Between Salvation and Terror: Radicalization and the Foreign Fighter Phenomenon in the Western Balkans
Between Salvation and Terror: Radicalization and the Foreign Fighter Phenomenon in the Western Balkans
Contributor(s): Vlado Azinović (Editor), Kimberly Storr (Editor)
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Politics, Social Sciences, Civil Society, Sociology, Theology and Religion, Islam studies, International relations/trade, Security and defense, Studies in violence and power, Radical sociology , Sociology of Religion, Peace and Conflict Studies
Published by: Atlantska inicijativa: Udruženje za promicanje euroatlantskih integracija BiH
Keywords: salvation; terror; foreign fighters; jihad; jihadists; Syria conflict; Western Balkans; mobilization of jihadists; terrorism; violent extremism; ideology; security; peace; conflict; foreign battle fields;
Summary/Abstract: The mobilisation of jihadist foreign fighters that has taken place as a result of the conflict in Syria and Iraq has been unprecedented. According to the United Nations, up to 40,000 foreigners from nearly 100 countries have participated in the war. Not all of them will remain part of the movement. Many, have already become disillusioned, turned against their comrades, and “retired“ from fighting. Others, however, will turn up in other conflicts, become involved in terrorist networks, or use their credibility as “veterans“ to recruit new followers. There can be no doubt that the consequences of this mobilisation will be profound and long-lasting. In one of my recent books, I predicted that it will result in a “fifth wave“ of terrorism. Much of the public interest in the foreign fighter phenomenon has focused on Western Europe and the Middle East. The situation in the Balkans, by contrast, has received comparatively little attention. This book is the first comprehensive account of who the foreign fighters from the Balkans are, where they come from, and how they have been radicalised. All the chapters are based on in-depth research and written by leading experts from the region. Their analysis and conclusions are based on empirical facts and a profound understanding of the social and political dynamics in their respective countries. It is this depth of local knowledge that makes the various chapters so interesting and informative.
Series: Atlantska Inicijativa Papers
- Print-ISBN-13: 978-9926-8097-3-7
- Page Count: 152
- Publication Year: 2017
- Language: English
The Foreign Fighter Phenomenon and Radicalization in the Western Balkans: Understanding the Context, 2012-2016
The Foreign Fighter Phenomenon and Radicalization in the Western Balkans: Understanding the Context, 2012-2016
(The Foreign Fighter Phenomenon and Radicalization in the Western Balkans: Understanding the Context, 2012-2016)
- Author(s):Vlado Azinović
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Civil Society, Islam studies, International relations/trade, Security and defense, Studies in violence and power, Radical sociology , Sociology of Religion, Peace and Conflict Studies
- Page Range:9-20
- No. of Pages:12
- Keywords:Foreign fighters; radicalization; Western Balkans; violent extremism; security; Middle East; Syria; Iraq; conflicts; jihad;
- Summary/Abstract:Over the last five years, a rise in radicalizing forces in the Western Balkans has manifested in the emergence of the foreign fighter phenomenon – the single most obvious indication of radicalization into violent extremism in the region. This has brought new security challenges and risks, including the departures of citizens to rebel-held territories in the Middle East. While some of these individuals are women, children, and elderly people who have not become foreign fighters, it is believed that from the end of 2012 through the beginning of 2016, up to 950 persons from Western Balkans countries travelled to Syria and Iraq. [...]
ALBANIA: Radicalization and the Governance of Islam in Albania
ALBANIA: Radicalization and the Governance of Islam in Albania
(ALBANIA: Radicalization and the Governance of Islam in Albania)
- Author(s):Arjan Dyrmishi
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Civil Society, Governance, Islam studies, Politics and law, Studies in violence and power, Radical sociology , Penal Policy, Sociology of Religion, Peace and Conflict Studies
- Page Range:21-30
- No. of Pages:10
- Keywords:Albania; radicalization; Islam; ISIL; foreign fighters; government; policies; terrorism; Syria; Iraq; violent extremism;
- Summary/Abstract:With some hundred or more Albanian citizens having now joined the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), radicalization has become a salient issue in both policy and scholarly domains in Albania. Given the Albanian tradition of religious tolerance and moderation, the quest to understand and explain the foreign fighter phenomenon has sparked extensive debate – in media, among the public, and within academia. Explanations for this trend have focused mainly on the socioeconomic factors affecting certain local communities and individuals, and on the failure of state institutions in some sectors, including in security, intelligence, and education. In general, academic researchers and pundits alike argue in favor of a more robust response by the government. [...]
ALBANIA: Albanian Migrants and Risks of Radicalization
ALBANIA: Albanian Migrants and Risks of Radicalization
(ALBANIA: Albanian Migrants and Risks of Radicalization)
- Author(s):Ebi Spahiu
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Civil Society, Islam studies, International relations/trade, Security and defense, Studies in violence and power, Radical sociology , Migration Studies, Sociology of Religion, Peace and Conflict Studies
- Page Range:31-42
- No. of Pages:12
- Keywords:Albania; Albanian migrants; radicalization; Western Balkans; Middle East; extremist organizations; Syrian conflict; ISIL; Iraq; security; violent extremism; foreign fighters;
- Summary/Abstract:The case of Albania – a new NATO member and an aspiring EU state – reflects that of many Western Balkans countries which have seen their citizens, largely from Muslim-majority areas, join extremist organizations in the Middle East since the 2011 outset of the Syrian conflict. The number of foreign fighters hailing from Albania and the rest of the region peaked when Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the alleged leader of the so-called Islamic State (ISIL), declared the formation of a new “caliphate” in 2014, in territories in Syria and Iraq, and called on Muslims from around the world to migrate there. Security and intelligence services in the region quickly took action against homegrown extremist cells that recruited and facilitated the travel of citizens in response to Al-Baghdadi’s call. However, questions remain over what motivated citizens from Albania to join extremist organizations and the pattern of their radicalization. [...]
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA: The Complex Ecology of Islamic Narratives and Movements in Bosnia and Herzegovina
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA: The Complex Ecology of Islamic Narratives and Movements in Bosnia and Herzegovina
(BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA: The Complex Ecology of Islamic Narratives and Movements in Bosnia and Herzegovina)
- Author(s):Muhamed Jusić
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Civil Society, Islam studies, International relations/trade, Social differentiation, Studies in violence and power, Radical sociology , Sociology of Religion, Peace and Conflict Studies
- Page Range:43-57
- No. of Pages:15
- Keywords:Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bosnian Muslims; civil war in Bosnia and Herzegovina; Islam; Bonsiaks; Islamic community; jihadists; Islamic movements;
- Summary/Abstract:The current religious life of Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina is about returning to domestic traditions and reducing the post-communist euphoria in public demonstration of religion. The fall of the socialist order led to this euphoria, which was intensified by the aggression and war in Bosnia and Herzegovina – seen, in the minds of Bosnian Muslims, as aimed at destroying Bosnia and Herzegovina as a state and Bosniaks as a people. Meanwhile, the pluralization of the Islamic religious scene in Bosnia and Herzegovina has resulted in the emergence of non-traditional forms of Islamic religious practice. On one hand, this pluralization occurred within the Islamic Community as a consequence of its openness toward other madhhabs and Islamic experiences, and as a result of its exposure to globalization and other broader social and cultural shifts. On the other hand, it occurred outside the Islamic Community and, sporadically, against it, through advocates of different alternative, and in principle, sloppy and rigid interpretations of Islam. The vast majority of Bosnian Muslims perceive these alternative views as attacks on the traditional Bosnian practice of Islam, and they reject them as unacceptable attempts to replace a religion of joy, serenity, and tolerance with a religion of gloominess, discontent, and exclusiveness; attempts to abandon a religion that palliates in order to accept a religion that aggravates.
CROATIA: ISIL’s Western Balkan Caliphettes
CROATIA: ISIL’s Western Balkan Caliphettes
(CROATIA: ISIL’s Western Balkan Caliphettes)
- Author(s):Anita Perešin
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Gender Studies, Civil Society, Islam studies, International relations/trade, Security and defense, Studies in violence and power, Radical sociology , Migration Studies, Sociology of Religion, Peace and Conflict Studies
- Page Range:58-70
- No. of Pages:13
- Keywords:Croatia; ISIL; Western Balkans; caliphate; Iraq; Syria; migration of Muslims; foreign fighters; women fighters; ISIL propaganda; extremism; radicalization;
- Summary/Abstract:With the June 2014 establishment of a “caliphate” in the territories of Iraq and Syria, announced by the self-proclaimed “caliph” and leader of ISIL Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, his appeal to all Muslims to migrate to these territories has been viewed by some “true believers” in the Western Balkans as a mandatory religious duty. A new wave of Muslim men and women from the Balkans, motivated by a combination of religious and other factors, have left home for the “caliphate,” where the Balkan contingent has supported groups fighting the Assad regime since the beginning of the civil war in Syria. The number of Western Balkans citizens in ISIL territories is not precisely known, but up to 1,000 are thought to make up the Balkan contingent – including male fighters, a much smaller percentage of female fighters, women and children who accompanied their husbands and fathers, some women who traveled alone (often in order to marry), and a small number of teenagers, most of whom have left home without the consent of their parents. The motives and expectations of women in this contingent are difficult to grasp; for, despite ISIL propaganda that compares living in its territory to being at a “Disneyland for Muslims,” the group is among the most notorious terrorist organizations in the world, infamous for its brutal abuse, derogation, and mistreatment of women. [...]
MONTENEGRO: Montenegro and the Foreign Fighter Phenomenon
MONTENEGRO: Montenegro and the Foreign Fighter Phenomenon
(MONTENEGRO: Montenegro and the Foreign Fighter Phenomenon)
- Author(s):Author Not Specified
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Civil Society, Governance, Islam studies, International relations/trade, Security and defense, Studies in violence and power, Radical sociology , Penal Policy, Sociology of Religion, Peace and Conflict Studies
- Page Range:71-82
- No. of Pages:12
- Keywords:Montenegro; foreign fighters; Western Balkans; foreign battlefields; Iraq; Syria; Islamic State; Montenegrin government; ISIL; terrorism;
- Summary/Abstract:Like other countries in the region, Montenegro has had its fair share of citizens participating as foreign fighters on battlefields abroad; and for the purpose of this study, we will focus on Montenegrin foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq. Due to its geographical location and shared borders with countries that have dealt to a greater degree with this phenomenon – such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Albania – the number of Montenegrin foreign fighters joining the fronts of the so-called Islamic State has varied over time, reaching its peak in 2014. Numbers in 2016 were the lowest they have been since the start of the phenomenon; and one can argue that this is the result of legal and operational mechanisms implemented by the Montenegrin government in 2015. [...]
KOSOVO: The Foreign Fighter Phenomenon in Kosovo: Covering a Blind Spot
KOSOVO: The Foreign Fighter Phenomenon in Kosovo: Covering a Blind Spot
(KOSOVO: The Foreign Fighter Phenomenon in Kosovo: Covering a Blind Spot)
- Author(s):Shpend Kursani, Arbër Fetiu
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Civil Society, Islam studies, International relations/trade, Security and defense, Studies in violence and power, Radical sociology , Sociology of Religion, Peace and Conflict Studies
- Page Range:83-102
- No. of Pages:20
- Keywords:Kosovo; foreign fighters; foreign battlefields; Middle Eastern conflicts; Syria; Iraq; Kosovo's Muslim population; radicalism; terrorism; extremism;
- Summary/Abstract:The recent emergence of the foreign fighter phenomenon, which has entangled citizens of Kosovo, has attracted significant attention among policymakers, security analysts, and academics at the local and international levels. In Kosovo, the jihadist ideology linked to the phenomenon is unprecedented, at least insofar as its scale. Even the Afghan Wars (1978-1992 and 2001-present) and other Middle Eastern conflicts, which have attracted some 5,000 to 20,000 foreign fighters – many from Europe and the United States – have not inspired certain elements of Kosovo’s Muslim population like the recent conflict in Syria has. Many authors have pointed to the ease of travel and the proximity of the Syrian conflict as important factors in explaining the extraordinary numbers of European foreign fighters taking part in the war there. Yet, the Bosnian war (1992-1995), which attracted a few thousand fighters from around the world, including from other parts of Europe, did not attract fighters from Kosovo in any significant numbers, despite their even closer proximity and potential geostrategic interest in fighting Serbia. [...]
MACEDONIA: The Threat Posed by Foreign Terrorist Fighters to the Republic of Macedonia and the Western Balkans
MACEDONIA: The Threat Posed by Foreign Terrorist Fighters to the Republic of Macedonia and the Western Balkans
(MACEDONIA: The Threat Posed by Foreign Terrorist Fighters to the Republic of Macedonia and the Western Balkans)
- Author(s):Vasko Šutarov
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Civil Society, Islam studies, Security and defense, Studies in violence and power, Radical sociology , Sociology of Religion, Peace and Conflict Studies
- Page Range:103-124
- No. of Pages:22
- Keywords:North Macedonia; Macedonia; foreign fighters; terrorism; Western Balkans; terrorist threats; security; Salafism; religious radicalism;
- Summary/Abstract:The topic of religious radicalism in the Western Balkans has long attracted the attention of media, researchers, and security services. Ill-advised policy approaches to the issue, along with a lack of knowledge and information, mean the phenomenon has often been misused for political aims. In the last decade, reports about “growing terrorist threats,” “Islamic terrorism,” “terrorist training camps,” “dangerous Salafists,” etc. have burgeoned, with most of these “warnings” coming from self-proclaimed “security experts” and irresponsible politicians – who are regularly invited to present their security assessments in the media and at various conferences. Several incidents involving Salafi adherents from the region have further contributed to the idea that the Western Balkans is under threat from religious radicalism. In this climate, full of unconfirmed information and irrelevant speculation, security services have occasionally tried to calm the situation and relieve feelings of uncertainty among citizens by issuing official statements. [...]
SERBIA: Radicalization in Serbia: The Youth of Sandžak between a Hammer and an Anvil
SERBIA: Radicalization in Serbia: The Youth of Sandžak between a Hammer and an Anvil
(SERBIA: Radicalization in Serbia: The Youth of Sandžak between a Hammer and an Anvil)
- Author(s):Aida Ćorović
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Civil Society, Islam studies, International relations/trade, Studies in violence and power, Radical sociology , Sociology of Religion, Peace and Conflict Studies
- Page Range:125-136
- No. of Pages:12
- Keywords:Serbia; radicalization; Youth; Sandžak; Western Balkans; conflicts; extremism; religious radicalism; Muslim extremism; terrorism; Afghan mujahideen; Middle East;
- Summary/Abstract:The end of the 20th century brought deep change to the Balkans, including redefined national aspirations, and the disintegration of one large state and the emergence of new, smaller states. The period was marked not only by economic crisis and the dissolution of political systems, but above all by the brutal and bloody disintegration of Yugoslavia, which had been an important geostrategic meeting point of East and West for years. A wave of conflicts inspired by political extremism soon awakened religious radicalism, and in new and rather unexpected places, such as Albania, where the ban on religion was lifted after the fall of a brutal Communist dictatorship in the early 1990s. This total religious prohibition was replaced by religious freedom, opening the doors to the influence of global Muslim extremism; and pressured by events in Afghanistan, Albania became a destination and temporary refuge for Afghan mujahideen. [...]
SLOVENIA: From Conversion to Jihad: Contemporary Janissaries – A Slovenian Case Study
SLOVENIA: From Conversion to Jihad: Contemporary Janissaries – A Slovenian Case Study
(SLOVENIA: From Conversion to Jihad: Contemporary Janissaries – A Slovenian Case Study)
- Author(s):Simona Hrastnik Čuček
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Civil Society, Islam studies, International relations/trade, Security and defense, Studies in violence and power, Radical sociology , Sociology of Religion, Peace and Conflict Studies
- Page Range:137-147
- No. of Pages:11
- Keywords:Slovenia; jihadists; conversion to jihad; Syria; Iraq; conflicts; Middle East; foreign fighters; foreign battlefield; radical Salafi organizations; Islam; radical religious propaganda;
- Summary/Abstract:As the Syrian crisis has escalated, Slovenia – like a number of European countries – has faced the departure of volunteers for Middle Eastern battlefields. There has been a growing interest among young members of local radical Salafi associations to engage in jihad, which compelled the first two such departures of young men, both converts, in the summer of 2013. They were followed by a third in October of that same year. The radicalization of these young men occurred very quickly, with less than a year passing between their conversion to Islam and their departures for foreign conflict zones. These cases serve as proof that the radicalization process can be expedited by aggressive religious propaganda, particularly that viewed on the Internet, which keeps adherents up-to-date on and personally invested in the situation in Syria and Iraq. The Internet is also the platform of choice for extremist activities of almost any type that address people in their local languages, as part of an effort to spread propaganda. [...]
