Raising numbers of Kosovo Albanians who are joining Jihad is, for sure, a worrying symptom of radicalization in Balkans, particularly on the territory of former Yugoslavia, along with the foreign influence, which was crucially affected by continuous disruption of the social, political, spiritual and moral values, inspired by shakes and clashes following Yugoslavia’s disintegration.

Albanian-Serbian historical conflict has always had, particularly on the Albanian side, and significant dimension of religious intolerance, albeit only the last separatist war and its aftermaths, in the context of developments in closer and remote environments, has brought to a situation that extreme, and lately ‘Jihadist’, way of Islam are spreading and, conditionally speaking, finding a programmatic fruitful soil in Kosovo and Metohija, being the part of (pan)Islamic International,” Darko Tanaskovic, leading Serbian Islamologist, Orientalist and ambassador, whose diplomatic carrier will soon continue with UNESCO, said to Danas.

Is it possible, from the religious perspective, to draw any parallels between what is currently ongoing and activities of the KLA, which was secular, at least from outside, even though it was speculated that mujahedins have joined its ranks?
“The reliable answer to this very important question can be provided only by someone who is familiar, from the first hand, with the situation on the ground, including developing aspects. Based on what is known to me, I would say that for the KLA, its members, including command cadre and ideological-political masterminds, in the course of key years 1998 and 1999, Islamic indoctrination wasn’t so characteristic to a bigger extent or at least it wasn’t predominant. I know that some foreign mujahedins were leaving Kosovo disappointed after they realized that Jihad was not primarily fought there in terms of war by Allah’s way. However, situation has gradually changed later, whereas exporters of (pan)Islamism from Middle East Muslim centers, and from certain enclaves in the West too, particularly those wealthy and well organized ones, Wahhabis, have spotted a chance, like in other poor regions in the world, to activate intensively in terms of inserting their elements and taking on board local Muslims for the cause of their own ideology and goals. Kosovo and Metohija in 2014 is far away from Kosovo and Metohija in early nineties of the last century.

To what extent has the UN protectorate contributed to such situation in Kosovo and Metohija, under whose reign national and religious structure of population has been completely changed?
No matter on different interest driven reasons to portray current situation in Kosovo and Metohija, it must be clear to any reasonable person that such ‘international protectorate’ or mafia-clan quasi state improvisation, on the oxygen provided by the Atlantic and Islamic power centers, is an ideal space for growing any type of evil, along with the ‘Jihadist’ one, what for contemporary Balkans, in fact presents an essentially new phenomenon.  Kosovo’s example proves, for who knows how many times so far in last twenty years, a sort of ostensibly paradoxical phenomenon that paralegal, violent and clumsy intervention from the ‘free world’, declaratively aiming at preventing humanitarian catastrophes, introduction of democracy and affirmation of human, civil and minority rights in the regions they ‘make happy’, are causing a fatal chaos and are beneficial for giving birth to extremism, particularly the Islamic one.

To which extent will developments in the Middle East, along with the victory of Tayyip Erdogan on presidential elections in Turkey, influence Balkan Muslims, particularly on the territory of former SFRY?
“In overall, developments in the Middle East objectively contribute to frustration and radicalization of Muslims throughout the world, thus on the territory of former Yugoslavia too, even more, since dissatisfaction prevails in considerable part of Muslims/Bosniaks in B&H, and in neighboring regions of Serbia, and Montenegro to certain extent, in terms of their position with regard to territorial-political configuration of this region following Yugoslavia’s disintegration, which was significantly influenced by their than leaderships, who were dreaming totally different dreams about the final outcome. Being that Turkey, as the emerging regional power, no matter on the raising influx of other Islamic factors which were significantly less present in the past in the regional religious-political equations, is still the most influential Muslim state in the Balkans, there is no doubt that Erdogan’s victory on presidential elections will be significant for further developments amongst our Muslims. In the end, that could be concluded and from the interest, which his election campaign has prompted in Muslim settlements, and the manner of welcoming Erdogan’s triumph. It will be interesting to follow future competition between power centers of the Islamic world in their struggles over winning the souls, along with bodies, of Balkan Muslims. In any case, taking into account all internal and external circumstances, it is hard to foresee, in times to come, any sort of reduction of ethno-confessional distance and tensions amongst Muslims and non-Muslims on the territory of former Yugoslavia.

Jihadists and Islamists
Majority of combatants who are departing from Kosovo and Metohija to Middle East battlefields for sure are ‘Jihadists’, whereas to what extent they are and serious Islamists, in terms of wider knowledge of Islam, religion and culture is highly problematic. That would be, approximately, similar to relations between Bolsheviks or Maoists and Marksists, explained Tanaskovic.