Like what you've read?

On Line Opinion is the only Australian site where you get all sides of the story. We don't
charge, but we need your support. Here�s how you can help.

  • Advertise

    We have a monthly audience of 70,000 and advertising packages from $200 a month.

  • Volunteer

    We always need commissioning editors and sub-editors.

  • Contribute

    Got something to say? Submit an essay.


 The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
On Line Opinion logo ON LINE OPINION - Australia's e-journal of social and political debate

Subscribe!
Subscribe





On Line Opinion is a not-for-profit publication and relies on the generosity of its sponsors, editors and contributors. If you would like to help, contact us.
___________

Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

Kosovo and Erdogan's dangerous Islamic agenda

By Alon Ben-Meir and Arbana Xharra - posted Wednesday, 11 April 2018


Whenever Kosovo is mentioned we are reminded of the 90s, when Europe and the US provided shelter for hundreds of thousands of Albanians who resisted the tyrannical Milosevic regime. A few years later in 1999, the US, jointly with EU countries, launched NATO air strikes against the Serbs' artillery position to end their atrocities. With the support of Western countries, Kosovo became the newest state in Europe, and this year it celebrates its 10th anniversary as an independent country.

Kosovo is known as one of the most pro-American countries, where boulevards are named after President Clinton, with his 11-foot-tall statue at the entrance of the capital city Pristina. Streets are named after George W. Bush and Beau Biden (the late son of Joe Biden); girls are named after Madeline Albright, and boys after other notable American figures. In 1999, the US built its largest military base in the Balkans, Camp Bondsteel, in the eastern part of Kosovo. Kosovo is defined by its constitution as a secular state; Islamic headscarves and religious instructions are banned in primary and secondary schools.

Now Kosovo is being targeted by Turkey's President Erdogan, who is bent on spreading his Islamic agenda throughout the Balkans. He views Kosovo as easy prey and a means by which to promote his wicked plans, and uses its submissive President Hashim Thaci to do his bidding. Millions of euros are flowing from Turkey to Kosovo through illegal routes, bypassing banks and other legitimate financial institutions. In 2015, Pristina-based Albanian language daily Zeri revealed that Erdogan is increasing his influence through the building of religious institutions, including dozens of new mosques, and the restoration of existing ones built during the Ottoman Empire.

Advertisement

These new and old religious structures are financed through one large donor, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), which is directly managed by the Turkish embassy in Pristina. Even more troublesome is that Kosovo's main assets-the airport and electricity grids-were sold to companies controlled by Erdogan's son-in-law, when Kosovo's current president was the Prime Minister.

On March 29, Kosovo deported six teachers from Gülen schools to Turkey, becoming the third country after Iraq and Sudan to hand Gülenists over to Erdogan's brutal treatment. Erdogan regularly pressures the EU and US to deport "his enemies" to Turkey, but fortunately none of the Western countries are willing to cave in to Erdogan's anti-Western Islamic agenda.

After the widespread media coverage and civil outcry over these brazen deportations, none of Kosovo's leaders assumed responsibility, albeit Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj dismissed his Interior Minister and intelligence chief over these deportations, stating that this was done without his permission.

No one can trust President Thaci's statement denying any knowledge of the operation, as he is known to be a close ally of Erdogan. In conversation with us, Berat Buzhala, Editor-in-Chief of the largest online media platform in Kosovo, Gazeta Express, said that "The kidnaping of the Gülenists in Kosovo was organized by both presidents, Erdogan and Hashim Thaci."

Buzhala is convinced that Thaci is lying to the public. "Everything that happened was coordinated between them. How else would the Turkish secret service succeed in kidnaping six Gülenists from Kosovo with a private jet from Pristina Airport, in cooperation with Kosovo Police and the Intelligence Agency, and the President is not aware?!" asks Buzhala.

Erdogan has slammed Kosovo's prime minister, Ramush Haradinaj, saying on March 31 that he was "saddened" and that Prime Minister Haradinaj would "pay" after he dismissed both his interior minister and his intelligence chief for deporting the six from Kosovo without his permission, states the Associated Press.

Advertisement

Kosovo civil society and the majority of the media reacted against the abduction of the six Gülenists. Lulzim Peci, former Ambassador of Kosovo to Sweden and Executive Director of the Kosovo Institute for Policy Research and Development (KIPRED), said to us that the scandal of the arrest of six Turkish citizens, and their subsequent handover to Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) by Kosovo Police, presents one of the most repugnant acts of human rights violations of foreign residents in Kosovo.

"The affected Turkish citizens had not undergone any of the legal proceedings required by the national law, and above all, the Human Rights Convention of the Council of Europe has been gravely violated, taking into consideration that deported citizens are awaiting unjust judicial proceedings in Turkey", said Peci.

In a conversation with Ilir Deda, a member of Kosovo's Parliament representing Alternativa, he too blamed Kosovo's president for this shameful act that has undermined the foundation of the youngest democracy in Europe. "President Thaci went rouge and gave the order to illegally arrest and deport these citizens… fearing for his personal fate, [he] is creating continuous crisis in order to politically survive. This latest crisis has directly created an internal backlash", says Deda.

  1. Pages:
  2. Page 1
  3. 2
  4. All


Discuss in our Forums

See what other readers are saying about this article!

Click here to read & post comments.

1 post so far.

Share this:
reddit this reddit thisbookmark with del.icio.us Del.icio.usdigg thisseed newsvineSeed NewsvineStumbleUpon StumbleUponsubmit to propellerkwoff it

About the Authors

Dr. Alon Ben-Meir is a professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU. He teaches courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies.

Arbana Xharra authored a series of investigative reports on religious extremists and Turkey's Islamic agenda operating in the Balkans. She has won numerous awards for her reporting, and was a 2015 recipient of the International Women of Courage Award from the US State Department.

Other articles by these Authors

All articles by Alon Ben-Meir
All articles by Arbana Xharra

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Article Tools
Comment 1 comment
Print Printable version
Subscribe Subscribe
Email Email a friend
Advertisement

About Us Search Discuss Feedback Legals Privacy