International Conference: Current Security Challenges for the Western Balkan Region Addressed by Means of Joint Responsibility and Cooperation Panel Discussion 1 Esad Hecimovic: Risk from Political Islam for the Western Balkan Countries There are different forms and contents This group consisted of two generation. labeled as“Political Islam”. In invitation to Older generation was led by Salih Behmen this conference Political Islam was dened and other members of Young Muslims as„a point of reference for wide range of organization, established on the eve of the political activities, worldwide, leading to Second World War. They were born in the unprecedented irruption of Islamic religion rst half of the XX century. Second into secular domain of politics that posits a generation was born during fties and they distortion or corruption of properly were raised during the socialist period. religious practice. The consequences of Those activists used opportunities after the such radicalization of Islam in the region is collapse of socialism and dissolution of seen as direct threat to each country alone Yugoslav state to claim their leadership but also to the regional stability and peace among Muslims in Bosnia and they won desired since the end of the latest wars the rst democratic elections in December and conicts in the region“. 27 1990. They changed their nation, collective identity, and society but also In my own experience such they changed themselves. Jailed Islamic „unprecedented irruption of Islamic religion activists started to think as politicians and into secular domain of politics“ happened later transformed their party into a member more than twenty years ago in my of European People's Party club. hometown of Zenica and elsewhere throughout of Bosnia and Herzegovina Some of them tried to establish monopoly after formation of SDA party led by Alija over religious community or national Izetbegović. I have witnessed very different identity, or simply political and party and conicting periods in development of monopoly but every such attempt failed. this party. Now it seems that this is the Actually such attempts led to different most important example of transformation interpretations in Islamic sharia law of Political Islam in this region through justifying“different paths to true for conict and peace time. It could be told as believers”. And that is exactly where the success story and good model for other current trouble started. It was not easy to regions. One of the main problems today is control development in closed Islamic how we can transform Islamic activism community under strict police and political into legal and legitimate political activism. control under socialist government. It is At the end of socialist period and federal now especially very hard to have effective Yugoslav state we had group of Islamic control over process in free, open society activist jailed for their political and religious with activism over social networks and activism. with new technology. It is very hard to keep monopoly over Islam, religion, or any other such issue in free, open society.