World Terrorism: News, History and Research Of A Changing World #6 Disinformation, Inc.

Source: Reuters Foundation Alertnet [edited]
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SP136649.htm

Indonesia: Teenager tests positive for bird flu

A 14-year-old boy has tested positive for bird flu in Indonesia, the
country's 1st case of the virus in almost 2 months, a Health Ministry
official said on Sun 7 Jan 2007. The boy, from Tangerang in West Java,
was
hospitalized in Jakarta after he suffered from bird-flu-like symptoms
on 1
Jan 2007, the Director-general of Communicable Disease Control, Nyoman
Kandun, told Reuters. He said the boy had been in contact with ducks
but
that officials were still investigating the case. Sick poultry are the
usual mode of transmission of the H5N1 bird flu virus. "The team is
still
investigating to find out whether he only held the duck or slaughtered
it,"
Kandun said.

Indonesia, which has the world's highest bird flu death toll, has not
reported any new human infections of the virus since 18 Nov 2006. The
government has announced plans to ramp up its fight against the virus
and
hopes to beat it by the end of 2007, but critics say public ignorance,
official ineptitude and lack of money are hampering efforts to stamp
out
the disease that has killed 57 people in Indonesia.

Although bird flu remains essentially an animal disease, experts fear
it
could mutate into a form that can pass easily among humans, possibly
killing millions. According to the World Health Organization, the virus
has
killed 157 people since 2003 and has spread from Asia to Europe, the
Middle
East and Africa. No country has suffered more deaths than this huge
Asian
country of 17 000 islands, where millions of chickens roam backyards
freely.

--
Nati Elkin
nati@poultrymed.com

[According to the most recent WHO cumulative case count, this case will
become the 75th in Indonesia, raising the global total as of 27 Dec
2006 to
262. The death toll remains at 57 for Indonesia and 157 overall -
Mod.CP]

I won't laugh about your snow, as we have a threat for the end of the week, for 2 days of it.

I want you safe, dry and warm.

A good expose of CAI R and other good info:

http://islamic-danger.blogspot.com/index.html

http://thethinkingleb.blogspot.com/index.html

Lebanese blog.

Scotland Yard is still investigating the death of Litvinenko in November. <<<

What about Anna P.?

Has her investigation been dropped?

I can't imagine being that rich.

New York Times hires former USSR leader <<<

That is funny, I just read that he cannot write and never could, so uses others to write for him.

It is fitting that he write for the NYT, the commies are joining up, getting their wagons all in a row, for the next election.

My opinion of course.

A new perspective on Iran

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=125861&version=1&template_id=46&parent_id=26

A new perspective on Iran
Published: Saturday, 6 January, 2007, 10:05 AM Doha Time
By César Chelala

NEW YORK: Any analysis of Iran as a potential threat to peace in the
Middle East is generally based on the assumption that its aggressive
pursuit of nuclear power can only have the most ominous consequences
for the region. After all, the argument goes, the country has
substantial oil resources and is one of the most important petroleum
exporters in the world. As a result, nuclear power is unnecessary for
the satisfaction of its own energy needs.

That view, however convenient, is now being challenged by industry
analysts who indicate that Iran may have significantly diminished
export capabilities in the relatively near future. If this assessment
is correct, there is an urgent need for a re-evaluation of Iran as a
"regional threat" to peace and for a closer look at its need for
nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

According to Roger Stern, a researcher from Johns Hopkins University,
Iran's petroleum exports could hit rock bottom by 2014 or 15. In an
article published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences, Stern enumerates as the principal factors for this rapid
decline the regime's hostility to foreign investment, exaggerated
energy subsidies and the inefficiency of a state-planned economy.

The Iranian government is now attempting to correct this first factor
through energy agreements with several Asian countries. The China
Petrochemical Corp (Sinopec) has been invited to conclude an
agreement, initiated in 2004, for the development of Iran's Yadavaran
oil field. In 2003, three Japanese companies bought a 20% stake in the
development of the Soroush-Nowruz offshore field in the Gulf, and
India is looking with considerable interest to Iran to satisfy its
growing energy needs.

At the present time, Iran is producing 3.7mn barrels of oil a day.
That is 300,000 barrels below the quota set for Iran by the
Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries which, according to
Stern, represents an annual loss of about $5.5bn. Since oil exports
are Iran's principal source of revenue, Stern concludes that a major
decline in oil exports could place the government in a politically
vulnerable position.

This picture becomes even more complex when examined against the
background of the recent UN sanctions against Iran and the
government's setbacks in recent elections. The sanctions - approved
conditionally by China and Russia - rather than deter Iran from its
uranium enriching activities, have made the Iranian government even
more adamant to continue on its present course of action. The
elections, which signalled a comeback of reform-minded politicians,
are generally considered a setback for President Ahmadinejad, albeit
not for his nuclear programme.

Iranians are facing increasing economic hardships and high
unemployment, problems that Ahmadinejad may be attempting to mask with
his confrontational approach to foreign policy questions. Should
sanctions lead to a falling off of foreign investment, the economic
concerns of ordinary Iranians would certainly be intensified.

Roger Stern's predictions of a substantial decline in Iran's
oil-exporting capacities are also supported by former officials of the
National Iranian Oil Company, according to whom petroleum exports
could well hit zero in the next 12 to 19 years. All of which gives
credence to the Iranian government's claim of the pressing need of
nuclear power for peaceful purposes.

Given this background, it would be wiser to insist that Iran accept
further controls on its nuclear production and to engage the Iranian
government in diplomacy and dialogue rather than to increase tensions
through confrontational approaches. If accommodations have been
possible with Pakistan despite its diffusion of nuclear technology
throughout the world and India is being provided with advanced nuclear
technology despite its explosive relationship with Pakistan, to
envisage containment of Iran's pursuit of nuclear power is certainly
within the realm of possibility.

Many have advocated attacking Iran's nuclear facilities, a path too
hazardous to even contemplate seriously. Given its strategic location,
an Iranian counterattack could wreak havoc in the region and represent
a most serious threat to world peace. Never has diplomacy been more
needed in the region.

n César Chelala, a co-winner of an Overseas Press Club of America
award, writes extensively on human rights and foreign affairs

Several posts were long, and there are quite a few, so most were posted to All, instead of sending pings.

[A good place to add Dr. Bill Wattenbergs comment to a caller, he said that Iran is close, very close to have the nuclear bomb, that a year away is too long, that it will be less than that.

And that, within a year of their having it ready, the terrorists will give it to us.

I would say that fits with all he has told us over the last years, and explains why he keeps pushing folks to get prepared to take care of themselves.
granny]

http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/01/06/190850.php
Leak of Israel's 'Plans' to Nuke Iran Smells Dodgy
Written by John Bambenek
Published January 06, 2007

The Drudge Report is splashing the news that the Sunday Times of London plans on reporting that Israel is planning a nuclear strike against Iran to head off Iran's nuclear ambitions. According to Drudge:

Israel has drawn up secret plans to destroy Iran's uranium enrichment facilities with tactical nuclear weapons, the SUNDAY TIMES of London is planning to report, British media sources tell DRUDGE...

At first glance, the entire story smells of a fabrication. The obvious reason being that if Israel had secret plans to nuke Iran, they likely wouldn't have been leaked. If they did get leaked, the police better start dredging the Sea of Galilee for the bodies of those involved.
More importantly this leak gives huge benefits to Iran. Israel is not stupid. A tactical nuclear weapon would likely do very little for a protected underground bunker. It is possible that either Drudge or the Sunday Times doesn't know precisely what a tactical nuclear weapon is. However, the fact remains in order to really do damage to the facility an ICBM (a strategic nuclear weapons) would need to be used. The momentum of a missile coming down from low earth orbit would be necessary to burrow deep enough to do the damage desired. There is indication that even then, the strike might not be successful.

One simulation indicated it would require 400 or so missiles to do the job. At best, entrances and exits from the underground facility could be collapsed and that would certainly delay the program. The radiation from the strikes would need to dissipate and the tunnels would have to be rebuilt. It is possible such a strike could be carried out at times when Iran's nuclear weapons were being brought above ground, but that would be extremely difficult to pull off.

Iran's move to build its nuclear program underground was brilliant. They learned the lessons of Iraq in 1981. However, the key defense of the move is also its biggest weakness. Namely, any nuclear weapon developed underground could not be used until it is brought above ground at already known locations. A nuclear strike at those locations would keep the weapons out of Iranian hands underneath irradiated soil. That move, however, is only a temporary solution.

It is likely that both Israel and the US have drawn up simulations and plans but every indication is that they are a last resort. The other fact is that these plans aren't precisely secret, at least in general. Leaking the plans now, just shortly after sanctions have been levied against Iran, indicate that the plans were likely not coming from Israel.

Iran's general tactic has been to run the clock and delay as much as possible. This indicates that they are likely very close to being finished making nuclear weapons, which would change the dynamics of diplomacy greatly. They have every incentive to keep stalling until they've met that landmark.

This plan, being leaked now in the way it was only gives more cover to Iran. The international community and human rights groups will likely jump all over Israel and demand investigations and action. Despite basically looking the other way of actual genocide going on in Darfur, they'll jump to action on the rumor of a hypothetical "genocide." We'll skip past the international community's non-response over Iran's very public desire to commit genocide against Israel.

This leaking has every indication that it was done by Iran, or a supporter or Iran, to give more cover and time. While international eyes are peering at Israel, Iran's program will continue undeterred.

http://www.serbianna.com/news/2007/01012.shtml

Albanian man sentenced after threatening explosion at Budapest airport

January 05, 2007 -- An Albanian man who threatened to explode a bomb at Budapest's Ferihegy International Airport was given a six-month suspended sentence and banned from entering Hungary for three years, reports Financial Times.

The man, an Albanian national, was expelled from Norway and was accompanied by two Norwegian police officers when he arrived at the Budapest airport en route to Tirana, Albania. On arrival in Budapest, the man slipped away from his police guard and attempted to board a plane for Kiev, Ukraine.

The airport personnel attempted to prevent him from entering the wrong plane at which point the man threatened them with a bomb explosion.

Passengers from both the Tirana and the Kiev planes were forced to disembark for a luggage check as well as an inspection of the aircraft. No explosives were found.

The two planes departed an hour and a half late, while the Albanian man, whose name was not released, was taken into custody.

He is held in the airport detention facility belonging to the Hungarian border police.

http://www.serbianna.com/news/2007/01005.shtml

Released terror suspect granted asylum in Albania

CAIRO (AP)--Two Egyptians have been released from the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay and one requested not to return home, Egypt's interior ministry said Friday.

The two detainees were not identified, but the state-run MENA news agency said that one had arrived in Egypt while the second had been granted asylum in Albania.

"Egypt's diplomatic effort succeeded in the release of two out of five Egyptians in Guantanamo," Egyptian newspapers quoted Abdulaziz Seif al-Nasr, the deputy foreign minister for legal and counterterrorism affairs, as saying.

The released detainee who chose to go to Albania "has the right to return home whenever he wants," Seif al-Nasr said.

Egyptian authorities did not disclose when or why the two men were held at the Guantanamo Bay naval base in southern Cuba, where U.S. authorities have held more than 750 people suspected of links to terrorism since 2002.

An official from Egypt's interior ministry declined to say whether the two released men were being investigated for ties to Islamic militant groups, but said that "the former Guantanamo inmate (who returned to Egypt) is still in custody."

Seif al-Nasr said that Egypt would continue its efforts to release the remaining three Egyptians still held at the naval base.

January 05, 2007 13:35 ET (18:35 GMT)

http://www.serbianna.com/news/2007/01013.shtml

Police arrest Albanian prisoner who threatened president with grenade

January 05, 2007 10:25 AM

TIRANA, Albania-Police said Friday they have arrested an Albanian man who escaped from prison ten years ago shortly after being sentenced for threatening the country's president with a hand grenade.

Ilir Buza, 34, was arrested Thursday afternoon while trying to enter Albania from neighboring Greece, officials said.

Prime Minister Sali Berisha, then Albania's president, was meeting with visiting Italian counterpart Oscar Luigi Scalfaro at his Tirana office in 1996 when Buza threatened to detonate a hand grenade. Buza was sentenced to 13 years in prison.

http://www.serbianna.com/news/2007/01014.shtml

Kosovo churches destroyed with reticence

January 07, 2007 6:16 PM

MOSCOW-The head of the Russian Orthodox Church praised the growth of the church in a Christmas Eve message Saturday, and later presided over services at a Moscow cathedral that symbolizes the faith's revival after Soviet rule.

The Russian Orthodox Church, like some other Orthodox churches, including the one in Serbia, observes Christmas on Jan. 7 because it follows the Julian calendar for its liturgical schedule instead of the Gregorian calendar, adopted by Roman Catholics and Protestants and commonly used in secular life around the world.

Patriarch Alexy II, dressed in golden robes and an elaborate miter, presided over Christmas Eve services at Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral, which was torn down in 1931 under Soviet dictator Josef Stalin and reconstructed in the 1990s.

In a message released earlier in the day, Alexy expressed satisfaction with the growth of the church.

"Ever more people are returning to the homeland faith, churches are filled with parishioners of all ages, millions of people are reading spiritual literature and taking part in church affairs," Alexy said.

The Russian church has seen a strong revival since the collapse of the officially atheist Soviet Union in 1991. It now claims more than 27,000 parishes and 700 monasteries throughout the former USSR.

During Soviet rule, the church continued to operate under tightly constrained conditions. Many Russian Orthodox believers overseas considered the Moscow-based church essentially a Kremlin pawn and formed a splinter denomination, the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.

But those two churches reconciled last year, and in May plan to sign a formal reunification.

In his message, Alexy also expressed concern about tensions in the Middle East.

"The tragic events in the Holy Land have caused great pain in the hearts of all believers. There, where 2,000 years ago the angels announced 'Glory to God in the highest and peace on Earth,' the blood of the innocent has been spilled anew," he said.

Serbian Orthodox Patriarch Pavle, meanwhile, urged Serbs to overcome "senseless" internal divisions, and called on Serbs in Kosovo to be steadfast amid tensions.

His Holiness Patriarch Pavle performing liturgical services for Serbian Orthodox Christmas, Jan 7, 2007, in Zemun, Belgrade, Serbia.

Orthodox Serbs consider Kosovo, although today predominantly ethnic Albanian and Muslim, the heart of their ancient homeland. Since the end of a 1998-1999 war between ethnic Albanian rebels and Serb forces, Kosovo's minority Serbs have lived in guarded enclaves under fear of attack at the hands of Albanians, and many Orthodox churches and monuments there have been destroyed or vandalized.

"In the end, the oppressed will defeat the oppressors," Pavle said. "We pray for our enemies so they see that doing evil can bring no good."

Kosovo has been under U.N. administration since 1999. Its final status, expected to be decided this year, is an issue of high tension.

Destroyed Serbian church of Holy Trinity at Drenovac in the UN administered Serbian province of Kosovo. (PHOTO November 2006)

Alexy, in a meeting with journalists on Friday, decried the destruction of churches in Kosovo, saying they "are being destroyed with the reticent agreement or silence of those who should raise their voice in defense of these holy places," according to the church Web site.

http://www.serbianna.com/columns/jevtic/016.shtml

Kosovo: Jihad's Path Into Europe
By Miroljub Jevtic, Ph.D.

Numerous analyses are being published in an attempt to explain Serbian-Albanian relations. One of them is the book by Miranda Vickers and James Pettifer entitled Albania – from Anarchy To a Balkan Identity (1), published by Nea in Belgrade. As the authors are known experts on Albania and Albanians, the message of the book is very important for policy makers, primarily American and British Governments as leading political actors in international politics regarding Albania and Yugoslavia.

Albanian flag on a mosque in Kosovo, 2006

However, in spite of the profusion of information significant for political sciences as well as politics, the book contains numerous fundamental errors which lead the readers to conclude erroneously that in the Serbo-Albanian conflict Albanians are in the right, while the Serbs are aggressors and imperialists. For this reason, the focus of this analysis is, primarily on the errors contained in the book, without in any way denying the value of what can be useful and important for readers in Serbia and in foreign countries. It cannot be denied that the authors made a valiant effort to get to know Albania and Albanians from on-the-spot firsthand experience, to get acquainted personally with many actors of the Albanian political scene and to understand their attitudes. They strived also to analyze in detail the political and social scene in today’s Albania and to present it truthfully to the readers, all of which makes their book very well documented. It may even be considered indispensable for the understanding of the contemporary political reality of Albanian ethos (2). However, this book contains also a number of errors, which are easily seen as such in the light of well-documented and academically sound writings of Albanian authors themselves. The authors of the book state: “Dukadjin was responsible for codification of unwritten laws embodied in a canon, a form of primitive constitution inherited from the Illyrians” . This clearly shows that they have wholly accepted the thesis of the Albanians’ direct descent from the Illyrians (3). However, there is absolutely no proof of this. The Albanians appear in history very late, only in the11th century , while the Illyrians disappeared from the historical scene in the first half of the 3rd century . This means that between the disappearance of the Illyrians and the appearance of the Albanians there is a hietus of about eight centuries (5). It may be that the Albanians are, indeed, the descendants of the Illyrians, but it is a claim that no one can make with any certainty.

On page 15 we find this statement: “There was also an opening up towards secular Islamic countries like Egypt and Libya” (6). A secular country is a country in which religion is separate from the state. Therefore, the terms Islamic and secular are linguistically and logically incompatible, for either a country is Islamic or it is secular. Both countries mentioned are in their constitutional enactments defined as Islamic, i.e. they have a state religion, which limits the rights of other religions (7). This claim is reiterated on page 220, where the authors mention “secular and leftist Islamic countries (8),” showing that they paid no attention to the theocratic nature of Islam. Thus it was difficult for them, in spite of their long stay in Albania and among Albanians, to understand correctly the true nature of Albanian society, which is over 80 percent Muslim, counting those Albanians who live in Yugoslavia, Macedonia and Albania. If to this we add the number of Albanians in Turkey this percentage would be even larger. On page 96 the authors state: “During their history Albanians moved with relative ease from one religion to another—they were Catholic, Orthodox or Muslim, according to their interest at the time (9).”

Kosovo mosque formerly known as Bin Laden Mosque, whose name was later changed because the name gave bad publicity to the independence seeking Muslim Albanians

If this statement is correct in the case of individual conversions from Roman Catholicism to Orthodoxy and vice versa, it certainly is not correct as regards conversion to Islam. When the Osmanlis conquered, or rather annexed, Southern Albania after 1417, as stated by reputed Albanian historians Puto and Pollo, “the Turkish rule in Southern Albania was a great misfortune. The Turks destroyed everything without exception… Their chroniclers proudly pointed out what great loot was won in Albania, what wholesale burning of towns and villages was perpetrated, with what indescribable savagery the local inhabitants were treated, and how children were taken away from their homes to be made Janissaries or sold on slave markets (10).” But, as all this was executed in the name of Islam, as one of the most famous historians of the Osmanli Empire, and a Turk himself, Halil Inalgic (11) claims, saying that the Albanian people did not accept Islam. An Albanian historian Atanas Gegaj in his study says: “It could be said that the Christian element was predominant in Albania until the 18th century and continued to fight for its religion and nationality (12).” The most famous example is George Kastrioti, the renowned Scandarbeg, who was of Serbian descent, (13). He was, according to Albanian sources, leading a bloody civil war against those Albanians who accepted Islam and joined the Osmanli army. His main opponents were an Albanian Muslim, Balaban-pasha born in Mata, and George’s nephew Hamza who fought against his uncle. As another Albanian historian Rexhep Krasniqi claims, Balaban-pasha captured seven generals of George Kastrioti and had them flayed alive because they refused to renounce Christianity (14).

Rexhep Krasniqi, also states that George and his father John accepted Islam under duress in order to save their lives, and that George was then given the name Scandar. After the battle at Nish in 1433 Scandar forced the Sultan’s scribe to confirm that he was again the governor of the town of Kruja in Albania. “When he returned there he again took his father’s religion which he had renounced only out of necessity.” He massacred mercilessly all Albanians who refused to return to Christianity. This was how began the holy war of Albanian Christians against the Muslims, says Rexhep Krasniqi, an Albanian with a Muslim name (15). This is confirmed by another Albanian Atanas Gegaj, who states that the first man to be killed in Kruja was a Muslim, commander of the town, Hasan-beg. Gegaj adds that Albanians reacted to this news with great joy and that they all hastened to demolish all signs of Islam and return to the country its Christian character. Gegaj says: “The die is cast. Scandarbeg will from now on fight not only for the independence of the fatherland but for the salvation of Christian civilization from the danger of Islam as well (16).” He also confirms that George and his brother converted to Islam by force in order to save their lives.

Egyptian mission in Kosovo, 2006

In spite of such harsh treatment Albanians resisted Islamization for three centuries. At the beginning of the 17th century, jizyah, a tax in Islamic fiscal system imposed on non-Muslims, amounted to 305 aspras. By the middle of the century it was increased to 780 aspras (17). Those who had no money lost their lives. This, together with many such constant abuses, was the reason for Islamization.

Vickers and Petiffer on page 97 state: “In spite of the widely accepted view that the Osmanli rule mainly aspired to the expansion of Islam, there was little official encouragement to convert Empire’s Christian subjects [to Islam] (18).” However, the facts tell a different story. The essence of Islam is to proselytize, and Islam, as the Koran says, is the basis of the state. Therefore, to deny the need to convert the people to Islam would mean to deny Koran, to deny Muhammad. The Koran says: “And who seeks a religion other than Islam, it shall not be accepted from him, and in the life to come he shall be among the losers.” (Sura 3:86) (19). Had it not been thus, Turkey would not exist today. Almost the entire territory of today’s Turkey was Byzantine until 1071; and the population of this territory was predominantly Greek and Armenian. There were inhabitants of other ethnic groups, but there were no Turks (20). Only after a violent conquest did Turkey start to establish the foundations of its state on the territory it occupies today. It was the country of the Greeks and the Armenians. Nearly three hundred years later, in 1340, in this state ruled by Muslim Turks, lived eight million inhabitants, of which six million were Christians, i.e. Greeks and Armenians, and only two Muslim Turks (21). Where did all the Christians go? Some managed to leave the country and some were massacred. But the overwhelming majority was first Islamized and then Turkicized. They are inhabitants of today’s Turkey. They are Turks, who thanks to Islamization have changed their genotype and phenotype and, having once belonged to a Mongoloid yellow race, now became predominantly Caucasian, as is claimed by probably the greatest modern historian of the Arab world Philip Hitti (22).

The Shariat law is the most functional expression of Islam. It guided the ideology of the Osmanli Empire and it was implemented through fatwas (religious/legal opinions prescribing appropriate behavior in given situations). Collections of these fatwas, which are numerous, show, that contrary to what Pettifer and Vickers claim conversion to Islam was forced and ordered by the highest Osmanli religious authority, the Sheik ul Islam. Fatwas are given in the form of questions, which a Muslim puts to the Sheik ul Islam and to which the Sheik gives the answer. For instance: the fatwa may run like this: “If a representative of authorities ties the unbeliever Zaid by the neck and starts to strangle him, and Zaid, to save himself, says let me go, I am Muslim, is the status obtained in this fashion considered legal ? The answer is yas" (23) The result is that the Turks themselves today deny that their community exists as an ethnic entity. Answering a journalist’s question, a former Turkish chargé d’affaires in Belgrade, Egin Oba said: “ Turkey created a national state in which being a Turk does not mean being a member of any ethnic group, but being a citizen of Turkey. Twenty-four different ethnic groups live in Turkey today (24).

Saudi Mosque in Kosovo, 2006

It is interesting that Pettifer and Vickers did not see that the Albanian historians themselves contradicte their claim that the Oslmanlis did not spread Islam by force. Thus Albanian authorities Puto and Pollo say: “The Sultan acceded to religious pressures on the Albanian population. At the end of the 16th century began the first campaign for Islamization of Albanians the goal of which was to make of them Muslim subjects connected with the destiny of Osmanli Empire (25).” On page 97 Pettifer and Vickers further say that the Russo-Osmanli wars of the 18th century considerably accelerated the decline of the Osmanli Empire which brought no noticeable change in previous Osmanli politics of religious tolerance.” This must be understood to mean that since their conquest of Albania until the 18th century the Osmanli authorities treated Albanians with religious tolerance. But, as we can see, the Albanian sources deny that. Besides, can it be logical to claim that the state which is based on Islam can be considered religiously tolerant?

Islam prohibits religious tolerance, and according to the Shariat law, a Muslim who abandons Islam must be condemned to death (26). On page 97 the authors say: “As Muslims they were allies of the Osmanlis who protected them from Slavonic and Greek pressures (27). Above all, there is the well-known fact that Islam neither knows nor acknowledges the notion of nation (28). Therefore, Albanians as a nation did not exist for the Osmanli administration, and as Enver Hoxha says: “Fraternity in Islam was a principle and a legal question. As a principle, spiritual and material unity had to exist among members of a community and between the rulers and those who are being ruled.(29)” Therefore, there could be no alliance between the Osmanli and the Albanians, for both of them were Osmanlis in the sense that they lived in a state ruled by the Osmanli dynasty. It was as much their state as it was the sate of the Turks in as much as the latter were Muslims in contrast to other Turkish nationals who were not.

When writing about the system of millet, Pettifer and Vickers show that they are familiar with it, but their story about the alliance between the Osmanlis and the Albanians shows their lack of clear understanding of the socio-political dimensions of the millet system. Furthermore, their mention of the Osmanlis having to protect the Albanians from Greek and Slavonic pressures contains yet another inaccuracy. How could the Greeks and the Slavs pressure Albanian Muslims in the country which is ruled by the Albanians? Stavro Skendi, an Albanian, speaks to this point when he says that in the course of the history of the Osdmanli Empire at least 30 Albanians held the office of Grand Vizier, which would correspond to today’s office of prime minister (30). Then, on page 98 the authors say: “the relations between religious groups were relatively friendly and, like in the past, they acted freely” (31). They obviously have in mind inter-religious relations between two World Wars. In view of the fact that George Kastrioti was fighting especially against Albanian Muslims, how can it be claimed that the relations between various religions were friendly?

Destroyed Church in Kosovo, 2006

A veritable multitude of data tells us that Albanian Muslims killed their Christian fellow-Albanians. It was precisely the threat of death and torture by Muslim Albanians, which forced Christian Albanians to embrace Islam. Ethnic Turks cannot primarily be blamed for this because the majority of Muslims in Albania was made up of indigenous but Islamized population. Trough the entire history the Christians and the Muslims were on the opposing sides. The Roman Catholics sided with the Italians and the Austrians; the Orthodox sided with the Russians and the Greeks; and the Muslims served the Sultan and the Caliph, the head of Islamic world in Istanbul. The Orthodox town of Voskopoja, a center of enormous economic and cultural importance, whose highly developed school system was on the par with other European educational systems, was demolished by Albanian Muslims, who treated their Orthodox fellow-countrymen with the ferocity of wild beasts. This episode is very well described by Albanian historians, such as Arben Puto, Stefanaq Pollo, Kristo Frasheri, Stavro Skendi and others. Frasheri writes: “The tragic end of Voskopoja, a town with about 20,000 inhabitants, is an example of the situation in Albania. Having refused to become the prey of feudalists in Southern Albania, the Voskopeans were attacked three times in 1769, in 1772 and 1789 and their town looted. After ten years of destruction, robbery and wars, Voskopolis disappeared from the face of Albania (32).”

Describing the relations among the members of three religions between two World Wars, Viron Koka, contemporary Albanian historian, contradicts the claims Pettifer and Vickers. He says: “Priests continued like before to put the interest of religion above the interest of the nation and to fight severely against all progressive manifestations even against the independence of Albanian people (33).” Koka adds: “Catholics considered Muslims a horde of primitive Asians deprived of national feelings and unworthy of being comprised within the term of Albanian nation (34).” The extent of the hostility among the members of three religions is best illustrated by the fact that in the eighties of the last century, during Hoja’s greatest reign of terror, after decades of religious persecution in Shkoder(Scutari), where the concentration of Roman Catholics is greatest, and in spite of official Albanian propaganda, Roman Catholics and Muslims chose for their spouses members of their own religion. The number of mixed marriages between these two religions did not surpass five percent (35).

Saudi Mosque in Kosovo, 2006

The lack of attention Pettifer and Vickers pay to the Albanian Islam and the forms of its phenomenon is particularly evident in the following statement: “The Bektesis who performed very perfunctorily traditional Muslim rites, called for the cleansing of, and retaliation against (Sunni) Osmanli authorities and preached tolerance towards all non-Muslim beliefs (36).” There are only two accurate pieces of information in this statement. First, the Bektesis performed only perfunctorily all Sunni Muslim rites. However, they did this because they had their own rites. Second, by the end of the19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries the Bektesis had more awareness of the Albanian ethnic character which distanced them from the Turks than did others, i.e. Albanian Sunni Muslims who felt more closely connected with the Turks. However, it is more than clear that the Bektesis did not express collectively this awareness of their ethnicity in relation to the ethnic Turks. If expression was given at all to this ethnic awareness, it was done by individuals or very small groups which were more numerous among the Bektesis than among the Sunnis. However, a large majority of both the Bektesi and the Sunnis remained as connected with Turks, in the ethnic sense, as with the Sultan to whom they were collectively loyal and were, therefore, against the independence of Albanian lands from the Osmanli Empire. For this reason they proudly called themselves the Sultan’s sons. Writing about one of the most famous Bektesi, Sami Frasheri, who was renowned as a champion of the Albanian national awakening, Frasheri Kristo, a famous Albanian historian, says that he spent his entire life in Instanbul and that he felt an extraordinary connection with the Turkish people (37).” Turkish historians consider Frasheri one of the founders of Turcism and Pan-Turcism because he contributed to the awakening of modern the Turkish nation through his writings in Turkish newspapers (38).

It is quite clear that Bektesis are not against Sunni Muslims. That, of course, does not mean there was no hostility and persecutions, but the basic Islamic connection between them was never broken as is wrongly concluded by the same authors. The existence of this unbroken connection is confirmed by the Bektesis themselves. This was done in independent Albania, at the time when they could say what they wanted to say. Thus, for instance, Selman Jemal baba, the head of the Bektesi monastery near Elbasan, said: Bektesism is nothing other than the real Islam based on the Koran (39),” and baba Rexhepi, the head of the Bektesi monastery in Detroit, USA points out: “The Bektesis, especially those from our tekia, Asim baba near Girokostra, did not want to be very distant from the Sunnis. But no one wants to believe so. Generally speaking the Bektesi approve the verses of the Koran and hadis. (40)” The “tolerance of the Bektesi,” which was undoubtedly greater than that of the Sunnis can be seen in the following example. Idayet Beciri, the head of the party of “National unity” about whom Vickers and Pettifer say that he is for altering the borders in the Balkans (41) and whose party, as is claimed by one English source, “is neo-fascist and calls for war with Serbia.” At the same time the source states that this party is explicitly hostile towards Albanian Greeks who are Orthodox (42). According to the same source, “National Unity” is very tightly connected with the new-founded Bektesi dervish community whose chief Rashat baba Bardhi 1991 met with Beciri and blessed his party way back in 1991 (43). How Bektesis behaved in the past is shown in the example of Ali-pasha Tepelini, himself a Bektesi (44). Speaking of himself he said: “There is no minute in a day that someone does not wish my death. And how can it be otherwise? It is already past 40 years that I have done evil to the entire world. I had more than 30,000 people killed or hanged. And it is known that if I live for a few years more, I will kill many others (45).”

Pettifer and Vickers in several places in the book say: “large parts of North and West Albania belonged to Serbia and Montenegro. (46)” This, primarily, refers to Tetovo, Debar, Kosmet, etc. If the authors have in mind that in these territories prior to the Balkan Wars (1912-1913) the Albanians were in a majority, they are right. But, is that criterion sufficient? If we were to apply this criterion alone, the town of Rube in France would belong to Algeria, because Algerians constitute a majority in it. But, if considered how Albanians came to be in a majority in these areas the conclusion would be different. René Pinon, a French historian, has this to say about it: “In 1906, one quarter of the population of Tetovo’s valley Polog was Albanian, and three quarters Bulgarian, Only four years later proportions were inverted. Thanks to his rifle an Albanian managed to get the land he liked” (47). If Tetovo now has an Albanian majority the same is not true of the municipality of Plav in Montenegro which Pettifer and Vickers say is Albanian (48). The majority of the autochthonous population of the area is ethnically Serbian, but the majority of them is Muslim by religion. The important fact is that they are not Albanian. The censuses of 1961, 1971, 1981 and 1991 show 16.55, 19.11, 20.63 and 20.72 percent respectively as Albanian (49).

Kosovo Albanian woman, 2006

On page 178 the authors say that the situation with problems of the Macedonian Albanians is completely different. Macedonian Albanians are seen by Albania as very Islamized – which is only a part of the truth (50). The first question we should ask is why Albanians from Albania would say something of this sort about their fellow-Albanians in Macedonia, if they wished them well? Do they really want to defame them in the world? However, that fact is not only visible to the naked eye but is also confirmed by most serious research work and by the statement of the head of the Albanian Islamic religious community. Thus already in 1972, when communist anti-religious propaganda was at its worst, research into the piety of the population in Donji Polog near Tetovo, carried out using the most rigorously scientific methodology, confirmed that more than 77 percent of Albanians are Muslims who strictly respect all religious precepts, while 15.2 percent were vacillating believers (51). That means that 92 percent of Albanian Muslims in this region of Macedonia stated they were believers. When asked what kind of believers Albanians in Macedonia were, the president of Meshihat, i.e. chief religious authority for Macedonia Suleyman Rexhepi, said: “… and as regards the path which IC (Islamic Community) will take, there is no doubt that our path and the path of all Albanians is Allah’s path (52), and added: “Albanians from Macedonia are very good Muslims and believers, and I would not agree with you that a significant number among them deny Islam. Allah’s religion cannot be denied (53).” Therefore, if the highest cleric of the Albanian Islam, whose duty is always to ask his believers to be even more devout than they are, says that he is not worried about the state of their piety, we cannot see why anyone would question that fact? It is particularly important that the question was raised in the context of a political organization. The Democratic Party of Arben Jaferi, which is mentioned by Pettifer and Vickers, was formed on July 6th 1997 and immediately adopted the slogan “with Islamic spirit and Albanian blood (54).” This shows that the party has retreated from its formally secular character, which is understandable to every expert on Islam. Islam does not tolerate secularism, and every political party that has the support of IC is anti secular, anti democratic and anti national for Islam prohibits nationality, regardless of what its leadership says publicly. Besides, the windows of kiosks in Pristina mosques prominently display the issues of previously mentioned Naqavi translated into Albanian. The message it brings is clear – today you may be Albanians, but if tomorrow you do not subordinate the interests of the nation to the interests of Islam, if you are not against Albanian atheists, Roman Catholics and Orthodox, you will go to hell. For Allah wants it so!

The office of Saudi Joint Relief Committee for Kosovo is located in the Kralja Petra Street in Kosovo capital Pristina, inside a Serbian factory Novi Dom. Saudi Joint Relief Committee for Kosovo includes the International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO), the Saudi Red Crescent Society, the Muslim World League, the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY), Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation, Islamic Endowments and Makka Establishment, some of which have already been designated as terrorist supports.

It has already been said that over 80 percent of Albanians are Muslim, so without knowing Islam it is not possible to know Albanians. If former Muslims and Albanian Christians who are now converted to atheism consciously spread the incorrect story of a laicized and secular Albania, serious analysts must not be duped by it, for if they are they will understand nothing of the situation in Albania. It is curious that in several places Vickers and Pettifer emphasize the revitalization of religion, particularly of Islam, without ever questioning – where does it lead! More democracy means more religious freedom, and more religious freedom for Islam means the end of secular and national Albania! And there is not an iota of doubt that this is so (55). The example of Turkey bears witness to this. Authors claim that in the region of Istanbul alone live some half a million Albanians (56). And it is the most discriminated against community of Albanians in the world. They are forbidden to have schools in Albanian or declare themselves as Albanians; they are forced to be Turks. In addition, no Albanian has ever raised the question of the rights of their fellow-Albanians living in Turkey. It means that Islam means more to these Albanians than their national identity and, abandoning themselves to Turkey, they voluntarily renounce their national identity and accept Turkish as their mother tongue. During communism, Albanians in Albania even praised Turkey for these actions, which only goes to show how close Islam is to albanian communism (57). A lot of people in Albania still feel vaguely like this because of the communist propaganda to which they were subjected for half a century. But what does this mean viewed from the perspective of eternity Allah has in mind for them? When Albania is Islamized, and it will happen, Albanian nation will disappear; the Muslim nation will be the only one. So that Albanian Jihad will be the only path to follow (58) and it will lead towards Tetovo, Skoplje, Belgrade and the very heart of Europe. Besides, the map of “Great Albania,” which until now did not comprise Nish within its borders, now does (59). These facts, perhaps, seem pessimistic, but as Winston Churchill once said: “An optimist is only a badly informed man.”

Footnotes

1. Miranda Vickers & James Pettifer, Albania – from Anarchy to a Balkan Identity, C. Hurst & Company LTD 38 King Street, London. The date of the edition is not stated, but judging by internal evidence and the fact that Ivan Djordjevi?’s translation of the book appeared in Yugoslavia in 1998 the date of publication is probably 1997. Miranda Vickers is a historian specializing in the Balkans and a regular contributor to British journals and newspapers on Albanian issues. James Pettifer is, also, a regular contributor to English reviews, newspapers and wherever decisions on the Balkans are discussed. In addition, he is a visiting professor at the Insitute for Balkan studies at the University of Salonika. This book presents an analysis of the Albanian situation between 1985 and 1996.

2.Working primarily with Albanian materials issued by the Albanian Academy of Sciences, M. Jevtic, professor at the School of Political Sciences at the University of Belgrade, specializing in political science of religion , has published a great number of articles in domestic and foreign scientific journals and compendia and more than a hundred articles in the domestic press on Albanian issues.

3. Vickers and Pettifer, ibid., p.132

4. See: G. Stadtmuller, Forschengen zur albanischen Frühgschichte , Wiesbaden, 1966, or see: A. Ducellier (an albanofile), L’rArbanon et les Albanais au XI siècle, Travaux et Mémoires, 3, 1968, pp. 357, 360

5. Ibid.

6. Vickers and Pettifer, ibid. p.15

7. One of the world’s most famous Islamologists Bernard Lewis in his book Le retour de l’islam , Paris, 1985, pp.186-187 states that article 2 of the 1971 Constitution of Egypt reads “Islam is the state religion… Islamic law is the main source of law”; then article 2 of Libya’s provisional constitution of 1969 states “Islam is the state religion…”

8. Vickers and Pettifer, ibid. p. 220

9. nIbid. p. 96

10. Arben Puto and Stefanaq Pollo, Histoire d’Albanie dès origines à nos jours, Roanne, 1974, p.75

11. Inaldzik Halil, Osmanso carstvo [the Osmanli Empire], Belgrade, 1974, p. 11

12. A. Gegaj, L’Albanie et l’invasion turque au XV siècle, Paris, 1973, p. 159

13. See: Encyclopaedia Britannica, vol. 20 Chicago, London 1960; see also Jazexhi Olsi, Albanians and Islam: Between Existence and Extinction, December 20, 2003, www.network54.com/forum/38296

14. R. Krasniqi, Georges Kastrioti-Skandarbeg, Paris, Firenze, 1983, p. 154

15. Ibid. pp. 132, 133, 135

16. A. Gegaj, ibid. p.46-47

17. A. Puto and S. Pollo, ibid. p. 105

18. Vickers and Pettifer, ibid., p.97

19. The holy Quran with English translation and Commentary , Islam International publication Limited,Islamabad,published in U.K., 1988

20. See: G. Ostrogorski, History of the Byzantine State, Oxford , 1956 or American edition of 1957, New Brunswick , “Rutgers University”

21. Nalbantoglu H.U Osmanli Toplumunda Tarim Teknolojisi, Arti-urun ve Kent Ekonomisi, Turkiye Iktisat Tarihi Semineri, 8-19 Haziran, 1973, Ankara, 1975, p. 55-56; or see S. Vryonis, The Decline of Medieval Hellenism in Asia Minor and Process of Islamization from the eleventh through fifteenth centuries, Berkeley, London , L.A. , 1971

22. F. Hiti, Istorija Arapa, Sarajevo, 1988, second photostat edition p. 195

23. Osmanskite izvori za islamizacionite procesi na Balkanite [Osmanli sources for Islamization processes in the Balkans], Sofija, XVI-XIX vek, Sofia, 1990 , p. 294

24. Politika, Belgrade, July 26, 1996, p. 2

25. Puto and S. Pollo, ibid., p.105

26. According to The Koran with a translation into Serbian, edition of Fahd, King of Saudi Arabia, Medina, Hijra 1412 year, p. XII, note 33, item 1

27. Vickers and Pettifer, ibid., 97

28. Literature regarding this question is very voluminous. Suffice it to mention the book of Ali Muhamed Naqavi, Islam and Nationalism, Teheran, 1984. Or perhaps cite the position of Feisal, King of Saudi Arabia, which is evident in his address to the World Islamic league: “Dear brothers, today we see the Muslim nation suffer from non-unity, quarrels and disagreements,” quoted in The Muslim World League Journal, September-October 1987, p.2

29. Enver Hoxha , Réflexions sur le Moyen-Orient, Tirana , 1984, p.494

30. Stavro Skendi, The Albanian national awakening 1878-1912, Princeton , New Jersey, 1967, p.21

31. Vickers and Pettifer, ibid., p.98

32. Puto and S. Pollo, ibid., p. 110; S. Skendi, ibid., p. 22; The treatment of Christians at the hands of Muslim Albanians can be seen in the following example. There is an area called Himara in southwestern Albania. Its inhabitants, Albanians of Christian Orthodox religion, called Himariots were attacked by Muslim Albanians led by Ali-pasha Tepelini. On Easter 1798 all the peasants were in their churches expecting the priest to greet them after the service with the words “Christ is risen”. At that very moment Ali-pasha’s soldiers burst into churches and slew all the priests and took part of the believers into slavery. This was the fate of villages Nivica-Bubari and Sv. Vasilije. Subsequently, inhabitants of that region converted to Islam in huge numbers. Ali-pasha then sent missionaries and built mosques and dervish monasteries in every village.Quoted from Gabriel Remerand, Ali de Tebelen pacha de Janina, 1774-1822, Paris, 1928, p.55

33. Viron Koka, L’idéolgie réactionaire du clergé dans l’années 30 du XX siècle, Studia Albanica, Tirana, no. 1/1969

34. Ibid.

35. Stephen Bowres, Islamic factor in Albanian policy , Journal of the Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs, no. 1/1984, London, Jeddah , p.1127

36. Vickers and Pettifer, ibid., p. 101

37. Kristo Frasheri, Semsudin Sami Frasheri idéologue du movement national albanais, Studia Albanica, no. 1/1966

38. Ibid.

39. Clayer Nathalie ,L’Albanie pays des derviches , Berlin , 1990, pp.78-79

40. Ibid.

41. Vickers and Pettifer, ibid., p. 142

42. Marko Milivojevic, Wounded eagle, Albania’s fight for Survival, Institute for European Defence & Strategic Studies, European Security Study, London, no.15, p.8

43. Ibid., p. 19

44. S. Skendi, ibid., p. 13

45. Gabriel Remerand, Ali de Tebelen pacha de Janina, 1774-1822, Paris, 1928, p. 226

46. Vickers and Pettifer, ibid. pp. 143-182

47. René Pinon, L’Europe et la jeune Turquie, Paris 1911, p .305.

48. Vickers and Pettifer, ibid. pp. 181

49. Etnicki sastav stanovništva Srbije i Crne Gore i Srbi u SFRJ [Ethnic composition of Serbia and Montenegro and Serbs in SFRY], Belgrade, 1993, p. 216

50. Vickers and Pettifer, ibid. pp. 178

51. S. Kostovski , Religijata kaj seleskoto naselenie vo Dolni Polog [Religion of the rural population in Dolni Polog], Skoplje,1972, p. 99

52. Preporod, (Islamic informative paper), Sarajevo, Novembar 1, 1991, p. 12

53. Ibid.

54. Memorandum za golemiot albanski nacionalizam i separatizam [Memorandum on greater Albanian natinalisam and separatisam]. Association of Macedonian Ethnologists. No. 03-43, August 16, 1997

55. That is why the religion in Albania was abolished. “The history of our people shows at what extent it suffered from religion… how it stirred up dissension and provoked fratricidal wars. That is why… nothing connects us with religion…not only as atheists but as well as Albanian patriots.” Quoted from: Enver Hoxha, Le socialisme en Albanie, II, Paris, 1994, p. 199. For this reason the head of the Albanian Orthodox Church Noli, Albanian nationalist moreover , was against the catechism in schools. Quoted from: Koqo Bihiku, Les Pamphlets Politiques de Noli dans années 1925-1932, Studia Albanica, no..1/1987.

56. Vickers ande Pettifer, ibid., p. 221

57 Enver Hoxha said: “During their histories Albanian and Turkish peoples maintained friendly relations, sincere friendship of Turkish people for Albanian people…was clearly seen in the fraternal welcome of our Kosovo brothers who were exiled from their land in Yugoslavia. Quoted: Enver Hoxha, Oeuvres choisies , volume VI, Tirana, 1987, p. 434 and 435

58 Preporod, Herald of Meshihat , i.e. had authority of Islamic community in BIH(Bosnia and Herzegovina) in the issue from October first 1991, p. 22 says : “Jihad in Islam is the climax of its excellence…Jihad…is the guide through all the past till doomsday” or, say in Takvim for 1992, annual of presidency of Islamic priests of BIH p. 68: “ Islam aspires to destroy all the states and governments anywhere on the face of the earth that are opposed to the ideology and the programme of Islam… Islam seeks the earth, not only a part of it but the entire planet” This text was published first in English in: Al-Mawdudi, Jihad in islam , The holy Koran, P.O. box 7492 Beirut, Lebanon, 1983

59 See, for instancee, site: www.frosina.org. Gazeta Sciptare, an Albanian newspaper, also wrote on this topic. One of its articles was published by Politika, Belgrade November 5, 1998, p.1.. Even Osama bin Laden himself visited Albania in the mid 1990s of the last century. His visit was organised by the then chief of the Albanian security agency SHIK, Bashkim Gazidede, At that time bin Laden met with many highly placed Albanian leaders.

http://www.serbianna.com/columns/michaletos/006.shtml

Islamic terrorism and the Balkans: The perfect training ground
By Ioannis Michaletos

The emergence of radical – militant Islam during the 90’s is a very complicated issue that involves worldwide actors, social dynamics and a deep knowledge of the religious realm of the Islamic world. This article aims to present and inform for the events that shaped Islamic terrorism in the Balkans. In this corner of Europe, the past 15 years, the roots of Islamic radicalism have deepened and it is of the outermost importance to comprehend this phenomenon, so as to be able to combat it.

The beginning of the Yugoslavian civil strife in 1991 presented an excellent chance for the Mujahedin to get into Europe via the ethno-cultural conflict between Christians and Muslims in Bosnia. These religious mercenaries had proved their aptitude in war from the early 80’s when they fought the Soviet Army in Afghanistan, and managed to inflict great damages to it using Western assistance.

Bosnian Muslim President, Alija Izetbegovic visits the Al-Qaeda imbeds of his Muslim army of Bosnia that committed one of the most brutal atrocities on Christian Serbs of Bosnia. Watch video

The West at that period, along with its regional allies, promoted the creation of the so-called “Green Zone”. That meant the creation of strong Islamic pockets in areas of Soviet influence, or in border countries that deemed important for the strategy of the West against the Soviets. Thus Afghanistan, Pakistan, Caucasus, and in Turkey (through the use of the Turkish “Hezbollah”), became radicalized during the 80’s.

What the West could not comprehend and predict at that period, is the “Genie out of the bottle” effect. Once these radicals groups gained access to armaments and training, they became autonomous and sought to create their own agenda. Therefore the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina was the trial test of their newly founded role.

In mid-1992 some 3000 -3500 Mujahedin were already present in the ranks of the Bosnian Army as volunteer forces. They retained their operational autonomy and in essence became an army within an army. Most of their forces were under the command of General Shakib Mahmouljin and their area of operations was Zenica. Soon the Mujahedin acquired the aura of the elite force within the Bosnian Muslim Army and were accounted for many atrocities against the civilian Christian population. There were instances where the guerillas didn’t hesitate in presenting publicly beheaded corpses with the heads of the victims in baskets, a tactic often used in the Ottoman period as a part of psychological warfare against the enemy.

During the Bosnian war, the Al-Qaeda was beginning to emerge as a world wide Islamic force that intended to strike the West with all means possible. One of the key elements in its success would be to get a hold of “safe havens” in Europe. The situation in Bosnia was the opportunity wanted, and soon logistic bases were established within the Bosnian territory. Moreover a campaign of recruiting Bosnian Muslims to the Al –Qaeda cause, resulted in the creation of “Islamic pockets” in the middle of the Balkans. By the end of 1995 and the subsequent Dayton treaty that ended the war; hundreds of Mujahedin fighters were permanent residents of the established Bosnia-Herzegovina state, and acquired the citizenship of that country.

The USA security agencies have revealed that two of the hijackers in 9/11 attacks, had toured the Balkans and were trained in an Al-Qaeda camp in Bosnia. In addition the explosives used in the 7/7 attacks in London came from the Balkans, an event that portrays the tremendous lack of perspective that the West had when it tolerated the emergence of such networks.

The Albanian nationalism and the Islamic terrorism

As in the case of Bosnia, the Albanian Muslims (70% of the population) proved to be a magnet for the Islamists that sought to regain a foothold in Europe. The conditions by which Albania was freed by the Communist regime in the early 90’s, revealed the existence of a backward isolated country with no interaction with the rest of the world. The transition from a central command structure to that of a free market; ensured the development of multiple societal forces within the much repressed Albanian society.

In early 1994 the infamous Osama Bin Laden, paid a visit to Tirana, presumably to oversight the networking of his activities there. He came back in 1998 with Al-Qaeda training camps in the Northern part of Albania, just across the borders with Kosovo. The trainers –of Arabic origin mostly- were assigned to train the newly recruits of the Usthria Climirtare e Kosoves –U.C.K- units for the forthcoming guerilla warfare against the Yugoslav forces in Kosovo.

The then Albanian Director of the Albanian secret service-SHIK-named Fatos Klosi admitted the training that took place in these camps and the existence of “Jihad warriors” from Sudan, Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Egypt that were responsible for the instruction of the UCK army. To this point it is important to add to the above, the existence of the Albanian Arab Islamic Bank, that was used for the financing of terrorist activities throughout the Balkans. Various sources indicate the existence of Bin Laden’s backing in the bank’s capital, with the sum of 11 million USD.

In 1997, the financial collapse of Albania by an economic scandal that shook the country; had as a result the social unrest throughout the territory and the collapse of the rule of law. An uncounted number of armaments were stolen during the period of the riots from the Albanian’s Army caches, and the bulk of it ended in the hands of the UCK and its Islamist collaborators. Until early 1998 USA characterized UCK as a terrorist organization, due to its connection with well-known figures of the extremist elements of the Islamic world. Nevertheless, the American policy changed its direction since it deemed the existence of Milocevic more threatening at that period than the Islamic movement. During the skirmishes and fights before the NATO bombings in March 1999, the Yugoslav Army managed to inflict great damages to the Mujahedin fighters that were combating along the UCK lines. In Uracevac the bulk of them was eliminated by the Serbian Army and was obliged to retreat back in their safe havens in Northern Albania.

After the end of the 1999 war, the Mujahedin networks regrouped and started to infiltrate the Kosovo area in great numbers. That included the mushrooming of Islamic charitable funds across the region, the construction of Mosques and the radicalization of the local Albanian population.

It is interesting to note that the Albanian population in its majority cannot be conceived as a fundamentalist Islamic nation and the extremists are for the time being a forceful minority of that nation. The Islamic expansion in the Balkans is coupled with the existence of the criminal syndicates that are all prevalent in the Balkan Peninsula. Since the terrorist activities cannot be financed through the use of the legal free market economy, the use of narcotics and trafficking illegal trade has enabled the flourishing of the terrorist networks. The “Hybrid” organizations as the merged terrorist and criminal are named, has created the necessary framework for the Balkans to enter in one of the worst periods of their modern history. The leading criminologist Lorreta Napoleoni has researched articulately the issue and offers illuminating approaches as to the extent of the infiltration of crime & terrorism in world economy.

According to her recent interview for balkanalysis.com, some 1.5 trillion USD are the revenue of the organized crime worldwide. A fair portion of that is being achieved by controlling the “Balkan drugs route” a geographical area that encompasses Kosovo, Northern Albania and Tetovo. More or less the Islamic terrorism network has located some of its bases, along the way of some of the most lucrative criminal areas of Europe. Therefore it is able to increase its revenues and finance its monstrous acts.

In Spring 2001, the Mujahedin forces, once again, were brought to day light by joining the National Liberation Army in its fight in Western FYROM. The NLA was a composition of various Albanian fractions that along with the Islamic extremists sought to prepare the basis for the disintegration of FYROM. There is a large Albanian minority in the country, which also happens to be located right in the centre of the Balkans and where the “Balkan drug route” passes by. The Mujahedin formed the majority of the 113 brigade of NLA, and were accused of many atrocities against innocent civilians of Slavic descent.

On August 2001 the Ohrid accord was signed and the conflict ceased without any real gains by the Albanian side. A month later, the attack on the twin towers revealed to the world the spread and the power the terrorist organizations have amassed, thus the “War on terror” begun and to a great extent dismantled the world wide Islamic terrorist web.

Nowadays in the Balkan area, the existence of terrorist cells and safe havens is a real threat to the stability and coherence of the region and for Europe indirectly. It is more than certain that the local leaderships will soon have to cooperate in order to relieve the much torn-apart Balkans from this 21st menace. One has to remember that it took just 8 years of fighting and preparation in the Afghan War for the Mujahedin to become a global terror- complex. Expansion of the communications and transport facilitates the spread of terror organizations. The recent NATO meeting in Riga revealed the intention of the Atlantic Organization to integrate the Western Balkans along with Serbia to its security structure. That is a great opportunity for Europe and USA to pay a closer and more detailed attention to the hazards of Islamic terrorism in the Balkans, so as, to mitigate the Balkans from a burden that is not its own, and bring more security to Europe as well.

A South Eastern Europe under a common security composition most surely can deal with the perils of organized crime and terrorism the two main threats of our civilized world in the 21sr century.

Sources-Readings

- Loretta’s Napoleoni website
- CRS report for USA Congress
- An article by Balkanalysis.com on Islamic terrorism in the Balkans
- Paper of the Journal of the USA Naval Postgraduate School –Monterrey California
- Paper by the Center for Contemporary Conflict
- Article by the Jamestown Foundation
- Balkan report by the GIS
- Article discussing the spread of Islamic terrorism from the Balkans
- Reports on Islamic terrorism in Bosnia
- Report issued by the USA diplomatic mission in Italy
- An amass of links on international terrorism by the University of Keele-United Kingdom

http://www.serbianna.com/columns/michaletos/007.shtml

The Balkan Islamic Jihad: A Pan-European calamity
By Ioannis Michaletos

After the 9/11, a worldwide “War on terror” begun in order to disband and neutralize Islamic terrorist networks across the globe. The main focus of the largest anti-terrorist campaign in history is focused in the Middle East area, as well as in Afghanistan. The Balkan Peninsula is the European area where this campaign has also taken place, with numerous arrests and a continuous effort into riding the fundamentalist out of the area. The question arising though, is how did the extremists gain a foothold in South Eastern Europe in the first place, and what was the reaction of the international community over the previous years.

Ethnic Bosnian Muslim commander talks about Jihadist determination to kill "enemies of Allah" just before the attack on Pocjelovo. "It is a Jihad... and with even greater spark to kill Allah's enemies because today they are strong and pronounced as they have never been before." View Video

The presence of Islam in the Balkans dates back in the 13th century.

In order to create the much needed mercenary armies, against the then archenemy, the Francs, Byzantine Emperors allowed Muslim Turks into modern day Bulgaria. They were used mainly as cavalry forces due to their excellent techniques in that kind of war. Over the coming decades the antagonism between the Francs and the Vatican from one side and the Byzantium from the other, led to the final conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks in 1453. Gradually virtually the whole of the Balkans came under Muslim dominance and were included in the Dar al Islam territory stretching from the Hindu river and up to Gibraltar.

In Bosnia in particular the sect of Vogomils –Eastern Orthodox sect-, converted to Islam for a variety of societal and spiritual reasons. Since the Vogomils were the affluent class of the central Balkans they soon became the ruling class over millions of Christians of mostly Slavic descent.

In Albania the Islamic takeover had a dramatic effect and in a matter of 150 years 2/3rds of the population converted from the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholicism into Islam. The main reason for such a large proselytism in Albania had been the traditional adherence towards the stronger ruler that the mountainous Albanians have showed since their early history. During the Roman Empire times, the Albanians served as elite corps in the Armies of the Emperors Empires –i.e. Diocletian was of Albanian descent- and tended to absorb the cultural and religious norms of their regional superintendents. The same was the case in the more or less Greek dominated Byzantium. As soon as the “Eastern Roman Empire” waned in favor of the Western one; there was a mass conversion to Catholicism in the early 13th century. The historical collective path of the Albanian people can be compared with that of the mountainous Swiss that have eloquently absorbed influences and norms by the much larger and influential neighbors (Germany, France, and Italy).

It is against this historical background that the Islamic fundamentalist drama in the Balkans evolved in the 1990s.

So, the outbreak of the civil war in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1992 presented an unparalleled opportunity for the international Mujaheedin to storm Europe, establish safe havens in the area and thus initiate re-conquest of regions they previously ruled. The leader of Bosnia, Alia Izebegovic was eager to obtain as much assistance as possible and didn’t hesitate in providing the necessary framework by which the Islamic ties were forged. In the same year, a variety of Islamic mercenaries flocked into the Balkans in order to support the “Holy cause”, meaning the establishment of the first Islamic state in Europe. The end of the war in 1995 saw quite a few of those mujahedin, acquiring Bosnian citizenship and establishing the first Islamic community in the village of Bocinja Donja.

Western tolerance of Islamic radicals, however, was one of the gravest mistakes of modern times. Articles on Serbianna.com and in other information sources point to a massive handout of Bosnian passports to hundreds of potentially dangerous individuals of Middle Eastern descent. On top of that, a well organized criminal network has already been established in Sarajevo that in a large extent facilitates illegal immigration from Asia to Europe. That activity is coupled with the narcotics trade that is being supplemented by the infamous “Balkan Drug route”. It is illuminating to note that the areas from where this route is passing are under Muslim influence mostly.

Albanian factor

Albania was under the Communist rule during the Cold War, the most isolated country in Europe. The break of the Soviet Empire unleashed forces that were kept dormant in the society for decades, and resulted to some very interesting developments. In 1992 Albania becomes a member of the Islamic Conference, an international Islamic organization. The same year as well the government of Sali Berisha, currently also a Prime Minister, signed a military agreement with Turkey, thus enacting a series of discussions in the neighboring states, around the possibility of an Islamic arch from Istanbul to Sarajevo.

One of the main reasons the Albanian officials were eager to form strong ties with the Muslim world was the hope that large investments from the Gulf would ensure the uplifting of the decaying Albanian economy. Therefore the religious sentiment of the majority of Albanians, mostly in the North, was overplayed in order to gain capital from the Islamic world. Unfortunately no serious investment initiatives were undertaken; instead the Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, found another state to expand their illegal activities. Many different and respectable sources have indicated two visits by Bin Laden in Tirana that aimed into creating an Islamic platform for the country and the construction of terrorist networks within the territory.

An Albanian called Naseroudin Albani played an instrumental role in spreading extremist Islamic values into the Albanian society. He was a fugitive from Albania since 1963 and resided in Amman-Jordan. Sources from Albania point out that Albani organized radical Sunni sects back in the 70’s in the Middle East that became the nucleus of the modern day Mujahedin. Another Albanian, the then head of the Albania’s Secret service, SHIK, called Bashkim Gazidente assisted into implementing radical Islamic agenda in Albanian domestic policies. During the 1997 Albanian riots Gazidente fled from Albania and he is said to be an instrumental part in global Islamic networks. He presumably lives in a Middle Eastern country.

The Al Qaeda factor in Albania was consolidated by the creation of the Arabic-Albanian bank, in which Bin Laden allegedly invested the sum of 11.4 million USD. This financial institution acted as a front cover for the transfer of capital for Islamic activities within the country. Just before Berisha’s political overturn in 1997, another Islamic institution called “El Farouk”, acted as a recruitment agency for young Albanians, under the pretext of a charity. One of the most dramatic indicators of the degree of Islamic presence in Albania is the militant Islamic training camp just outside Tirana, the same camp on which Berisha relied in his unsuccessful 1998 coup of his rival Fatos Nano.

The Nairobi and Tanzania bombings of 1998 shocked the US administration into taking some action, for the first time, do dismantle terrorists networks. Soon, the pressure fell on Albania and in the October of the same month individuals of Middle Eastern origin were rounded up and deported. The head of SHIK, Fatos Clozi, admitted for the first the existence of extremists in Albania and promised the eradication of the terrorist nucleus. The 9/11 attacks proved to be a fatal blow for the radicals in Albania and the USA forces have more or less neutralize any remaining cells. The government of Albania, which is more than willing to become inducted in the Euro-Atlantic security framework, has ceased to seek Islamic assistance and the current Berisha’s administration has refaced its Islamic outlook into a modern European one.

Nevertheless, the Albanian-Islamic connection is now concentrated in Kosovo, the very same province NATO forces are stationed! There is an overwhelming variety of sources and reports that indicate a well established fundamentalist presence in that area. It is a common secret in the international community that the West kept a blind eye during the 1998-1999 Winter where hundreds of Mujahedin joined the UCK forces and helped it expand. At that period the means justified the end which was the disbandment of the Russian influence in the Balkans, as the Clinton administration viewed the Milocevic one. The result was a resurge of Islamic radical networks in the region, thus eliminating the beneficial results of previous actions against it. Moreover Russia managed to regroup and it is still viewed as a great player in South Eastern Europe.

The newly independent Montenegro nowadays faces a long term Islamic population bomb and it is certain that should current trends continue, in 2050 half of the population would be Muslim That is not of course a prelude of terrorism action per se, but the overall turbulent Balkan history and the existence of terror networks in nearby Kosovo do not assure a tranquil political future for the newest Balkan state. The FYR Macedonia is also another terrain where the delicate balance between radicalism and Muslim secularism is taking place. Back in 2001, an Albanian uprising nearly resulted in the disintegration of the state although nowadays there is an uneasy stability. However any negative developments in Kosovo will affect directly the country which is also the epicenter of the Balkans by a geopolitical point of view.

Lastly the Sanjak area in Southern Serbia is a territory to watch, where the Wahhabi strain of Islam has gained tremendous influence in the local Muslim population. Again Kosovo as the centre of radicalism in the Balkans could play the role of the powder keg for any developments in Sanjak, against the Serbian population in the region.

The EU strategists, whoever they may be, must become aware of the complicated Balkan reality: the region is a mostly secular one, but it has the peculiarity of hosting safe havens of terrorists and organized crime related Islamists. Most of these areas are under international protection a paradox that ridicules the entire Western anti terror campaign.

Only a coordinated pan European operation would be able to eradicate this perilous condition. The bombings in Madrid and in London had a Balkan flavor in them, namely the explosives used, according to many, came from those very same Muslim pockets in the Balkans that are protected by Western armies. For the future then, Islamic radicalism in the Balkans is an X factor. What is certain though is that this factor will not be used for the benefit of the West and the only way of neutralize it is by disrupting its logistic and financial base.

The only obstacle so far for the successful inaction of a “Balkan war on terror” are the careers in various world capitals, that are related on the perception of half truths and half lies about the West’s involvement in the Yugoslav wars and the use of the Islamic X factor on them. Political ambitious, international reputations and the all pervading political correctness, hinders the right actions to be taken. A great leader once said “A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject”. That surely sums up the mentality of the international officials around this Balkan “X factor”.

Sources for the article – readings

1) Paper on radical Islam in the Balkans
2) An article about the complex situation of the Islamic movement in the Balkans
3) A Bulgarian appraisal of Islam in the Balkans
4) An analysis of terrorism and Islam in the Balkans
5) An article about Islam in Bosnia
6) A paper by the Jamestown Foundation on Wahhabism in the Balkans
7) An article by Christofer Deliso on terrorism in the Balkans
8) An assessment of the terrorism in the Balkans during the 90’s by the USA Naval historical center.
9) A CRS report for the USA Congress for the Islamic terrorism in the Balkans
10) Presentation of a FAS paper on Islamic extremism in the Balkans.
11) An article on Mujahedins in Bosnia by the Foreign Military Studies Office Publications,USA.
12) Al-Qaida's Jihad in Europe The Afghan-Bosnian Network, By Evan F.
13) An analysis on the role of Mujahedins in the Bosnia conflict by the Federation Of American Scientists
14) A paper around Islamic terrorism in the Balkans by the South Asia Analysis Group
15) An analysis of the operational modus of the Mujahedin in the Balkans
16) A report on Islamic terrorism in the Balkans by GIS
17) A critique on the USA policy in Bosnia
18) A report published by FAS on connections between Albania and Islamic terrorism
19) An article on jihad in the Balkans
20) A report on Al-Qaeda links in the Balkans by the CFR.
21) An article around Western faults regarding Islamic fundamentalism in the Balkans by the Global Research Group
22) Analysis on the presence of Al-Qaeda on the Balkans by DEBKA
23) An article on Al-Qaeda in the Balkans by the Center for Peace in the Balkans
24) A paper by the University of Maryland on Islamic terrorism in the Balkans
25) A publication of the United Nations on the connection between organized crime and terrorism in the Balkans
26) A collection of resources on the mismanagement by the West of Islam in the Balkans
27) An Associated Press report on Jihadist links in the Balkans
28) An analysis on Balkan terrorism by Balkanalysis.com
29) A variety of articles on Balkans, Islam and terrorism by the Chronicles Magazine

[Note the Venezuela]

http://www.serbianna.com/news/2007/01015.shtml

Macedonian police seize over 400 kilos of cocaine at Kosovo border

January 07, 2007 9:13 AM

SKOPJE. Macedonia-Police in Macedonia seized more than 400 kilograms (880 pounds) of cocaine hidden in a truck near the border with Kosovo and arrested its Macedonian driver on suspicion of drug smuggling, authorities said on Sunday.

The cocaine, valued at more than €40 million (US$52 million), was the largest quantity of drugs ever seized by Macedonian authorities, police said.

It was found in 60 plastic paint containers hidden in a truck with Macedonian license plates at the border town of Blace, some 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of the capital, Skopje, police said.

"This is high-quality Venezuelan cocaine," police spokesman Ivo Kotevski told The Associated Press.

The truck picked up its cargo in the port city of Bar in Montenegro and entered Macedonia through Kosovo. Its final destination was Greece, Kotevski said.

http://www.innercitypress.com/mdgs112706.html

At the UN, China and Islamic Dev't Bank Oppose Soros and World Bank On How to Fight Poverty

http://www.thelocal.se/6013/20070107/

Axeman attacks Swedish tourist in India

Published: 7th January 2007 12:20 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/6013/

A Swedish woman on holiday in India was attacked on Saturday by a man with an axe, Aftonbladet has reported.

According to the paper, the woman, who was holidaying in the south-western state of Kerala, was struck on the head with the axe, which had to be removed in hospital. The attacker is thought to be mentally ill.

The Swedish embassy in New Delhi and the travel agency handling the woman's vacation have both confirmed that she was attacked.

Her condition is said to be stable.

TT/The Local

[take a look at the news here, arson, attacks, all kinds]

http://www.thelocal.se/5999/20070105/

Tensta bomb man threatens police

Published: 5th January 2007 12:43 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/5999/

The 29-year-old Norwegian man involved in last summer's belt bomb drama in Stockholm threatened to shoot Norwegian police on Thursday night.

Back in his home country after a traumatic Swedish experience the man was arrested and imprisoned for car theft and gun crime. But on December 20th he escaped and has been on the run from police ever since.
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The man was spotted in a car near the town of Askim in southern Norway around midnight on Thursday. Police immediately took up the chase, which ended with the 29-year-old driving into a pole at a Statoil station in Slitu.

Rather than turn himself in the man took to his heels with a woman who had been travelling in the car with him.

They disappeared into the darkness, with the man shouting back at the chasing police officers that he was prepared to shoot them.

"He tried to drive into the police car and it ended up with him threatening to shoot at police.

"We didn't see a weapon but he has shot at police before," police investigator Trond Svenkerud told Aftonbladet.

By Friday morning the man had still not been caught.

This latest incident follows a bomb drama in a Stockholm suburb that caused the closure of a major road and the evacuation of several residential buildings.

Police arrived in the Stockholm suburb of Tensta early on a Sunday morning in June, responding to calls about a man who claimed he was forced to wear a bomb belt by his kidnappers.

The man warned police that his captors had forced him to wear the bomb and that they were able to set it off with a call from a mobile phone.

Police later said that the device could not have been set off by remote control but that it did contain live explosives.

It was eight hours before police bomb technicians managed to remove the belt.

Two men were subsequently remanded in custody, suspected of kidnapping the Norwegian and strapping him into the bomb belt.

Paul O'Mahony