THE ORIGIN OF VIOLENT EXTREMISM IN MACEDONIA

The origin of the violent extremism in Macedonia, as well as other Western Balkans countries, can be traced in the early 1990s with the wars in former Yugoslavia, arrival of foreign fighters (Mujahedeen), domicile students who studied in MENA region (mainly Sаudi Arabia and Egypt) and the presence of foreign Islamic humanitarian organizations (IHO), which remained active through local partners until nowadays. All this factors contributed to spreading of Salafism/Wahhabism, but recently and more radical Takfir ideology, mainly focused on youth from low social background. This was achieved by self-proclaimed preachers, active outside Islamic Community (IC), through own networks of adherents and IHO, combined with own developed and organized propaganda through internet sites and social media.