Wahhabism Grows in Sandzak, Clashes With Traditional Muslim Community Banja Luka Reporter in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian 30 Mar 05 pp 26, 27
[Report by Goran Tarlac: "Kafirs, Believers, and Others"] Commotion in Serbia has not died down since the appearance of leaflets in Novi Pazar a few weeks ago that appealed to Sandzak Muslims "not to participate in the celebration of Christian holidays," because that was "a major sin and caused God's anger." In Plav, Rozaje, and Gusinje, Montenegrin towns in the Sandzak region were Muslims are the majority population, young man wearing pants with shortened legs and girls in veils and long black dresses can be seen. Wahhabis and Red Rose They are said to be Wahhabis, members of an Islamic sect, who have begun to practice different religious rites and confront local khojas. The believers in mosques in Plav and Rozaje have clashed over how to pray. Young people wearing similar clothes can be seen in towns and villages throughout Sandzak. PhD Radoslav Gacinovic, expert on national security and terrorism from Belgrade, said that "Wahhabis had an eye on the Raska area (the preferred Serbian term for Sandzak) for their activities," but offered no proof. He pointed out the danger of "Red Rose," the Wahhabi branch allegedly active in Bosnia-Herzegovina [B-H] and trying to infiltrate Serbia. Colonel Momir Stojanovic, chief of the Military Security Agency [VBA] of the S-M [Serbia-Montenegro] Army, also pointed out that based on information gathered by his service and in contacts with the security agencies of other countries, we could expect a significant inflow of radical Islam and terrorism into the West Balkans, including S-M territory, in the near future. "The VBA's operative information indicates that Wahhabi and Red Rose, Islamic extremist organizations, are active in Rasko-Polimska area and Northern Montenegro, while Tariqat is active in Macedonia and Al-Qa'ida cells in Kosmet and Northern Albania," Stojanovic pointed out. "Evidence is mounting of establishing and reinforcement of ties between the agents of international terrorism and the agents of extremist and terrorist activities in Kosovo and Metohija, Raska-Polimska area, and Northern Montenegro," Stojanovic specified. He explained that activity on the part of extremists and terrorist organizations was a part of implementation of the strategic goal of Islamic extremism, namely a single Islamic state in the Balkans and the creation of the so-called Green Transversal. Religious Chic Those more familiar with the situation in Sanzdak say that Wahhabis have found fertile ground, especially in Sjenica, and that Wahhabism ideas came to the area either via students and khojas trained in Islamic countries or via students and others who went to B-H 10 or 12 years ago. Young Sead Jasavic, a student of the Shariah law in Saudi Arabia, began to spread knowledge about Wahhabism during holidays in his native Plav and now he already has followers, so to speak. In Rasko-Polimska area and Northern Montenegro today, young people in mosques pray in a different way than most people. Those familiar with them say that there are about 200 of them and that they are Wahhabis. Some of them crossed over from B-H because of the increased activity of US special troops and the SFOR [UN-led Stabilization Force]. Bajazit Cecunjanin, until recently secretary of the Committee of the Islamic Community in Plav, confided in a reporter of Belgrade daily Glas Javnosti that he was "one of those": "I think we should strive to look different from unbelievers. We try to practice Islam in the best possible way," Cecunjanin explained. Rifat Fejzic, reis [leader] of the Islamic Community of Montenegro, did not think it was a major problem that individuals were joining that movement, but found it unacceptable to impose on people a mezheb (method of prayer) different from the one practiced in the area for hundreds of years before the appearance of the Wahhabi movement. Popular Imam Bugari In late 2004, Vecernje Novosti carried a part of a speech by famous Sarajevo Imam Sulejman Bugari in which he called Muslims in Sandzak to jihad and a boycott of Serbian and Montenegrin products. Bugari then told Beta agency that the text carried by Novosti had "nothing to do with the truth." "It was mentioned in the text that I had called Muslims to jihad, which is not true. Our community is having major problems, and I have no time for such stories. I do not have the time to explain to people whose and what products to buy or not to buy," Bugari said in his short statement for Beta. Hafiz [title for a person who has memorized the Koran] Bugari, who comes from Orahovac, Kosovo, and is now imam of the Sarajevo White Mosque, has become very popular in Sandzak in the past few weeks and gathered many followers, especially among young people. He has had the support of the media in spreading his teaching -- every Thursday a one-hour show on Regional Television Novi Pazar. Bugari's "unofficial" visits to Novi Pazar and sermons in private homes have resulted in an open conflict with the Islamic Community of Sandzak. What Novosti wrote went approximately like this: "It is impossible to improve the position of Muslims with papers. That cannot work. It is known how the position of Muslims in the world is improved. How was it improved at first? By bringing Islam to all places. By convincing people that there was only God Allah. By purging hearts of all idols, and by means of jihad if necessary. And jihad was necessary and will be! Do not think we are going to survive in any other way except with these three things: Faith, economy, and heeding God's call when the time of jihad comes." Those who watch television in Novi Pazar, however, know that economy, that is, "which products to buy or not to buy," is one of the elements on which Bugari insists in his speeches. In almost every speech, according to the principle "buy our products, Muslim-made," he points out that people should not finance Americans or Jews, or Slovenes, Croatians, or Serbians either... Maca-Cola or Coca-Cola Sarajevo TV Alfa was fined 50,000 [convertible] marks (25,000 euros) for airing his Ramadan speech in November 2004, because the Committee for Implementation of the Regulatory Agency for Communications of B-H decided that the speech "carried an unambiguous hatemongering message and openly belittled the religious beliefs of other nations in the region and elsewhere." In that speech, which he knew was being taped, unlike in the case of the one given in Pazar, Bugari severely criticized Americans and Jews, and, among other things, appealed to listeners to buy Bosnian Vegafruit instead of [Slovene-made] Fruktal juices. In Novi Pazar, according to Novosti, he suggested Tesanj-made mineral water instead of Knjaz Milos and Saudi Maca-Cola instead of Coca-Cola. "Do you think your neighbors with four S's [Serbs] are glad you are living here and your economy is growing? Do you think they can take it? Yet you still drink their Knjaz Milos! Cannot you import a Bosniak product if you do not have your own mineral water?" Analyzing why Muslims today felt they were "missing something," he said, also according to the transcript of the speech given in Pazar, that it was "because we have again began to be friendly with our kafirs (nonbelievers). We seek pride in their coats, their company, and their patting on our heads." The Religious Enlightenment Service of the Mesihat [office of Islamic religious leadership]of the Islamic Community of Sandzak stated that the visit, lectures, and sermons by Hafiz Sulejman Bugari from Sarajevo in the Sandzak municipalities were not initiated by that religious institution. In Novi Pazar it is thought that the intolerance between the Islamic Community and Bugari stems from the fact that he has been gathering a growing group of young people around him, but also because he has been drawing more and more private financial supporters to himself. When asked if there was an intolerance between him and the Islamic Community of Sandzak, Bugari answered that he was on friendly terms with all people. "There is no reason for intolerance," he said. The Wahhabi movement, much less popular worldwide than the paranoid Serb nationalists in Sandzak would like to make it seem, is connected to the name of Mohammad Ibn Abd al-Wahhabi. History remembers Wahhabis, among other things, by their taking of Mecca in 1803 and Medina in 1804. Members of that movement were the ones to call a holy religious war, jihad, aimed at forcing opponents to join Wahhabism, and experts on Islam mostly connect the movement and its ideas to war, killing, and looting. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Give underprivileged students the materials they need to learn. 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