After Denis Bećirović and Željko Komšić rejected Željka Cvijanović’s proposal at the latest session of the BiH Presidency to designate the “Muslim Brotherhood” as a terrorist organization, the Serb member of the Presidency announced she will submit the proposal again at the next session. Many countries, including the United States, have already taken such a step. Numerous experts say it is time for BiH to do the same, primarily due to long-standing ties between political Sarajevo and the organization, as well as the current geopolitical situation.
In Washington, the position is clear—three branches of the “Muslim Brotherhood” are considered terrorist organizations due to destabilizing the Middle East and radicalizing young Muslims. In Sarajevo, however, there is evidently no political will to take such action.
- The other two members were not in favor, with one of them stating that we could address the issue at a future session. I will certainly put it on the agenda again – Željka Cvijanović said.
Security expert Dževad Galijašević recalls students who returned to BiH from studies in Egypt, bringing with them the teachings of the “Muslim Brotherhood,” which they then spread across the country. The events of the 1990s, he says, confirmed this.
- The spiritual leader of the El Mujahid unit, Anwar al-Shaban, an Egyptian, was a member of the top leadership of the global Muslim Brotherhood until he was killed near Žepče in 1995. His deputy, Dal Misri, who took over that role and guided Bosnian Muslims toward religious teachings and Wahhabism, was also part of the Brotherhood’s leadership – Galijašević stated.
The documentary The History of the Muslim Brotherhood by Michel Praza notes that offensive jihad is considered legitimate as long as there are parts of the world where sharia is not implemented.
Domestic authors point out that Alija Izetbegović’s “Islamic Declaration,” which served as a guiding framework for the founding of the SDA, aligns with the policies of the “Muslim Brotherhood.”
Dušan Pavlović, director of the Center for Socio-Political Research of Republika Srpska, states that BiH is effectively held hostage by political Islam and the Muslim Brotherhood.
- This is no longer just about the SDA, but about the entire political Sarajevo – Pavlović added.
Bakir Izetbegović, president of the SDA, received a delegation of the “Muslim Brotherhood” in the BiH Presidency building in 2014. Bisera Turković, a prominent SDA member and former BiH foreign minister, visited their spiritual leader in 2019.
Rod Blagojevich, former governor of Illinois and a close associate of Donald Trump, says that these connections will be exposed and that investigations into the influence of the “Muslim Brotherhood” in BiH will be launched.
- There is strong evidence that they have been active here for a very, very long time – Blagojevich said.
Political scientist Aleksandar Pavić told RTRS that it is time to address the presence of the “Muslim Brotherhood” in BiH, especially as U.S. attention—due to tensions involving Iran—may shift toward radical Islamist factors.
- In BiH, there were mujahideen, Al-Qaeda, precursors to ISIS, as well as involvement from Iran and Turkey. All Islamic currents and countries found a common ground in BiH – Pavić said.
Political Sarajevo, however, is attempting to distance itself from such connections and ideology. These denials are contradicted, among other things, by various links with Saudi Arabia and Iran through the construction of kindergartens, schools, and mosques, the presence of military instructors and intelligence operatives, and the spread of Salafi doctrine—points also highlighted in reports by influential European NGOs.
Source: RTRS
