EU “Hypocrisy” Radicalises Bosnian Muslims

Typical of Muslims to justify violence and rage over any perceived slight. (Of course their rankles never get up when terror strikes in the name of their religion.) The EU is plain crazy to bee letting Muslims into their countries.

We always hear, in the media and from comentators and elites, that things that unbelievers do radicalize Muslims. The EU's via plan will radicalize Muslims. Calling Islamic Terrorism what it is, will radicalize Muslims. Why is it that it's always someone elses fault for the radicalization of Muslims? Is it the fault of abortion doctors in the U.S for the radicalization of the Christian Right? Do we blame Obama for the recent radicalization of anti-government extremists? Is it that Muslims are incapable of taking responsibility for the fundamentalism that takes root in their own community? Or are the media and elites just a bunch of condescending bigots?

I am really sorry for my Bosniak friends. I truly understand how they feel. And on some level people might feel that it is not fair... For almost 20 years now, I, a Serb felt that it was not fair because I was being punished both by international community and their pressures, sanctions and outright demonisation in media and in person whenever I wanted to travel, and by my own government and radical people in the country whenever I went to the street and protested their bad decisions. It truly sucks when you feel that the only way to go forward is to have to give up something you hold dear. Many of my friends gave their kids English names so they will not be bullied in school... But you must stop blaming it all on the "killers". I am happy to say that the majority of Serbs now want peace, prosperity good neighborly relations. And most of them were are not the killers. Most of them are like me, whose biggest weapon was a cardboard sign against oppression. And the west, I am glad to say, for once rewarded ME and my kids! So please, my dear Bosniak friends. Tell me how can we help each other so that we can both travel the world. Please don't tell me that the only way forward is for me to pay for this again. Surely you can find happiness without me paying for it.

The Bosnian Muslims' aggression following the EU's visa decision shows EXACTLY why we do NOT want them to come into to our countries without visas.

"outbursts of aggression are a wholly normal reaction" Really? I think, Bosnia should really be excluded, until they learned how to make peace (and not only talk about it).

All that Islamophobia and Muslim-baiting in the style of the new Julius Streicher Geert Wilders and others of his ilkI read here is so reminiscent of the antisemitism that was rife in Europe during the 1930s and 1940s, and only tells me that fascism is still rife in Europe. Well, if they say that Muslims are being radicalized, I see rather that fascism is on the rise in Europe, and the Bosniaks must really ask themselves if they really want to be part of such an Europe which just can't, and doesn't want to shake off its fascist ideas. Just like many Serbs can't and don't want to get rid of their 19th century and medieval Greater Serb ideas.

There are two sides to every issue. I fully understand the disappointment of the overwhelming majority of peaceful, non-radicalized Bosniaks who have been excluded from the open door policy of the EU. But in truth the EU should have freedom to determine who will have the privilege of entering its house. And sadly there IS a growing problem with the millions of Muslims who are already enjoying that hospitality. Maybe some of the Bosnian outrage ought to be directed towards those Muslim guests who HAVE been welcomed into the house and have proven themselves such rude, ungrateful, and sometimes even violent guests. In a broken world its a sad fact that innocent people often have to suffer consequences of other people's sin. I'm faced with it every time I go through airport security. I can choose to rage at the security guards - at the indignation of being an automatic suspect and having to divest myself of shoes, clothing, and personal items just to get to the gate. Or I can remind myself that in the real world these measures are necessary because of the murderous insanity of a few. In my opinion, opening its doors to multitudes of anonymous Muslim guests would be as insane as discontinuing airport security.

To all those Islamophobes who say that Bosniaks, or Muslims have no place in Europe: 1. So the anti-Bosniak crusade was right, or it is right to expel or gehttoize the Bosniaks? And you say you stand for human rights, you hypocrites? 2. I, and millions of other Muslims like me, just want to live in peace and freedom, and follow our religion the way we want to. Just like you Christians. No more and no less. I do not stand for the Taliban or Osama Bin Laden, they represent what I call Islamic Bolshevism or Stone-Age Islamism, but since I do not endorse their ideas nor their deeds I don't want to be associated with such people and I do NOT have to apologize for them! And anybody who would want me to, or say such things to my face, or stab me because he believes that I don't deserve to live, I will do my best to prevent him from harming me - but only in self-defense! 3. And I feel particularly insulted whan some White Christian Supremacists say to me or to othes, well, just give up your barbaric religion and become Christian! Dammit, I'm not from the 15th century, but you certainly are, and I tell you: I'd rather be killed than be baptized! 4. Anybody who says that Muslims do not belong in Europe, that they are only good enough as an underprivileged underclass is really trying to provoke us in order to bash us. After various Islamophobic incidents that I know of, after so much Muslim-baiting by the new Julius Streicher who goes by the name of Geert Wilders and others of his ilk, I can only say I WILL NOT BE SPOKEN OF OR SPOKEN TO LIKE THAT!

For starters, thank you for your post. It is heartening to konow that there are people like you around in Bosnia. You take Bosniaks serious. You are willing to befriend them, not to see them as infrahumans. That's more than can be said for many Serb or Serbophile posters on this page, whose statements are dripping with visceral hate and contempt for the Bosniaks just because they are Muslims. These guys are not doing the Serb people a service, actually, they only manage to increase the hate because what they have to say about what happened in Bosnia during the war, or what they think about Bosniaks is to place ther blame squarely on the victims of aggression, and that would infuriate even the most peaceful of souls. Whenever I read some of that, images of doing the same hideous things to them come to mind. But that is not the point here. If you are willing to respect me as a Muslim, then I am willing to respect you as a Christian exactly as much as I do my own. How far we both practice our religion is of absolutely no importance, only that we respect ourselves as fellow human beings. You say, most Serbs wish for peace, prosperity and good neighborly relations. If this were only true. I have indeed seen some days ago over the news that there are Serbs in Bosnia who would want just that. Too few still, but it is a start. At least, when those unprintable chetniks from “Ravna Gora” and "Obraz" held their insulting demonstration in Srebrenica, it seems not too many local Serbs joined with them; maybe they are a little ashamed. Excuse me, but we do have to blame it on the killers. After all it was "them" who started it all. But I do make the distinction between people like Karadzic or Milan Lukic and you. You are not destructive like those people. Or like Dodik and his cronies. But I do have to admit that the current Bosniak leadership do not exactly distinguish themselves for their competence and integrity. Yes, like you say, you must help each other, that is what you have to do. If, as you say, you have Bosniak friends, seek them out , talk with them. Or better, why don't you and your friends get into politics and try to make a difference? You would certainly do better than today's leadership. And please: I for one do not wish to make you and your family or people like you pay for crimes you did not commit and probably don't approve of. In that sense, I would really welcome you in Europe. But not the killers of Srebrenica or the rapists of Vilina Vlas. Their names and their faces are well known. Also, during the war so horrible things happened to Bosniaks, and also to Serbs that it would be completely evil and utter foolish to want war to resume (besides that the Bosniaks do not have heavy weapons, tanks, missiles and aircraft to do that). So to all good people in Bosnia, no longer follow hate-mongers and war-mongers but take things in your own hands. And do not strive for partition, becasue as the precedent of India and Pakistan shows, this led only to more bloodshed, ethnic cleansing, war and even nuclear arms race (not that the last would happen here, it is only to illustrate my point).

If Bosnian Muslims could travel freely to the EU it would mean another wave of Muslim immigration. Here in Brussels, they make already one third of the population! Europe must preserve its Christian heritage!

I am glad that we can talk like this, in peace and civility. Even if we disagree, like we actally do on few topics, this conversations is necessary so that we can understand each other problems. So please keep this in mind, because I do have to disagree... The only way forward is to stop blaming "others" for ones own troubles! Yes, there are killers out there. But lets hope that the Hague and other courts can bring as many to justice. Lets you and I concentrate on building the peace. The only way for me to feel "in peace" is if I do not feel threatened. And if all I hear is "no serb should be allowed a visa-free travel until XXX", or "killers allowed to travel withou visas", or "every serb politician is a war monger"... Hmm... Guess what. When giving such blanco statements, all those statements directly threaten me. They are not qualified to some bad serbs. The articles never bother to even acknowledge that I, a moderate exist. I try to vote for the best guy, but which guy would satisfy those lofty goals you ask? You must see that in practical terms I have to *demand* some legally binding protection because from my perspective world is full of hate against *me*. You keep saying that serbs started it etc... Yes, serbs commited Srebrenica crime, and I for one hope all guilty come to justice and fast. While Bosniak loss is great, they actually injured me as well, and my hopes for future and acceptance of my kids in the world. Those criminals are my enemies as well. However, as for "starting" you must allow that your point of view is not the only one in the world. 20 years ago my whole family lived in the same country. Then "you" decided to make "me" live separate from half of my relatives. And you have a very similar argument in reverse... And guess what. I am sure I will not convince you, and you will not convince me. So, here we have a very practical choice. Either we stop pointing fingers without any preconditions and look forward. The only other possibility is to "convince" the other guy with force. Do you want to go there? I don't. So, I decided to stop looking at 20, 10 1 years to the past. I look forward. I promise to never blame my current condition on Bosniaks. And further more I will demand justice and equality from all around me no matter of religion, nationality, color of skin... Can you promise the same?

What do you mean, that Muslims in Europe can live only as second-class citizens, and when they want for themselves the same rights and the same respect as the Christian majority they are "troublemakers"?? There is only a handful of people who are really dangerous, adn I think that since the London attempts which I do absolutely NOT endorse, the European police forces are doing a very good job of tracking and arresting them before they can do any harm. So how dare you say all Muslims are barbarians savages troublemakers or terrorists. I dare you say such rubbish to my face!

It's not because your Muslim!

All right, all right, Bosnia has first to look to itself and see that they fulfill the criteria for visa-free travel. And without a doubt the Bosniak leadership has not exactly distinguished itself by its integrity and competence. If they had, they would have addressed the political problems of Bosnia a long time ago. But of course the "RS" leadership shares a lot of the blame through their obstructionist and negative politics. They can afford to do so, because since it is easy for Bosnian Serbs to obtain a Serb passport, they are not affected by the travel ban, only the Bosniaks are. Yes, the killers of Srebrenica and teh rapists of Vilina Vlas can travel, their victims can't. That's a fact and it is an injustice of such an enormity that it can't be expressed in words adequately. So of course the Bosniaks are furious, and rightly so. And unfortunately, since this situation is in the interest of Bosnian Serbs it can safely be assumed that they will only try to prolong it as long as possible. So the time when Bosniaks can finally travel freely will never come. Of course tthe Bosnian Serb leadership in its bid to lock the Bosniaks into a Balkan version of the Gaza Strip, and Islamophobes among the EU leadership are speculating on some Bosniaks committing some violent acts out of despair, then they will have a pretext to label them all terrorists and to treat them exactly as the Israelis are treating the Palestinians, or to leave them at the tender mercies of their enemies. Bosniaks would therefore be well advised not to rally always behind the same people who can't bring them forward. Unfortunately it seems that they are surrounded by hostile people and that Europe too remains unfriendly to them, as they have proven during the war; so even if the Bosniaks had a responsible, European-oriented leadership which had an idea how to counter the "RS" destructive moves, it is not sure that this would be enough. At least they would be in a better position than now. Because Europe will have to acknowledge that there IS an indigenous Muslim population in the Balkans which is NOT going away and they will have to accommodate it. Even though at present it seems they have a great problem with it.

Yes. I agree. Look, I for one do make the distinction between Serbofascists (the killers) and the rest. We know who started the war in Bosnia and for what reason. We know the ideology that stands behind it. No need to talk of it here further. Yes, all this hurt you too, and it IS unjust; if you are not to blame, nobody should blame YOU. On the other hand, if you did never anything wrong to no one, you don't have to be ashamed. You don't have to apoplogize. As soon as you will be allowed to travel, by all means do. I would like to say, come and visit us here (but I dare not disclose my identity and my particulars here lest I get tons of hate mail or even unwelcome visitors; what differing opinions on the Balkans are concerned there are, alas, some very violent people around, and I would like my face to stay as it is.) I know not ALL Serb politicians, intellectuals or journalists are war mongers or hate mongers. A lot of them are not. There is Cedomir Jovanovic; there was Zoran Djindjic, may he rest in peace; there are young people in Serbia and among the Bosnian Serbs who are concerned with getting on good terms with the Bosniaks. I see them as friends too. If they weren't there I'd lose my faith in mankind. Whom I do not see as friends are those who still can't let go of the criminal ideology of that time. Whose posts here and elsewhere are dripping with murderous hate and genocidal intent. It is them who sometimes make me say terrible things, to put a mirror before their faces as it were. But you are not like that. And even if you said something I don't approve of, we could most likely sort it out. It does not seem to me that you have a problem with Muslims anyway, and if you don't like fundamentalists I can assure you I don't like them either. If, as you say, you have Bosniak friends (and maybe Catholics too) talk things over with them. Better still, take things in your own hands if you don't approve of the current leadership. We both know that those who seek power for the sake of power or to enrich themselves often do great evil. But those who do not seek power for its own sake but are entrusted with it to defend freedom and justice from oppression and misrule sometimes do really well. (like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill or John F. Kennedy) Do you know the town of Baljvina near Jajce? As far as I know, Bosniaks and Serbs stood together there during the war. They refused themselves to the war. Go see it and talk with the people there. I don't want a "Srebrenica in reverse" to happen. If it did, we would be the evil ones. It is bad enough already as it is. I do NOT approve of Sept. 11th, or of the Fundamentalists. (if you have followed the news carefully you will see that people in Iran are already sick and tired of the Islamist regime; and you know most Muslims in Bosnia reject such a regime too.) YOu want to live in peace. Most Bosniaks want to live in peace too. I don't think they seek revenge but the seek justice. Everybody has the right to live in dignity and to worship as he wants to - but not at the cost of the dignity of others. This applies to Bosniaks too. The Bosniaks of Foca, Rogatica, Prijedor and Srebrenica have a right to return to their pre-war homes and to be compensated for their material loss. So have of course the Bosnian Serbs (but NOT, as I have said, the war criminals) from Sarajevo or Gorazde. Unfortunately, nobody can bring those who were killed back to life. Excluding the killers from political participation, removing them from the scene is necessary so that they can do no more damage (and I mean such gangsters as Celo or men with a dubious background like Naser Oric too.) But if Bosnia is to function as a normal state, Bosnian Serbs and Croats as well as Bosniaks must have equal rights. There can be no second-class citizens. This would be fascism. I reject fascism. There should be as high a degree of autonomy as French Candians enjoy in Canada for Bosnian Serbs and Croats, Jews, Roma, etc. And if I was the Bosniak leader I would say "We will not start a new war. You have now seen that the previous organization of the country did not work. So we invite you to join us. If you want peace you shall have peace." Unfortunately it does not depend on me. It is not my right to order you, I can only point out things; But the people in Bosnia must think for themselves. It is very bad as it is; but partition would only make matters worse, just look at India and Pakistan. As soon as you can travel, go see the world. But visit a Muslim country too, like Morocco, Egypt or Turkey. See for yourself. I really wish you all the best and your kids too. Teach them not to hate. So will I teach mine: "What you don't wish to be done to you, don't do it to the others." Peace be upon you.