THE RESPONSE OF FLORIAN QEHAJA REGARDING THE NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE “HOW KOSOVO WAS TURNED INTO FERTILE GROUND FOR ISIS”

KCSS Executive Director, Florian Qehaja has responded to the article published on 22nd of May 2016 in New York Times stating that Kosovo has become a fertile ground for ISIS.

Below you can find letter to the editor published in New York Times:

"Your article provides context for the rise of Islamic extremism in Kosovo but echoes only the dark side of the story, not mentioning recent positive developments.

After efforts by the Islamic community, civil society and the government, the number of Kosovo’s foreign fighters has decreased drastically since 2014. There are now between 60 and 70 in Syria and Iraq (down from 200). About 50 others have been killed in battle; the rest have returned home or can no longer be located.

Comparing the number of jihadists with the total Muslim population (rather than per capita, as the article does) ranks Kosovo 14th among European countries, not first. The article also did not include data about how Kosovars view their place in the world.

According to a recent poll from my organization, the Kosovar Center for Security Studies, 95 percent of Kosovars see the United States and Europe (rather than Russia and Turkey) as their country’s strategic partners.

While it is true that conservative Arab states have helped spread a nontraditional practice of Islam, these groups represent a minority in Kosovo’s Muslim community."

Florian Qehaja