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Bosnia Plans to Expel Arabs Who Fought in Its War
When Fadhil Hamdani first came to Bosnia from Iraq in 1979 he had no idea he would stay so long. But after prolonged studies, marriage to a Bosnian woman, the birth of five children and citizenship, the years turned into decades. Now he says he feels more Bosnian than Iraqi. But the Bosnian government does not agree. It views him as a threat to national security and is putting Mr. Hamdani and other foreign fighters who have lived in Bosnia for many years on notice of deportation. Arabs, the largest group among hundreds of foreign fighters, fought alongside the Bosnian Muslim Army during the war here, from 1992 to 1995, against Serbs and Croats. In return, they were given Bosnian citizenship. Most left after the war, which tore apart Muslim, Serbian and Croatian communities and cost around 100,000 lives. But a number stayed on and settled down. Bosnian officials say their policies are merely reversing decisions that were illegally made at the wars end. But Bosnian politicians and international officials say that the reversals are primarily motivated by a broader concern: that Bosnia should not be seen as a haven for Islamic militants. Western officials and local politicians, mostly the Muslims former opponents, have accused the former fighters of promoting radical Islam and damaging Bosnias reputation in the process. Some of their structures have been very active in promoting radical activities in the form of Wahhabism, said Dragan Mektic, Bosnias deputy security minister, in a recent interview, referring to a strict form of Islam. The public feel endangered. Western governments have been encouraging the move. Miroslav Lajcak, a Slovak diplomat who is the high representative of the international community in Bosnia and the senior international official here, has increased pressure on the government to move ahead with the deportations. So far, only two former combatants have actually been expelled, both last year. The presence of foreign fighters isnt particularly useful for building a modern democratic state, said a Western diplomat closely involved with the review, who spoke on the customary diplomatic condition of anonymity. While many former fighters who stayed have managed to fit into Bosnian society, others stand out. Imad al-Hussein, a former medical student from Syria with a thick beard, became the public face of the Muslim fighters, or mujahedeen, after the war. He is one of six former fighters the government wants to expel first. The government has not publicly outlined its case against him. His views do lie outside the norms of most Muslims here. For instance, he says that suicide bombings are justifiable but only within Israel. He said in a long interview that he and his former comrades had always acted within the law in Bosnia. But in response to the threat of being removed from his familys home by force, he said: I keep asking myself, will I be able to contain my instincts. If you defend yourself on your doorstep you become a martyr. And that is a great temptation. Other veterans are tensely biding their time, and they contend that there is nothing to connect them to any form of illegal activity. If there was any evidence against us, then why have they let 12 years pass without prosecuting us, said Raffaq Jalili, a Moroccan wounded in the war. continued at link Posted by: ryuge 2007-08-02 |
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