Bosnia: A hub for Saudi religious influence in Europe?
Bosnia and Herzegovina has good relations with Saudi Arabia and enjoys significant economic support. However, Saudi Arabia’s growing influence in Bosnia raises concerns about its ability to become a European laboratory for Wahhabism, writes political analyst Dariusz Kalan, a specialist in Central European affairs.
However, not everyone considers the financial assistance of Saudi Arabia into Bosnia as a threat.
“Bosnia and Herzegovina follows liberal Islam, but many fear that Saudi Arabia, with its economic support, is trying to reorganize traditional liberal Islam with its own ultra-conservative Wahhabi version,” Dariusz Kalan told OZY.
In the past, Saudi Arabia has already faced such allegations in Asia and Africa. According to some experts, Bosnia and Herzegovina could be easy prey for Saudi religious ambitions. Indeed, this country is plagued by weak state institutions, economic problems and a long history of foreign influence.
According to the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency of Bosnia since 2007, Saudi Arabia’s share of investment has tripled. In 2017, Riyadh invested $ 22 million in Bosnia, a significant figure in a country with a GDP of $ 20 billion. Saudi Arabia has been responsible for building two shopping centers in Sarajevo. Both centers have strict rules and do not serve alcohol or pork products. Saudi Arabia is also the main buyer of Bosnian weapons.
In addition, Saudi Arabia also has a more moderate influence in Bosnia. In the first six months of this year, nearly 40,000 Saudi tourists visited the country, more than double the same period in 2018. In 2019, FlyBosnia, the national airline, established direct flights between Sarajevo and Riyadh. All these economic benefits are particularly interesting for Bosnia. Its economic situation is particularly difficult with a youth unemployment rate of 55.5%, the highest level in the world.
Negative perception
Many Bosnians are also worried about this Saudi presence. According to a 2018 study, 27% of Bosnians have a negative perception of the role of Saudi Arabia in their country. Only 10% have a positive opinion.
“It is almost common knowledge that their money is a prerequisite for religious education,” said Leila Bičakčić, director of the Sarajevo Investigative Reporting Center.
However, these allegations are strongly contradicted by the institutions involved. “There is an increasingly organic interest from Saudi citizens,” says Harun Karčić, a Sarajevo-based researcher and writer. “The Saudis find Bosnia cheap, culturally close and not too far from the sea. The idea that they spread radical Islam during their travels is ridiculous.”
The fear of Saudi religious activities in Bosnia is also linked to the past. In Bosnia, 50% of the population is Muslim. In Europe, only Albania and Kosovo score higher. During the wars in the Balkans in the 1990s, thousands of foreign Mujahideen came to Bosnia to fight rebels backed by Croatia and Serbia. Several Bosnian Muslims went to study in Saudi Arabia.
Terrorism
The debate on Saudi influence is currently particularly sensitive in Bosnia. About three hundred Bosnians joined the ranks of foreign Daesh fighters in Iraq and Syria, the highest per capita rate of any foreign nation. Some fighters have now indicated that they wish to return to Bosnia.
“It is not clear that radicalization is linked to Saudi influence,” said Jasmin Mujanović, a Bosnian political scientist. “There was clearly a conservative turning point among Bosnian Muslims. But it is more related to the poor economic situation and the trauma of the post-war genocide than in the Middle East.”
Most Bosnian Muslims support liberal and secular traditions. In 2018, only 2.5% of them supported their compatriots left to fight in the Middle East. Many ordinary Bosnian Muslims also find that their way of life is opposed to the ostentatious opulence of Saudi tourists, often accused of treating locals with disrespect.
According to some experts, Bosnian Serb and Croatian nationalists and Serb and Croat politicians could use the fears of an Islamist threat to interfere again in the country’s affairs. In the 1990s, the defense against the Islamic threat was also used to justify the genocide.
“The truth lies somewhere in between,” said a Western diplomat. “Bosnia is not a European bastion of terrorism. However, the country suffers from serious economic problems. If nothing changes, actors such as Saudi Arabia are sufficiently entrenched and know how to use the situation.”
