Although the Muslim Brotherhood represents a major security, cultural, and identity threat to Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as to the rest of Europe, it should not be expected that the BiH Presidency will designate this organization as terrorist.
This was stated to Glas Srpske by Dušan Pavlović, director of the Center for Socio-Political Research, commenting on a proposal recently put forward by SNSD President Milorad Dodik. According to Pavlović, he is highly skeptical about such an outcome, as Željko Komšić and Denis Bećirović, who sit in the BiH Presidency, would not support it.
- Nor would the SDA, which stands behind the project of creating a Bosniak BiH. It should not be forgotten that it is the first party in Europe founded on the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood, as well as the Islamic Declaration, a pamphlet of political Islam. I do not believe this will happen, even though the ideology of this Brotherhood is the root of almost all radical Islamist and terrorist movements and structures in the world – Pavlović warned.
Regarding the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood, whose branches in some countries have been designated as terrorist and extremist and banned, Pavlović says it has effectively been present in BiH since the period following its founding in Egypt in 1928. As he explains, this ideology was brought to the region by students who studied in Cairo.
- These forces took full control over the Islamic Community in BiH during World War II. They returned strongly to the scene during the 1950s. This was enabled at the time by Josip Broz Tito, in order to establish better cooperation with Islamic countries within the Non-Aligned Movement. At that time, one of the ideologues of that movement, Husein Đozo, even became Tito’s advisor on Islamic affairs – Pavlović stated.
He adds that these forces re-emerged prominently in 1983, when 13 Muslim intellectuals were charged with Islamic fundamentalism. Among those arrested was Alija Izetbegović, author of the Islamic Declaration and later president of the SDA.
- There are indications that this declaration was created in cooperation with one of the most radical members of this Brotherhood, Muhammad Qutb. The ultimate goal of these forces, then as now, is the creation of an Islamic order in BiH—a sharia-based state under the control of political Islam. They have never abandoned that goal. All these years, from the war to today, the Islamic Declaration has remained the political platform of the SDA. It is a document that speaks about creating a sharia state in the territory of present-day BiH. In all this, they had full support first from Iran, and then from Turkey. To conclude, the SDA represents the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood. Unfortunately, all political partners among the Bosniak people have accepted this ideology and the goals defined by Alija Izetbegović in the Islamic Declaration – Pavlović emphasized.
Declaration
He notes that during the war and the post-war period, the Christian community in Sarajevo—and in a large part of BiH under the political control of Bosniak parties—was almost destroyed. He also recalls that during the 1990s, a large number of Islamic fighters, members of the Wahhabi movement, arrived in BiH following a fatwa claiming Islam was under threat in the country. He believes that the recently adopted declaration in Sarajevo, suggesting Islam is again endangered and that Islamophobia is present, should be viewed in that context.
- It is the same pattern used in the 1990s. The aim is to divert attention from what these forces have been working on for decades—the destruction of Christianity in BiH. Not only Serbs are targeted, but also Croats – Pavlović said, noting that today only a small percentage of Christians live in Sarajevo.
He stresses that in order to establish the dominance of political Islam and sharia, the followers of the Muslim Brotherhood require a centralized state. Republika Srpska stands in the way of that goal—and, according to Pavlović, all attacks against it, its institutions, and individuals should be viewed in that context, as attempts to dismantle BiH as defined by the Dayton Agreement.
He also believes that this is why the issue of property has been raised, with the Constitutional Court of BiH serving as a powerful tool. The ultimate objective, he says, is to minimize Christianity in BiH and establish an extreme Islamic order in the heart of Europe that denies all other traditional religious communities.
- That is why Serbian cemeteries are being destroyed in the Federation of BiH. All those who are not aligned with this extremist ideology are considered mortal enemies. Even the traditional Muslim community in BiH is under attack – Pavlović added, noting that the project of creating a so-called Bosniak nation, imposed on all Muslims in the region, is part of a broader pan-Islamic agenda.
He also pointed out the significant role of the Islamic Community in this process, highlighting the influence of former Grand Mufti Mustafa Cerić, whom he described as a member of the Muslim Brotherhood.
He recalled that former BiH ambassador to Qatar and later foreign minister Bisera Turković met in Doha with Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who has often been linked to the ideology of this movement and whose activities have been subject to legal and security restrictions in some countries. He also cited the example of Bakir Izetbegović receiving a Muslim Brotherhood delegation in 2014 and being photographed using the Rabia symbol associated with the movement.
Asked why Europe tolerates attempts to turn BiH into a sharia state, Pavlović said such policies are supported by ultra-liberal and globalist forces that see sovereignist movements and traditional societies as their main enemies.
- When the government changed in the United States and sovereignists replaced globalists, this concept was called into question. Unlike before, the authorities of Republika Srpska established easier contact with the new U.S. administration, which quickly understood what is happening in this region. They also realized that Christianity is under serious threat. Unfortunately, these retrograde globalist forces remain present in Brussels, and Bosniak political forces in Sarajevo are trying to exploit this—using the globalist agenda to confront sovereignists and traditionalists across Europe – Pavlović said.
U.S. decision
The United States recently designated the Lebanese, Jordanian, and Egyptian branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations. According to Executive Order 14362, the Lebanese branch was designated a foreign terrorist organization, and its leader, Muhammad Fawzi Takoush, a global terrorist. At the same time, the U.S. Treasury imposed the same designation on the Egyptian and Jordanian branches for providing material support to Hamas. These measures further underscore the seriousness of the organization’s global status.
In several Middle Eastern countries—such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and a number of Central Asian states—the Brotherhood has long been designated a terrorist organization. In Europe, Austria has gone the furthest, banning its organized activities and symbols. Activities of structures linked to the Muslim Brotherhood are also under increased surveillance in France, Germany, Sweden, and other European countries.
Military aspect
Security experts have long warned that in parts of the Federation of BiH under the dominance of Bosniak political structures, a broad and well-organized network of informal groups has developed, modeled after wartime formations such as the “Patriotic League” and the “Green Berets.” These are described as interconnected systems of groups, clubs, and agencies that promote the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Wahhabi movement, with support from the SDA and the Islamic Community. These structures are registered as airsoft clubs, martial arts associations, hunting societies, or security agencies, but in practice function as paramilitary centers for ideological indoctrination and semi-military training. According to intelligence data, there are more than 40 such groups in BiH.
Sleepers
Former counterintelligence officer Ljuban Karan stated that there is a noticeable presence of a large number of Islamic extremists in BiH, including members of the Muslim Brotherhood, which has been under the protection of Bosniak authorities since the war. He emphasized that this organization must be recognized as extremist and monitored, especially in light of developments in the Middle East, where “sleepers” are activated and extremist groups receive orders to carry out terrorist actions.
Source: Glas Srpske
