RISKS of ISLAMIST RADICALISATION in BULGARIA: a CASE STUDY in the IZTOK NEIGHBOURHOOD of the CITY of PAZARDZHIK Working Paper, February 2017
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RISKS OF ISLAMIST RADICALISATION IN BULGARIA: A CASE STUDY IN THE IZTOK NEIGHBOURHOOD OF THE CITY OF PAZARDZHIK Working Paper, February 2017 Mila Mancheva and Rositsa Dzhekova This report presents the results from a The risk group for the conduct of the qualitative case study aimed at exploring the qualitative case study was identified based on relevance of a framework of generic indicators desk research involving the collection and for detection of risks of Islamist radicalization analysis of data relating to government to the national context of Bulgaria.1 The study strategies, expert policy analysis, court is designed on the premise that the proceedings and related media coverage. The formulation of risk indicators in relevance to identified risk group regards a small sub- the context of Bulgaria should be based on an community of Roma inhabiting the Iztok understanding of the actual processes that neighborhood of the town of Pazardjik who may lead to Islamist radicalisation and the root profess recently adopted Salafi interpretations causes and driving factors lying behind it. As no of Islam. It should be stressed that the choice such studies have yet been conducted in was not made on the premise that the group Bulgaria, a qualitative case study was designed follows Salafi interpretations of Islam, but and conducted to serve in attaining based on indications that some of its members understanding about the vulnerabilities to have recently manifested and expressed Islamist radicalisation among a group sympathies with radical Islamist organizations considered at risk. In this respect, the such as IS. qualitative case study will aid the conduct of a future discussion on the formulation of The aims of the qualitative case study were: 1) radicalisation and vulnerability indicators to provide understanding about the root relevant for the context of Bulgaria. causes and the social meaning of the adoption of Salafi interpretations of Islam on the part of 1 A framework of generic indicators for detection of risks Radicalisation: A Framework for Risk Indicators. Sofia: of Islamist radicalization for the purposes of early Center for the Study of Democracy. prevention is presented in CSD (2017) Monitoring 1 some local Roma in the Iztok neighborhood in and central level (eight persons); b) social the town of Pazardjik; 2) to provide workers engaged directly with the community understanding about the root causes and the at risk from the regional departments of the social meaning of certain manifestations of Agency for Social Assistance (nine persons); c) sympathy with radical Islamist ideas and members of the National Network of Health organisations; 3) to provide understanding Mediators with long-standing field experience about the vulnerabilities to potential in working among Roma communities (four radicalisation among members of the group of persons); d) community members and Roma professing Salafi interpretation of Islam; representatives of civil society structures at 4) to consult selected risk and vulnerability local level (six persons). Of importance for the indicators with law enforcement and interpretation of the collected data were the intelligence officers at central and local level. field visits and the observations conducted in four Roma neighborhoods in the towns of The analysis provided in this report is based on Pazardjik (Iztok), Asenovgrad (Lakovo), Sliven data from various sources. Firstly, (Nadejda) and Nova Zagora (Shesti). systematization is provided of the data It should be noted that this research is based on contained in court indictment 44/2016 of the qualitative data about other people’s regional prosecution office in Pаzardjik for the observations, views, and experiences pertaining incitement of discrimination and hatred on to the community professing Salafi Islam in the religious grounds (art. 164 of the Criminal Iztok neighbourhood. These are primarily Code) and for propagation of war (art. 407 of representatives of both central and local the Criminal Code), as well as of the media institutions whose professional duties require coverage of the court proceedings along this them to come in direct contact with members trial and of the manifestations of the of the said Salafi community and, to a lesser profession of Salafi interpretations of Islam by extent, other inhabitants of the same some of the inhabitants of the Iztok neighbourhood. The study does not present the neighborhood. In addition, data from 27 semi- viewpoint of the group of people professing structured interviews has been processed and Salafi interpretations of Islam,3 as during the analysed.2 The interviews were conducted in field visits to the Iztok neighbourhood of the city six different cities (Pazardjik, Plovdiv, of Pazardzhik all local community Asenovgrad, Sliven, Nova Zagora and Sofia) representatives regardless of their religion and with four groups of respondents: a) law language demonstrated anxiety and a defensive enforcement and intelligence officers at local attitude .4 2 Qualitative information from two interviews conducted councils in a number of Bulgarian cities to prohibit the full- earlier (in 2015) for the purposes of a background study face veiling of women. This process culminated in the on trends in Islamist radicalization in Bulgaria, has also adoption of the Act to Limit the Wearing of Clothing been used. Partially or Completely Covering the Face (passed by the 3 A single interview was conducted with the community’s National Assembly on September 30, 2016 and leader Ahmed Mussa on June 17, 2016 in the Pazardzhik promulgated in issue 80 of the State Gazette (SG) of 2016, prison. It was a biographical interview and was conducted http://www.parliament.bg/bg/laws/ID/42106/). The so with the provision that it would not be published or quoted called ‘resolutions to outlaw the wearing of burqas in public’ in public. were introduced by way of amending the respective municipalities’ Public Order Ordinances. Such resolutions 4 Conducting research among the group of Muslim Roma were passed by the municipal council of the city of professing Salafi interpretations of Islam between April – Pazardzhik on April 27, 2016 (http://www.focus- July 2016 was hampered by the heightened public attention news.net/news/2016/04/27/2231229/pazardzhik- and growing fears in the context of the ongoing court trial obshtinskite-savetnitsi-prieha-zabranata-za-nosene-na- (Pazardzhik Provincial Court criminal case No. 44/2016), as burki.html) followed by the municipal council of the city of well as of a series of resolutions enacted by the municipal 2 It should be stipulated also, for the sake of groups also speak different mother tongues correctness, that the information presented within their own communities – Romani, and discussed herein regarding the activities of Bulgarian, Turkish or Romanian. Owing to a the 14 defendants professing Salafi tendency among some Roma to self-identify as interpretations of Islam, seven of whom are Bulgarians (those professing Eastern residents of the city of Pazardzhik, is based on Orthodoxy, Catholicism or Protestantism) or as evidence adduced at the trial of criminal case Turks (those professing Islam), different 44/2016. Such evidence, however, is yet to be researchers put the number of Roma in 2008 proven in court. The judgment of the court between 641,735 and 831,130 people.6 The alone and the outcome of the trial will majority of Muslims in Bulgaria, including the substantiate the veracity and punishability of Muslim Roma, are Sunni Hanafi Muslims the evidence adduced. (95 percent or 546,004 people), followed by a small Shi'a community of 27,407 people. Both Terms and Terminology the Sunnis and the minority of Shiites profess The group of Ahmed Mussa’s followers are traditional Islam, which developed under the referred to herein as people ‘professing Salafi influence of the Ottoman Empire and during interpretations of Islam’, ‘Salafis’ or ‘Salafi centuries of interaction with predominantly community’. Each of these designations should Christian populations. This Islamic tradition is be understood as a reference to those people’s different from the interpretations, messages, adoption of a new interpretation of Islam not and practices of Islam in the Arab world. traditional for the Muslim denomination in The inhabitants of the Iztok neighbourhood in Bulgaria and close to Salafi interpretations. All the city of Pazardzhik belong to two of the larger three terms used herein do not denote and are Romani groups – Daskane Roma, a literal unrelated to terms such as radicalisation or translation for Bulgarian or Christian Gypsies, Islamist radicalization. who speak a Balkan dialect of Romani The Roma in the Iztok influenced considerably by the Bulgarian language, and the so called Horahane Roma, a Neighbourhood of the City of literal translation for Turkish or Muslim Gypsies, Pazardzhik – Demographics and who speak a Balkan dialect of Romani Social Status influenced considerably by the Turkish language.7 According to data from the 2011 According to official statistics, the share of Census, which covered certain control areas of Roma in the country’s total population is the Iztok neighbourhood in the city of 4.9 percent (or 325,343 people). They have Pazardzhik, 40 percent of the neighbourhood different religious affiliations, including Eastern inhabitants self-identified as Bulgarians, Orthodox Christianity, Protestantism 27 percent as Turks, and 20 percent as Roma. (Evangelism), and Islam.5 The various Roma The share