsA01hK0nrXQcSu2Lff0uJfxQZmbgdWYVgPX-tdnBvT46ENA/s400/Church+and+mosque.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">CROATIAN VIEWS ON “ISLAMISATION” IN BOSNIA</span></b></span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The rise of radical Islam in BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA is going unchallenged by the authorities, the country’s Archbishop of <b>Sarajevo</b> Cardinal <b>Vinko Puljic</b> warned, highlighting the growth of extremism in the country during a visit to the international headquarters of Aid to the Church in Need.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The cardinal claimed that the growing process of ISLAMISATION in BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA is being funded by radicals in the MIDDLE EAST. Muslim centres, mosques and Medressas (Islamic schools) have been built around the country with petrodollars from SAUDI ARABIA as well as TURKEY and to some extend IRAN. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The cardinal further stressed the spread of Wahhabism, see: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wahhabi">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wahhabi</a>, which is the official religion of SAUDI ARABIA. The Archbishop of <b>Sarajevo</b> claimed that there are already 3-5,000 Wahhabis in BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA and the group is seeking to gain influence in society. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6sK7oCMN8Y99Y73mMNcjg5e4EfWnavNs6-eSUiSJ5v2168gI5gqHY517JS76x411nxHsA_pJr0CP4HZQQ6NKPbrkugWGSujRr5daOwzo0s1RhTFEzJl1Vg7mjMFsHDQlzZsrhAf2c1RUt/s1600/48554944.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6sK7oCMN8Y99Y73mMNcjg5e4EfWnavNs6-eSUiSJ5v2168gI5gqHY517JS76x411nxHsA_pJr0CP4HZQQ6NKPbrkugWGSujRr5daOwzo0s1RhTFEzJl1Vg7mjMFsHDQlzZsrhAf2c1RUt/s320/48554944.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Catholic,Orthodox Churches and Mosque </span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">According to the Cardinal, nobody in the government has the courage to do anything to prevent this development. Unconfirmed church sources claim that more than 100,000 young BOSNIAN Muslims have encountered Wahhabi Islam through organizations such as Active Islamic Youth, Furqan, Muslim Youth Council, student organizations such as Demus and social networks. Cardinal Puljic added: “In recent years, at least 70 new mosques have been built in <b>Sarajevo</b> alone.”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">KING FAHD MOSQUE, ALLEGEDLY A MAGNET FOR MUSLIM FUNDAMENTALISTS</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Reports state that SAUDI ARABIAN money funded the reconstruction of <b>Sarajevo’s Husrev Begova Mosque</b> which included the removal of internal mosaics in accordance with <b>Wahhabi aesthetics</b>.  Another new mosque, the <b>King Fahd Mosque</b>, which is the country’s largest Islamic place of worship, was described by one report as a magnet for Muslim fundamentalists.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">While mosques are being built or repaired, Cardinal Puljic pointed out that building approval for churches can be delayed for years – adding that Church property confiscated under communism has still not been returned. According to the Cardinal the government seems to have no interest in giving Catholic Church property back to its rightful owners, where on the other hand most of Muslim property has been returned.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The Archbishop of <b>Sarajevo</b> claims that Catholics are systematically disadvantaged. He demands equal treatment for Catholics in employment, education and other spheres of life.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Despite these problems, the CROAT Catholic Church is seeking greater cooperation between different ethnic and religious groups. The Croat Catholic Church, who represents a minority, is determined to showcase a constructive force that wishes to make a contribution to the success of society.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>

BOSNIA 2012

CROATIAN VIEWS ON “ISLAMISATION” IN BOSNIA The rise of radical Islam in BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA is going unchallenged by the authorities, the co...

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BOSNIAS ETHNIC RIFT - THE KEY HINDRANCE TO ECO POLITICAL ADVANCE

<br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">  </span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtd395vmmr79s8-xDRKX0cBQ_Yn5I2wi4rQ48pR2YUyK3-2rINgzXeyzbFaSXF7oNw3RKB1D_a7nwor-2-koXPM_Ufu0GtDWj3MAGnf0vabHayrEUCq8simXHpgywphJ58mky0mq0VVv_x/s1600/Bosnia_Herzegovina_maps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtd395vmmr79s8-xDRKX0cBQ_Yn5I2wi4rQ48pR2YUyK3-2rINgzXeyzbFaSXF7oNw3RKB1D_a7nwor-2-koXPM_Ufu0GtDWj3MAGnf0vabHayrEUCq8simXHpgywphJ58mky0mq0VVv_x/s400/Bosnia_Herzegovina_maps.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #274e13; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">INFLUENTIAL ISLAMIC COMMUNITY IN <span style="color: blue;">BOSNIA</span></span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #274e13; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #274e13; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">See also related article: <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/07/bosnia-suffers-from-unresolved-issues.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/07/bosnia-suffers-from-unresolved-issues.html</a></span> </span></span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Mr Suljagic</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> has been the minister for education for <b>Sarajevo canton</b>, by far the biggest of the ten cantons in the <b>Federation</b>. When he suggested that pupils should be allowed to opt out of religion classes without suffering a loss to their overall grades, he became the subject of a hate campaign. One death threat came in the form of a bullet delivered to his home with the message: “<b>Leave Allah and his religion alone, or the hand of the faithful will strike you</b>. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Background Info. See: </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosnia_and_Herzegovina">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosnia_and_Herzegovina</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZqdsPR48GdsIRhmh61WnC9DeHPuN76TgDs8eOIyxCLUdFIb0-wW83yUKZbXOWYQ_5rqdyKw5npB5oyij7LtJP0RH12n1oXzdcSMKJzxjDaUoCJdFZZybMZ2zI39cXcQ1XfilEwll0vhRV/s1600/BS-NoPrayerSchoolNoFactsReligion1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZqdsPR48GdsIRhmh61WnC9DeHPuN76TgDs8eOIyxCLUdFIb0-wW83yUKZbXOWYQ_5rqdyKw5npB5oyij7LtJP0RH12n1oXzdcSMKJzxjDaUoCJdFZZybMZ2zI39cXcQ1XfilEwll0vhRV/s200/BS-NoPrayerSchoolNoFactsReligion1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Mr Suljagic's</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> most fervent critics his <b>Reis-ulema Mustafa Ceric</b>, head of the BOSNIAN <b>ISLAMIC COMMUNITY</b>. Background Info. See <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustafa_Ceri%C4%87">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustafa_Ceri%C4%87</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In May last year, in a particularly biting speech to 30,000 faithful at <b>Blagaj, Cerić</b> attacked the Minister's proposals, warning that Muslims would take to the streets... affirming that “the schools are ours” and condemning “those who want to do in <b>Sarajevo </b>what had been done in <b>Srebrenica</b>”, that is genocide.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">THE SCHOOL ARE OURS</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAaqCvojZ0k49QQZLifDFHVeH0mlRQosQxGm-5fvolwoSNbVuyTAwg1zq23BpL0tXH3AMFyvvVYC277oPxAmg-CHdErahxAl3_pXw-wbYHnHgPsORHOVr5QP9YT0Uc6NXH8mGZSzveW75f/s1600/640x392_7984_175825.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAaqCvojZ0k49QQZLifDFHVeH0mlRQosQxGm-5fvolwoSNbVuyTAwg1zq23BpL0tXH3AMFyvvVYC277oPxAmg-CHdErahxAl3_pXw-wbYHnHgPsORHOVr5QP9YT0Uc6NXH8mGZSzveW75f/s320/640x392_7984_175825.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Reis-ulema Mustafa Ceric</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Indeed, schools and universities in the Federation are firmly under control of the ISLAMIC COMMUNITY and foreign NGOs, sponsored by both, SAUDI ARABIA as well as IRAN and TURKEY. Taking into account that BOSNIA has a rather young population in comparison to EUROPE, radical Islamic elements are increasing their recruiting activities, especially since the young generation of BOSNIAKS (Muslim Bosnians), unlike their parents and grandparents, see no future in EUROPE and thus tend to look for alternative identities. SAUDI ARABIA, TURKEY and IRAN provide scholarships to BOSNIAK students in order to study in MALAYSIA, <b>Ankara, Riyadh</b> and <b>Tehran</b>. Medressas (Islamic schools) are thriving in the Federation, fostering fundamentalism to an extend Bosnia has never seen before. Universities in the Federation house prayer rooms and Wahhabism is on the increase. Thus indeed, the education system in Bosnia is undermined by the ISLAMIC COMMUNITY.</span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Background Info: See: <b style="color: blue;">BOSNIA, EUROPEAN UNIONS STEPCHILD</b> <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/07/bosnia-european-unions-stepchild.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/07/bosnia-european-unions-stepchild.html</a>and <b style="color: blue;">BOSNIA, CURSED BY EUROPEAN UNION</b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/08/bosnia-cursed-by-european-union-eu.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/08/bosnia-cursed-by-european-union-eu.html</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">BOSNIA'S LASTING INCAPACITY TO CREATE IMPARTIAL POLITICAL STRUCTURES </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Mr Suljagic</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> has now been forced to resign when almost at the same time <b>Mr Ceric</b> received a prize in <b>Rome</b>for the “promotion of dialogue between religions.” Reflecting on this year’s <b>Srebrenica</b> anniversary one wonders what <b>Mr Ceric's</b> award says about modern BOSNIA:</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">From the end of the war to today, the question asked has been: how deep are the wounds left by that conflict? The version chosen by the international media has been that the causes of the war were ethnic, not the consequences. Twenty years later it seems to be the contrary. The resignation of <b>Suljagić</b> is a sign of BOSNIA'S lasting incapacity to create public structures characterized by inclusiveness, not division, for all its different citizens. The award to <b>Cerić</b> is perhaps a sign of our lasting incapacity to comprehend how much the internal dynamics of that country are important for the destiny of EUROPE. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: blue;">SOME BOSNIAK ELEMENTS TURNED TO EXTREMIST IDEOLOGIES, WHICH RESULTED IN THE FORMATION OF RELIGIOUS “MUSLIM-ONLY” ENTITIES </span></span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Fj3WktnZgPcsOVT75an1DjXXmUAjUwMcp8VPDagH-UmOR5WUpn5vU9YWvmFu3wVTKAzIOMhJN4xOXJ0nEZZL9XrgG5LOJYB-YAeYyBNLb0FlGLurx0uvbMChvxSDWNHID8EjW9LaA5qQ/s1600/bosnia_wahhabis_derventa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Fj3WktnZgPcsOVT75an1DjXXmUAjUwMcp8VPDagH-UmOR5WUpn5vU9YWvmFu3wVTKAzIOMhJN4xOXJ0nEZZL9XrgG5LOJYB-YAeYyBNLb0FlGLurx0uvbMChvxSDWNHID8EjW9LaA5qQ/s320/bosnia_wahhabis_derventa.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">BOSNIA should be a lesson: in a far less conducive environment, some BOSNIAK elements turned to extremist ideologies, which resulted in the formation of religious Muslim-only units, with emirs and imams, in what started out as a secular, multiethnic Army of the Republic of BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA. Wartime atrocities committed by foreign and domestic mujahedeen created deep-seated fears and resentments that continue to be exploited by nationalist politicians.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Mr Suljagic</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> was a translator for the UN during the war in Srebrenica, which helped him survive the massacres of July 1995.</span></span></div>

BOSNIAS ETHNIC RIFT - THE KEY HINDRANCE TO ECO POLITICAL ADVANCE

  INFLUENTIAL ISLAMIC COMMUNITY IN BOSNIA See also related article: http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/07/bosnia-suffers-from-unres...

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BOSNIA SUFFERS FROM UNRESOLVED ISSUES SIMILAR TO THOSE WHICH SPARKED YUGOSLAVIA’S COLLAPSE

<br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNP5oKkuT9FUie6-Fhckd1LaEX9RtaD3j4sbbw2zAmchMbOWsmeI9FIxy0o2b4r9NmediP7pbM3wqTKnonSHbgj6s3Ud3NFP-gZXyCC5xeExFJkoQb4qGy5RTt4AvUxnud1uAWxRHUlGsl/s1600/9a0ea76f-e93e-4d12-8f4d-9908f33ae685-444x333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNP5oKkuT9FUie6-Fhckd1LaEX9RtaD3j4sbbw2zAmchMbOWsmeI9FIxy0o2b4r9NmediP7pbM3wqTKnonSHbgj6s3Ud3NFP-gZXyCC5xeExFJkoQb4qGy5RTt4AvUxnud1uAWxRHUlGsl/s400/9a0ea76f-e93e-4d12-8f4d-9908f33ae685-444x333.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">  </span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">CONTRADICTIONS IN BOSNIA’S CONSTITUTIONAL ARCHITECTURE</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA’S system of government has reached breaking point and the country’s path to EUROPEAN UNION (EU) membership is blocked. The constitution requires that the posts in two key institutions, the three-member presidency and the parliamentary House of Peoples, be equally divided among BOSNIAKS (BOSNIAN MUSLIMS), CROATS and SERBS. The EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS (ECtHR) ruled in 2009 this violates the EUROPEAN CONVENTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS (ECHR) by restricting others’ access. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The EUROPEAN court’s ruling has exposed long-buried contradictions in BOSNIA’S constitutional architecture, which have become more acute since the 31 May 2012 collapse of the government coalition. BOSNIAN politicians need to reform their constitution but reopening the DAYTON AGREEMENT will require more than a quick fix. The EU should not make implementing the ECtHR decision a prerequisite for a credible membership application if it seeks thorough comprehensive reform to put the country on a firm footing. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">BOSNIA’S failure to implement the ECtHR’s landmark judgment on the SEJDIĆ-FINCI case baffles observers. See: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejdi%C4%87_and_Finci_v._Bosnia_and_Herzegovina">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejdi%C4%87_and_Finci_v._Bosnia_and_Herzegovina</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">BOSNIA SUFFERS FROM UNRESOLVED ISSUES SIMILAR TO THOSE WHICH SPARKED YUGOSLAVIA’S COLLAPSE</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Discrimination against minorities such as Jews and Roma is repugnant. Yet more than two and a half years later, despite strong international pressure and a concerted push to find a solution in spring 2012, BOSNIAN leaders have made no progress in executing it. Even sympathetic observers wonder why the country persists in its “racist” constitution. THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE warns that neither it nor the EU would consider the 2014 elections for BOSNIA’S parliament legitimate without the necessary constitutional amendments.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjro9iI-VqavcZ7-cLQV4HgDbPsR98BRkQrc7iKPt0bCEH5KLu2YMAr1SXJaf5yxh19Wy4gvcY9FSMB7nsAozWfUjBw25yZ-zoxFPkYSoeOpi506-i8i2j314OhQ9DxdNmxB5xM1UsxsLTD/s1600/Bosnia+Map+Emphasis+Srpska+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjro9iI-VqavcZ7-cLQV4HgDbPsR98BRkQrc7iKPt0bCEH5KLu2YMAr1SXJaf5yxh19Wy4gvcY9FSMB7nsAozWfUjBw25yZ-zoxFPkYSoeOpi506-i8i2j314OhQ9DxdNmxB5xM1UsxsLTD/s320/Bosnia+Map+Emphasis+Srpska+2.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> Yet almost nothing about the SEJDIĆ-FINCI case is as it seems. Implementing the judgment will not necessarily improve the situation of minorities, whose marginalisation is due more to political culture than to the impugned constitutional provisions. The dispute is not driven by discrimination which all BiH parties agree must be eliminated. It is about whether, and how, to preserve the rights of BOSNIA’S constituent peoples, especially those of the CROATS who are the smallest group. Their position is likely to get a new boost when CROATIA joins the EU in 2013.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Though the ECtHR case is technical, it raises fundamental questions about BOSNIA’S constitutional architecture and has opened dangerous and important issues buried since the end of the war in 1995. In a stinging dissent, Judge Giovanni Bonello condemned the court’s judgment and warned of the dangers of challenging the status quo. Local leaders echo the warning.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">BOSNIA suffers from unresolved issues similar to those which sparked YUGOSLAVIA’S collapse, and a botched set of amendments could make keeping the country together much harder. At the same time, more delay in implementing the court’s judgment means more delay in progress toward the EU, one of the only points on which all BOSNIA’S constituencies agree.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: blue;">RIFT BETWEEN THE THREE ETHNICITIES IS GROWING</span> </span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Tension between the two aspects of BOSNIAN federalism – the division into two territorial entities (the FEDERATION OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA and the REPUBLIKA SRPSKA), and three ethnic communities known as constituent peoples (the BOSNIAKS, SERBS and CROATS) – has been growing for a decade. It is no longer sustainable. Over the past two years, state institutions are under attack and there is a crisis of governance in the federation and the REPUBLIKA SRPSKA. Institutions at all levels are highly inefficient and politicians ignore difficult policy choices and seem immune to domestic or international pressure. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">BOSNIAN POLITICIANS ARE NOT ONLY UNABLE TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEMS; THEY HAVE BECOME THE KEY PROBLEM OF BOSNIA</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">It took fourteen months to form a state government after the October 2010 elections; this fragile coalition broke down less than six months later, on 31 May 2012. A new constellation of parties is trying to assert control, but its former partners in state and federal government are holding on to their positions and the prospects are unclear. What attention they have given to implementing the ECtHR decision has focused on a solution that cements party leaders’ already extensive hold on power. </span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><div style="color: blue;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">ORGANIZED CRIME DRIVES BOSNIA'S "GREY" ECONOMY, WHICH ACCOUNTS FOR MORE THANT 80%!</span></span></b></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">    </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In BOSNIA the government and its politicians are not only unable to resolve the problems; they have become a key problem themselves. (driven by corruption and organized crime syndicates. Bosnia's  grey economy accounts for 80% of the countries income! Organized Crime is the key economic factor in BOSNIA)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">CHANGE OF CONSTITUTION – THE KEY TO BOSNIA’S SURVIVAL AND MOVE TOWARDS EUROPE, OR DISINTEGRATION WHICH WILL NOT END PEACEFULLY</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmkfUlxcP4-DWUaOA2unQLLwkAT5JcgxvibbWNIswj92-YshvXSLMSx1TYVEY5RflaygXdrL24AyNe5pwu-6rO3Xq5WBqQi1zuQIBjLOvxL4uWGKCkTRQcCSVtgDo-0-Uioz7EUNPMqhaK/s1600/sarajevo-bosnia-20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmkfUlxcP4-DWUaOA2unQLLwkAT5JcgxvibbWNIswj92-YshvXSLMSx1TYVEY5RflaygXdrL24AyNe5pwu-6rO3Xq5WBqQi1zuQIBjLOvxL4uWGKCkTRQcCSVtgDo-0-Uioz7EUNPMqhaK/s320/sarajevo-bosnia-20.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">There is a popular assumption among BOSNIA’S EUROPEAN friends that implementing the EUROPEAN court’s decision and changing its constitution will go some way in improving governance. But there are no quick fixes. It will mean reopening the DAYTON PEACE AGREEMENT which ended the 1992-1995 war, re-balancing the compromises made in that agreement, and embarking on a comprehensive constitutional reform. Though a return to violence remains unlikely, these issues are highly emotional and risk extending political paralysis and leading to state failure. BOSNIA’S leaders believe the EU requires only a technical fix, even if it leaves the country even less governable. Ultimately, the decisions taken will decide whether BOSNIA survives to move toward EUROPE or begins a process of disintegration that will not end peacefully. To avoid this grim prospect:</span></span></div><ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">BOSNIA’S political leadership should refocus on constitutional reform, including the execution of the EUROPEAN court’s decision. It should adopt measures that: clarify whether and how elected and appointed officials are responsible to specific groups, all citizens, or those who voted them into office; allow voters rather than mid-level officials to choose national leaders; give CROATS an effective means of influencing state policy; provide room for those who identify as citizens rather than in ethnic terms to have a voice; and avoid overly complex rules prone to obstruction.</span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">EU states should lift their conditioning of BOSNIA’S candidacy on implementation of the court ruling. Comprehensive constitutional reform should be the end goal of membership talks, not its precondition. </span></span></li></ul><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISM AT THE DOORSTEPS OF EUROPE</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Disintegration of BOSNIA would cause considerable geopolitical and strategic implications for EUROPE for in most likelihood, fundamental Islam would gain a significant influence among the young generation of BOSNIAKS who already feeling that the EU has let them down. Should the economic situation in BOSNIA deteriorate further due to lack of funding from the EU, young unemployed and disillusioned BOSNIAKS could easily fall prey for Islamic fundamentalist organisations as well as countries such as TURKEY and SAUDI ARABIA taking advantage to infiltrate society and “force” their doctrines upon BOSNIAN society, all at the doorsteps of EUROPE! </span></span></div>

BOSNIA SUFFERS FROM UNRESOLVED ISSUES SIMILAR TO THOSE WHICH SPARKED YUGOSLAVIA’S COLLAPSE

  CONTRADICTIONS IN BOSNIA’S CONSTITUTIONAL ARCHITECTURE BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA’S system of government has reached breaking point and the co...

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