14/04/2015
Kosovar Center for Security Studies (KCSS) has launched today the detailed report on causes and consequences of Kosovo citizens’ involvement in conflicts in Middle East, respectively in Syria and Iraq. This is the first report of this kind which in detailed manner and based on a large empirical work, identifies the causes and consequences of Kosovars’ involvement in the Middle East conflicts. When comparing Kosovo with twenty one (21) other countries of Western Europe, including U.S.A, Russia and Turkey, the report finds Kosovo and Bosnia to have the most foreign fighters per capita in Syria and Iraq. However, the ranking differs when there is a comparison in terms of foreign fighters per capita amongst their Muslim population of these countries, where as a result the Muslim populations of these very non-Muslim countries, such as Finland, Belgium, Denmark, etc., are mostly affected by these phenomena. In his ranking Kosovo is listed 14th among twenty two (22) countries with the highest number of foreign fighters per capita of their respective Muslim populations.
The author of this report and the research team have directly contacted with former Takfirs extremist, six (6) former fighters in Syria who have returned in Kosovo, and families and relatives of twelve (12) other fighters, finding several aspects and individual terms that ease their conviction to go in Syria. These include individual characteristics of each and everyone; mostly they are young individuals and not well educated; they have very bad living conditions; they are mainly isolated from the society and often from their own family. The report also finds that some of these individuals are led to misunderstand the concept of Shahid (Martyr), which is very strong in Islam, consequently convincing these individuals to become subjects of extreme ideology that ultimately leads many of them to Syria.
As a result of an in depth analysis, KCSS represents a set of recommendations as followed:
(i) there should be a comprehensive approach to rehabilitation and re-integration of the foreign fighters who, according to KCSS, classify in three (3) category:
(a) those that regret joining the conflict in Syria, and want to give up their violent extremist acts and ideology;
(b) Those that regret joining the conflict in Syria, but not that they embraced Takfirism; (c) Those that do not regret joining the conflict in Syria, not embracing Takfirism;
(ii) therefore there should not be a “one size fits all” approach;
(iii) the report also recommends that arrests and imprisonment should be avoided as much as possible, unless there are strong indications and proves that certain individuals represent an imminent risk for national security and constitutional order;
(iv) concluding that it is impossible for the youth to be de-radicalized by the secular institutions on their own, the report recommends that there should be a very close cooperation between state secular institutions, the religious institutions and legitimate and credible imams, especially imams who should sit in the first row in striving to de-radicalize and prevent further spread of radicalization. The report has a set of recommendations for BIK, imams, state institutions, donors, and for other social sector which you could read more in the report.
The conference was attended by about 100 participants, as representatives from Kosovo Police, Ministry of the Kosovo Security Force, representatives from the Embassy: US, United Kingdom, German, Belgian, Greek, Dutch, Czech, Turkish, Finnish, Russian Office and representatives of civil society, journalists and student.
This project is supported by the American Embassy in Kosovo.
Causes and consequences of Kosovo citizens’ involvement as foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq
