Djamila
Bosnjakinja
It's official, the Islamic Congress of Bosnia and Herzegovina has declared war against followers of Wahhabi Islam - a strict, Salafist interpretation of Islam based in Saudi Arabia.
This conflict has been years in the making, but now it has changed from a war rarely seen to one which is, quite literally, in our faces.
Wahhabi Muslims were locked out of Careva Mosque in downtown Sarajevo some days ago. Both the local Imam and the leader of Bosnia's Muslims, Mustafa Ceric, supported the decision - saying if they allow Wahhabis inside the mosque, then their actions are the Islamic Congress' responsibility. If, instead, they're locked out - then the police have jurisdiction over everything they do.
Other Bosnian Muslims gathering at the mosque obviously supported the decision - television crews filmed dozens of Muslim men and women yelling at the Wahhabi followers. In the portions aired on OBN, the following statements were heard:
"Leave the area!"
"You've come to spoil our children!"
"The Koran did not come to you!"
"Leave this mosque!"
"You are not welcome here!"
"Shame on you for all you've done!"
The media, of course, has recognized this sentiment (which polls show is held by the vast majority of Bosnian Muslims) so they've started covering more Wahhabi-related stories.
The past few days have seen television news programs and newspapers filled with stories of Wahhabi abuses in various regions of Bosnia. People are being reminded of the Bosnian mosques they destroyed because they weren't built and decorated in a Wahhabi style, and of the Muslim women killed during the war by Wahhabi fighters from Arab countries.
Media networks have also interviewed residents of several villages where Wahhabis congregate for prayers.
In one village, Wahhabis took over the local mosque and refused to allow men in modern clothing to enter. Women were completely forbidden to enter the mosque. Residents now drive to the next town for prayers, even those who pray five times a day.
The families who spoke to the media often chose to have their faces and voices disguised. They talked about how they're terrified in their own homes, and how the Wahhabi men are like outlaws terrorizing the village. They don't leave their homes alone, and they never go outside after dark.
They also talked about some of the intimidation they've experienced. Several women cried talking about how their daughters - EVEN THE ONES WHO WEAR HIJAB (which you know is rare here) - were spit on and kicked for not wearing burkas. One four year old girl was pulled from her mother's arms and covered in a burka so roughly her arm was broken.
It's going to get worse before it gets better. It's getting to a point where I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a concentration camp for Wahhabis in the middle of downtown Zenica - gas chambers and all. People are absolutely livid and this is never going to fade away into the background, where it can be comfortably ignored again. It's out in the open, and it will be resolved either way.
This conflict has been years in the making, but now it has changed from a war rarely seen to one which is, quite literally, in our faces.
Wahhabi Muslims were locked out of Careva Mosque in downtown Sarajevo some days ago. Both the local Imam and the leader of Bosnia's Muslims, Mustafa Ceric, supported the decision - saying if they allow Wahhabis inside the mosque, then their actions are the Islamic Congress' responsibility. If, instead, they're locked out - then the police have jurisdiction over everything they do.
Other Bosnian Muslims gathering at the mosque obviously supported the decision - television crews filmed dozens of Muslim men and women yelling at the Wahhabi followers. In the portions aired on OBN, the following statements were heard:
"Leave the area!"
"You've come to spoil our children!"
"The Koran did not come to you!"
"Leave this mosque!"
"You are not welcome here!"
"Shame on you for all you've done!"
The media, of course, has recognized this sentiment (which polls show is held by the vast majority of Bosnian Muslims) so they've started covering more Wahhabi-related stories.
The past few days have seen television news programs and newspapers filled with stories of Wahhabi abuses in various regions of Bosnia. People are being reminded of the Bosnian mosques they destroyed because they weren't built and decorated in a Wahhabi style, and of the Muslim women killed during the war by Wahhabi fighters from Arab countries.
Media networks have also interviewed residents of several villages where Wahhabis congregate for prayers.
In one village, Wahhabis took over the local mosque and refused to allow men in modern clothing to enter. Women were completely forbidden to enter the mosque. Residents now drive to the next town for prayers, even those who pray five times a day.
The families who spoke to the media often chose to have their faces and voices disguised. They talked about how they're terrified in their own homes, and how the Wahhabi men are like outlaws terrorizing the village. They don't leave their homes alone, and they never go outside after dark.
They also talked about some of the intimidation they've experienced. Several women cried talking about how their daughters - EVEN THE ONES WHO WEAR HIJAB (which you know is rare here) - were spit on and kicked for not wearing burkas. One four year old girl was pulled from her mother's arms and covered in a burka so roughly her arm was broken.
It's going to get worse before it gets better. It's getting to a point where I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a concentration camp for Wahhabis in the middle of downtown Zenica - gas chambers and all. People are absolutely livid and this is never going to fade away into the background, where it can be comfortably ignored again. It's out in the open, and it will be resolved either way.
