Roma citizens reject radical Islamic groups

Radical Islamists are increasingly attempting to recruit Balkan Roma citizens due to their unstable social and economic standing. [AFP]

Roma citizens reject radical Islamic groups

Roma leaders emphasise the importance of protecting vulnerable citizens from the recruiting efforts of ISIL and other radical groups.

Radical Islamists are increasingly attempting to recruit Balkan Roma citizens due to their unstable social and economic standing. [AFP]

With radical Islamic groups increasingly recruiting Roma Muslims in the Balkans due to their vulnerable socio-economic circumstances, Roma community leaders are raising awareness of the problem and working to stop it.

"Islamic fundamentalists, as well as their so-called 'humanitarian organisations,' recruit our Roma, and force them to commit to radical Islam, to start dressing and behaving in accordance with the rules of radical Islam," Darko Trifunovic, the Serbian representative at the International Strategic Studies Association, told SETimes.

He said that 10 years ago, radicalised Roma did not exist. But during the past few years, local Roma have been under pressure to change their principles of identification or to replace their ethnic identification with a religious one.

"Roma settlements are targets for terrorists -- they consider us uninformed, uneducated and not in good economic and social positions," Jovan Damjanovic, president of the World Organisation of Roma, told SETimes. "They see us as an easy target for indoctrination and recruitment. Unfortunately, this is a huge challenge for Roma people, as the majority of them do not know who radical Islamists are, or the risk they bring."

Damjanovic said Roma leaders and representatives are taking the necessary steps to stop their population from being radicalised by groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

"We...

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