An Underestimated Threat

Bosnia and Herzegovina is today a fragile state with structural corruption, ethnic divisions and profound educational deficiencies. Increasingly, antisemitic tendencies, Islamist propaganda and a growing hatred of Israel are coming into focus - not only within the country itself, but also within the Bosnian diaspora in Western Europe.

A particularly high-profile incident was the cancellation of an international rabbis’ conference in Sarajevo (June 2024), after massive threats and online campaigns targeted the Jewish community. The fragile government remained silent. Representatives of the rabbis’ conference spoke openly of “state-tolerated antisemitism” (JTA, 12 June 2025).

Since the Hamas attack on Israel (7 October 2023), thousands of posts have circulated in Bosnian social networks celebrating or downplaying the massacres, often under the hashtag #FreePalestine, which calls for the creation or recognition of a so-called Palestinian state. In practice, this implies the destruction of Israel. Anti-Zionism in these contexts regularly overlaps with classical antisemitism.

Educational Deficits as a Key Factor

The OECD PISA study from 2018 to the present shows that Bosnia ranks among the lowest in Europe. Forty-one per cent of pupils did not even reach the basic literacy level in reading, and in mathematics the figure was 58 per cent. Functional illiteracy among young adults is estimated at 30 to 35 per cent. Poor education and one of the lowest proportions of graduates among all immigrant groups in Europe speak for themselves. Notably, this also applies to the small non-religious Bosnian diaspora. Here, antisemitism has become a social glue of hatred, while at best apathy prevails, which effectively amounts to tacit consent. This weakness fosters susceptibility to conspiracy theories, simplified worldviews and religious propaganda.

Wahhabism: Imported Radicalism

Since the Bosnian war, Saudi-funded networks, with the assistance of the EU and various US intelligence agencies, have established hundreds of mosques, schools and aid projects in Bosnia. The Bosnian intelligence service OSA and the EU crisis prevention centre Europol regularly warn of Salafi enclaves such as Gornja Maoča, Dubnica and Ošve.

Bosnia has had over 300 IS fighters in Syria, one of the highest per-capita figures in Europe. Estimates suggest that 5,000 to 10,000 people in the country are radicalised.

The Diaspora — An Underestimated Amplifier

In Vienna, Berlin and Malmö, anti-Israel demonstrations are regularly observed, where Bosnian participants can be seen using aggressive slogans, Hamas flags and glorifying violence. The Bosnian diaspora, numbering over 250,000 in Germany alone, is particularly strong, often well organised but mostly educationally disadvantaged, religiously conservative and identity-focused.

What occurs in Bosnia does not remain there. The combination of educational deficits, imported Islamism and a lack of effective statehood creates a highly dangerous social climate. Europe must pay attention before Sarajevo, Vienna or Malmö become further frontlines of a new wave of radicalisation. The events of 7 October in Israel, the largest massacre of Jews since the Second World War, have given this anti-Israel wave of hatred renewed momentum. There may be many responses to this, but certainly no concessions to a fantasy state, so-called Palestine.

Ultimately, it is reassuring that the arm of Israeli security forces is long enough to reach any point in the world. And if a meal is simply no longer up to date, it can be removed from the menu. Perhaps this should have been done much earlier.

This article was also published on Sept 04, 2025 in The Judean People’s Front Online Magazine

Sources and Background Literature

1. Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA): “Bosnian hotel cancels meeting of European rabbis amid anti-Israel pressure from prominent locals” (12 June 2025) jta.org
2. OECD PISA study from 2018 — now, results for Bosnia, oecd.org/pisa
3. UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Literacy Rates (2020), uis.unesco.org
4. Soufan Group Report (2015): “Foreign Fighters: An Updated Assessment”, soufangroup.com
5. Europol report 2020–2023, sections on Southeast Europe and Islamist extremism, Link
6. Vlado Azinović: The Foreign Fighter Phenomenon and Radicalization in the Western Balkans: Understanding the Context, 2012–2016, in: Between Salvation and Terror (ICCT, 2017), Link (PDF Download)
7. OSCE & OSA reports (2022–2024) on Salafi parallel societies in Bosnia, Link