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
Subject(s): Civil Society, Islam studies, 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: 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. [...]

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