Citizens in Turkey, Albania, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina Speak Out Against Religious Extremism

 

By Muhamet Brajshori

June 12, 2013

Citizens in Turkey, Albania, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) are concerned about religious extremist groups operating in their countries and oppose such groups’ tactics, a recently released Pew Forum report found.

The report, The World’s Muslims: Religion, Politics and Society 2013, found 45 percent of citizens in Kosovo, 30 percent in BiH and 21 percent in Albania are worried by the spread of religious extremism, both Islamic and Christian.

By contrast, 15 percent of citizens in Turkey, 11 percent in Kosovo and 6 percent in Albania consider suicide bombing of civilian targets a justified means in defending Islam.

Reactions to the latter are widespread.

“Killings do not solve anything. We in BiH know that very well as 100,000 people were killed here in only four years. I am not saying dialogue is always the solution, but there is something that we call peaceful protests that have been accepted in all Western developed countries,” Danko Subasic, 30, citizen of Mostar, told SETimes.

Kosovo media entered the ring after Islamic and other Albanian nationalist groups attacked Kosovo 2.0 magazine, which discussed the issue of homosexuality, according to Alban Bokshi, former executive director of the Club for Foreign Policy in Pristina.

“Purtanical groups attacked Kosovo 2.0 on behalf of defending what they called ‘Albanian tradition’ as well as in the name of God,” Bokshi told SETimes.

The development scratched the surface of the problem, Boksi added. “I do not know how big or strong these groups are, but Kosovar society and institutions in general reacted poorly, slowly and hesitantly.”

Kosovo institutions and society at large must react when extremist groups, ranging from hooligans to religious bigots, try to take the law in their own hands. “[M]ore so when they do it on behalf of a ‘divine’ cause,” Bokshi said.

Islamic believers said the majority in Kosovo does not support religious extremism, but are concerned about what the authorities can do to curb it.

“[K]nowing the poor work of our police, I am not so sure they are able to prevent something,” Ismail Gashi, a Muslim living in Pristina, told SETimes.

In BiH, authorities have identified 3,000 radical Islamist and militant individuals ready to strike, according to the country’s Intelligence Security Agency.

Citizens, many of whom are devout Muslims, said Islamic extemists’ statements border on threats when calling for instituting Sharia law justify their concern.

“No matter the religion, such people should be controlled by the state authorities. It is not right for the whole country and for ordinary citizens to shake with fear because of a small group of people, regardless of who they were,” Mirzet Humo, 41, a lawyer in Sarajevo, told SETimes.

In Turkey, experts said the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) emphasis on the conservative interpretation of Islam, while maintaining openness to Western projects such as EU accession, has also impacted citizens’ views.

“One of the most distinctive aspects of Islam is that it can cover a message that can be interpreted for different timelines and sociological structures,” Mazhar Bagli, a sociologist and member of AKP’s Central Decision and Administrative Board, told SETimes.

“The [report's] results show that Turkish society wants political actors to be pious, but they do not favour a political structure being designed by religious aspects. So, there will not be an interpretation of Islam likely to threaten the sociological structure in a violent way,” Bagli said.

Kemal Yildiz, a devout Muslim from Trabzon who graduated from a religious vocation school, said he and fellow believers are against any extremist interpretations of Islam.

“Even in the wartime, our prophet Mohammed did not allow damaging women, children and innocent people. Those who would like to have Sharia law or suicide bombings are not in a good mental health, and interpret Islam at their will,” Yildiz told SETimes.

Correspondents Menekse Tokyay in Istanbul and Drazen Remikovic in Sarajevo contributed to this article.

What can authorities do to stem the spread of religious extremism? Share your opinions in the comments space.

Source: http://www.eurasiareview.com/12062013-citizens-speak-out-against-religious-extremism/

URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-terrorism-jihad/citizens-turkey,-albania,-kosovo-bosnia/d/12136