Islamic Balkans Failing to Counter ISIS’s Appeal to Women.

Islamic Balkans Failing to Counter ISIS’s Appeal to Women. (Balkan insight)

Belgrade think tank says Balkan states must understand the reality of Islamic State’s appeal to Muslim women - if they want to stem to outflow of women there.

Women from the Western Balkans and elsewhere are as attracted to the Islamic State as much as men, a paper published by the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy think tank, says.

The presence of women in the Islamic State is dangerous—although women currently do not participate in violent jihad, they are responsible for raising the next generation of jihadists, for performing professional functions while the men engage in violent jihad, and for the recruitment of more individuals to populate the caliphate.

Women who migrate tend to feel marginalized in the societies where they live, and also may have psychological problems, which will only be exacerbated by their experiences in the Islamic State.

While violent extremist groups are often thought to be the domain of men, the numbers of wom en migrating to Syria and Iraq from the Western Balkans and around the world are proving otherwise.

As numbers of foreign fighters traveling from the Western Balkans to Islamic State-held territory
continue to increase, there is a corresponding problem of women from the Western Balkans being recruited to join the Islamic State.

Current evidence shows that there are visible numbers of women who have already migrated — in particular, from Bosnia-Herzegovina (36), Kosovo (42), and Albania (13-29). Estimates show that around 10-15% of total Islamic State recruits are women.

There is no single profile of the typical female recruit, however two distinct groups are evident:

1.) young women (as young as 15) who travel to ISIS territory to marry a jihadist and 

2.) women who are already married and travel with their husband. For young women still living with their parents, evidence from the Western Balkans and elsewhere shows that parents had little to no prior indication that their daughters were being radicalized or had the intention of departing for Islamic State-held territory.

The paper notes that “the women who migrate have taken on a variety of roles, and although they are predominantly expected to keep to the domestic sphere, their participation is still critical for developing the Islamic State‘s ‘Caliphate’ into what they believe will be a Muslim utopia”.

They also help expand the Islamic State‘s network by recruiting other women. Women are barred from taking up combat, and while they do not pose a security threat to European countries at present, they could be trained to become suicide bombers or fighters in future, the paper say.
Read the full story here.

'Islamist' Turkey's foreign policy in the Balkans promotes a neo-Ottoman agenda.

'Islamist' Turkey's foreign policy in the Balkans promotes a neo-Ottoman agenda. (Huffington).By David L. Phillips.

Turkey's foreign policy in the Balkans promotes a neo-Ottoman agenda, aimed at expanding its influence in former territories of the Ottoman Empire. Turkey exports Islamism under the guise of cultural cooperation. It also seeks economic advantage, using business as leverage to consolidate its national interests.

The Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA) is a vehicle through which Turkey advances its ideological agenda. TIKA is the vanguard of Turkey's Justice and Development Party (AKP), which supports Muslim Brotherhood chapters around the world. TIKA runs a parallel and complementary foreign policy to official state institutions, coordinating with Turkey's Ministry of Culture and the Presidency of Religious Affairs to promote the AKP's Islamist agenda.

In addition, TIKA supports regional Islamic unions and institutions. It subsidizes community based social mobilization projects, which promote Islam. TIKA's network of Muslim community leaders and imams, which includes imams from Turkey, actively promotes Islam. Its benevolence includes food for the Iftar meal during Ramadan, delivered to impressionable Kosovars in poor rural areas.

Erdogan asked the Government of Kosovo to close schools established by Fetullah Gulen, with whom he had a falling out. Kosovo officials acquiesced, though Gulen schools offered quality education to Kosovars.

Turkish businessmen also benefit from Turkey's aggressive religious and cultural promotion. A well-respected Turkish scholar asks of the AKP, "Are they Islamists or just thieves with a religious rhetoric?"

Since become Speaker of Kosovo's Parliament, however, Vaseli has not said a word about Turkey's economic dominance. He and other prominent Kosovo politicians, including Foreign Minister Hashim Thaci, have close ties to Erdogan, as well as Turkish business and political leaders.

Turkey has cemented its influence through security cooperation. Around 2,000 Turkish soldiers were deployed as part of the KFOR peacekeeping mission in 1999. There are still 350 Turkish soldiers in Pristina and Prizren. Turkey has indicated its willingness to assume control of Bondsteel, the US base in Kosovo, as US forces withdraw.

Davutoğlu explicitly linked Turkey's foreign policy to its Ottoman legacy during a trip to Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2009. "The Ottoman centuries of the Balkans were a success story. Now we have to reinvent this." He announced, "Turkey is back."

Faster integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions is the best antidote to Turkey's influence in Kosovo and the Western Balkans. US interests would also be served through intensified engagement in the region.

Closer cooperation between the US and Kosovo would be a bulwark against Turkey's export of Islamism. It would also prevent the further radicalization of Kosovo society, staunching the flow of Kosovars to join ISIS. Hmmmm........Sadly with Obama being the BFF Of Erdogan this Islamist advance won't be stopped, hopefully the next POTUS Will recognize the danger. Read the full story here.

ISIS infiltrates into Europe, sets up secret base in the Balkans.

Source 'Moldavia transit country for ISIS'

ISIS infiltrates into Europe, sets up secret base in the Balkans. (AN).

Since the emergence of the extremist Islamic State group (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria, thousands of westerners have joined its ranks. The Western governments expressed fear of the returnee jihadists, who could carry out attacks against European and American interests in their countries.

Dozens of ISIS jihadists have infiltrated into European countries and have recently installed a “secret base” in the Balkans, a Croatian official has said.

The terror group has been able to organize dozens of militants in Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

According to Croatian intelligence, a group of ISIS foreign militants, who are originally from the Balkans, have returned back to their native countries.

“We have identified an ISIS senior member who most probably organize dozens of Balkan jihadists,” the official said on the condition of anonymity.

The source said that the ongoing refugee crisis may have facilitated the influx of ISIS sleeper cells into the heart of Europe.

“Many of them may have sought asylum as Syrians,” he added

In June, ISIS circulated a footage on the social media, showing a group of Balkan fighters in Syria, vowing their own government and the American interests with suicide attacks. The former Soviet countries are deemed to be vulnerable to radicalism. Read the full story here.

Over 135,000 refugees snuck into Europe by sea in first 6 months of 2015.

Over 135,000 refugees snuck into Europe by sea in first 6 months of 2015. (BG).

"Desperate people resort to desperate measures and unfortunately ... the numbers are expected to continue to soar," said Brian Hansford, a spokesperson for UNHCR.

The number of refugees and migrants arriving in Europe in the first six months of 2015 increased more than 80 percent increase from the same time period in 2014, the UNHCR report said.

It comes as European Union leaders remain divided over how best to solve the growing migrant crisis.

The increase in refugees and migrants, many braving dangerous Mediterranean waters in unsafe boats, has hit countries in southern Europe particularly hard, the report said.

Greece, the largest arrival point for refugees and migrants in the first six months of 2015, has a struggling economy and was headed for a default on loans with the International Monetary Fund.

Refugees and migrants have been pouring into the western Balkans from Greece and since the beginning of June, over 1,000 people have been entering every day "as opposed to 200 just a few weeks ago," the report said.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi rebuked fellow EU leaders last week for failing to agree on a plan to take in 40,000 asylum-seekers from Italy and Greece.

"As arrivals increase, the reception capacity and conditions remain seriously inadequate," Hansford said. "This is a regional problem that needs a regional response and regional solidarity."

Syria, which has been embroiled in a civil war since 2011, accounted for nearly 44,000 people, making them the largest group coming to Europe's shores. The report said instability in Libya was another reason for the increase.

Eritrea and Afghanistan were the second- and third-largest countries of origin, the report said.

The report added, however, that increased EU funding for rescue operations has meant a decrease in the number of deaths at sea since May. Hmmm.......How many are 5th column jihadi?

Former chief of security in Gaza and Palestinian leadership rival Mohammed Dahlan has 2 million euro of land outside Belgrade.

Former chief of security in Gaza and Palestinian leadership rival Mohammed Dahlan has 2 million euro of land outside Belgrade. HT: BalkanInsight.

A Serbian firm owned by the family of controversial Palestinian politician Mohammed Dahlan bought the 50 hectares of land along the Belgrade-Zagreb highway in 2006.

Public documents collected by Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) detail how Alfursan, owned by Dahlan’s brother and nephews, secured the 76 plots, worth approximately 2m euros.

The news emerges as Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas travels to Serbia on Tuesday and Wednesday to open a new embassy and meet top officials, including Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic.

Palestinian officials have been privately angered by Serbia’s decision to quietly grant citizenship to Dahlan, who is Abbas’ arch rival and was given a two-year jail term in absentia in May 2014.

The Serbian government’s decision to discreetly honour Dahlan and 11 other Palestinians connected to him in 2013 and 2014 attracted worldwide controversy after BIRN broke the story in February.

Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic argued that the award was motivated by Dahlan’s role in bringing investment from Abu Dhabi to the Balkan country.

But Palestinian officials believe that Dahlan, who rents a luxury villa in Belgrade, should return to his homeland and face the courts.

Dahlan rejects the allegations against him, saying they are part of a political plot to undermine his leadership challenge.

Before Dahlan was acting as a middleman for the Abu Dhabi royal family, and while he was still security chief for the Palestinian Authority, his brother Abdrabou established the real estate company Alfursan in 2006 in Belgrade.

Soon after he split ownership of his firm between himself and his sons, including Shadi Dahlan.

Shadi, who also received Serbian citizenship, runs a business in Montenegro owned by his famous uncle Mohammed called Levant International.

Dahlan also has good relations with Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, who handed him citizenship in 2010.

Based on sale contracts, the land would have been worth around 2m euros in 2006, a figure which has not change significantly today.

He was cleared of corruption in Palestine in April this year when a judge in Ramallah ruled that his immunity as a public official had not been lifted. He had been accused of embezzling $18 million of public money, allegations he has denied. BIRN understands the Anti-Corruption Commission of Palestine is appealing the decision.

Officials from Palestine’s Anti-Corruption Commission have told BIRN that other investigations into Dahlan are ongoing, including a probe into his investments and money transfers in Serbia and Montenegro.

Akram Al-Khateb, deputy head of the commission, said: “Our job is to look for Dahlan’s money transfers to Egypt, Jordan, the Emirates, Serbia, Montenegro and all over.”

The former chief of security in Gaza became an adviser to the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammad bin Zayed, after he fled Palestine in 2011, when he was kicked out of the ruling Fatah party. He has been sentenced in absentia to a two-year jail term in May 2014 for defamation by a Ramallah court.