Word: bosnia
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Signs of Islamicization can also be seen in civilian life. Koran schools have begun to open all across Muslim-controlled Bosnia, mosques enjoy bigger attendance than ever, and imams vociferously condemn those who persist in drinking alcohol and eating pork. But does all this mean that Bosnia is turning into a fundamentalist state...
...also strengthened its hand by turning the military into an instrument of its ideology. After Serb forces attacked Bosnia in April 1992, the party sought help in building up an army by soliciting aid from abroad, especially from countries in the Middle East sympathetic to its plight, such as Iran. As the army grew, the SDA began ordering officers to promote Islamic consciousness. In many barracks, soldiers are called to Islamic prayers, and bulletin boards announce courses about the Koran. The army's 3rd Corps even established a separate brigade composed entirely of devout Muslim soldiers and trained by fighters...
...country's openness toward other religions and cultures remains its most remarkable feature. Despite its extreme wing, the SDA is the only nationalist party in Bosnia that gives some support to the idea of a multiethnic state. It has refrained from openly suppressing opposition parties, and it tolerates independent newspapers and radio that engage in lively and often critical public debate. Izetbegovic's party has also put some effort into cultivating relations with Croat and Serb communities, sponsoring funds for rebuilding Catholic and Serbian orthodox churches, as well as mosques...
...delicate tightrope act. "He finds himself in danger all the time," says Slavko Santic, vice president of the opposition group Circle 99. "He must balance between the extremist and democratic forces in his party." If he does not, it will take far more than Holbrooke's embroidery to stitch Bosnia back together again...
...BOSNIA: CRIMES UNDERGROUND...