Noodles In Israel

The exciting life of a ski patroller: part 2

2010-05-04T12:05:00.003-04:00

The dump again

2010-03-25T20:18:00.001-04:00

The big dump!

2010-03-25T20:06:00.002-04:00

We got about 4 feet of snow a month and a half ago, it was epic.

Update time

2010-03-25T19:57:00.002-04:00

Sorry for the lack of updates but I have a whole bunch coming now.

Fixing the net on mouse's elbow

Clouds rolling over Ramshead/Snowdon

More pictures of the exciting life of the ski patrol

2010-02-03T20:17:00.003-05:00

Putting up a fence for a fan gun.

Skye Peak top shack

Taking a short break in the K1 top shack

More pictures

2010-01-18T11:30:00.003-05:00

I finally have some time to put some more pictures up. The first is a picture of my topshack and snowmobile on Snowshed, where I was my own hill chief for the day. When you get assigned to Snowshed you use a snowmobile to get around.

Christmas Eve and Day Pictures

2009-12-28T21:56:00.004-05:00

The 24th and 25th were a rarity in Vermont, sun, no wind, and temps in the 20's.

More S&T Training Pictures

2009-12-07T21:19:00.003-05:00

Today we went out to do the headwall and mouse trap, both of which are mogul runs so we could practice running a loaded sled outside the handles with a tail roper. The trick of running a sled in the moguls is to keep it in the trough and communicate with the tail roper.

Sled & Toboggan Training

2009-11-29T16:30:00.004-05:00

The Crew (with some people missing)

Hanging SADs

2009-11-29T13:51:00.004-05:00

Some backboarding pictures

2009-11-11T17:42:00.004-05:00

Killington Ski Patrol Rookie backboard training

Killington Ski Patrol Rookie Class 09/10

Lift Evacuation

2009-11-04T22:11:00.010-05:00

Today we did lift evacuation, which is not really a complicated procedure, just some rope and a harness at the end of it. Anyway heres some pictures and a video.

Killington Ski Patrol

2009-10-30T19:20:00.001-04:00

Hi all, I will be updating the blog in the coming week with ski patrol stuff, stay tuned.

Going back to school

2008-08-29T20:57:00.001-04:00

Well I finally left Tel Aviv, and now procrastinating about packing to leave for the last year at school. I'll hopefully keep updating the blog with more pictures and interesting tidbits. Maybe I'll make it a NY sports blog, although my favorite baseball team, the Yankees are teetering on the bring of not making the playoffs, but the Giants beat the Patriots in the pre-season, so thats good.

להתראות ישראל

2008-07-30T08:15:00.004-04:00

A protest against Sudan.

Tel Aviv from above the University train station

A glass-making person in the artists sale day on Nachalat Benjamin

The last two weeks, pictures

2008-07-30T07:43:00.004-04:00

My birthday dinner

and pool after...

Shabbat dinner with friends

(Hadag Nahash) הדג נחש

2008-07-26T12:23:00.003-04:00

I went to a concert with my two friends from Tel Aviv a while back and is just getting around to posting them.

The culmination of my internship- Radical Islam in Bulgaria

2008-07-26T11:43:00.003-04:00

Radical Islam in Bulgaria: An Investigation

Bryan Gold

Researcher, International Center for Counter-Terrorism

Contents

Abstract 3

An Introduction to Islam in Bulgaria 3

Demographics of the Muslim Population in Bulgaria 5

Bulgaria's Chief Mufti Conflict and Important Figures 9

Radical Islam in Bulgaria: Al-Waqf Al-Islami 13

Key People Connected to Al-Waqf Al-Islami 16

Sheik Abdullah Abdul Aziz Soreya 16

Muafak Ahmed al-Asaad 17

Abdul Rahim Taha 18

Ahmed Musa 19

Minor People Connected to Al-Waqf Al-Islami 19

Former Chief Mufti Fikri Sali Hasan 19

Razgrad Regional Mufti Mehmed Alya 20

Radical Groups in Bulgaria: Hezbollah and al-Qaeda 20

Other Radical Islam 21

Former Sofia Mufti Ali Haireddin 21

Conclusion 21

Bibliography 24

Abstract

Bulgaria is a Southeastern European country with a population of over 7.2 million, bordering Romania, Serbia, Macedonia, Greece and Turkey which has grown into a fully functioning and rapidly improving country. In 2004, Bulgaria was inducted into NATO and the European Union in 2007. 82 percent of the population is Bulgaria Orthodox, 12 percent are Muslim, and 1.2 percent is Catholic. Islam has been a part of Bulgarian society since the Ottoman invasion in the 14th Century. Throughout the years the community has endured hardship and discrimination after the wake of the Ottoman Empire's collapse until the collapse of Communism in 1989. Currently, there are fears that radical Islam originating from the Middle East, mainly Saudi Arabia and Jordan, are infiltrating the country, increasing the risk for terrorist attacks and terrorist activity.

An Introduction to Islam in Bulgaria

The story of Islam in Bulgaria starts in the 14th century when the Ottoman armies of Sultan Murat I swept across the Balkans routing their Christian defenders. In their wake, Turks moved en masse into the fertile lands to solidify their rule, "Muslim administrators, soldiers, and civilians flocked to Bulgarian lands, followed by masses of Anatolian peasants, nomadic herdsmen, and Turkoman and Tatar warriors forcibly resettled to consolidate Ottoman control". Many converted to Islam in order to gain higher social status, financial security (Muslims did not have to pay the cizie tax that was levied on non-Muslims), and opportunities for higher paying jobs in the Bureaucracy.

After the defeat of the Ottoman Empire at the hands of Russia following the Russo-Turkish war of 1878, Bulgaria was granted independence after hundreds of years of Ottoman domination. From 1878 to 1944 the Government pursued a policy of both assimilation and discrimination against the Muslim population. However, the Bulgarian Government's treatment of the Muslim population was very inconsistent until the communist takeover in 1944. Until 1934 various groups and government organizations attempted to forcibly change the names of the Muslims to Slavic or Christian names.

During the early years of communist rule in Bulgaria, the Government constitutionally recognized the rights of minorities. However, the Denominations Act passed in 1949 gave absolute legal rights to the communist authorities to control religion and religious authorities. The communists felt that Islam was alien to Bulgaria and impeded the cultural development of the country which, in turn, hindered the progress toward the final goal of achieving socialism. Wafd property was confiscated and nationalized while most religious schools and Mosques were shuttered. Beginning in 1971, Muslim identity became the target of the communist government's attempt to create a "one-nation Bulgarian socialist state". From 1984 to 1989, the Government embarked upon a radical and violent name-changing campaign targeting the Muslim-dominated Turkish minority as well as the Pomak and Roma communities. The population was forced, at gunpoint, to accept their identity cards with their new Slavic names. Resistance was met with violence, imprisonment, torture, or assignment to the labor camp of Belene. Party officials monitored the Muslim community, weddings and burials were forbidden. In addition, the Muslim leadership and clerics were on the government payroll encouraging them to follow the government line. Finally, in late 1989, the Government relaxed passport restrictions to Turkey and "encouraged" the Turks to leave the country. About 330,000 ethnic Turks emigrated back to Turkey during this time, some left on their own out of fears of ethnic discrimination while others were forcibly deported.

The fall of the communist Government on November 10th 1989 signaled a sweeping change from the ways of old. With the exit of Communism, the Muslim community is able to fully practice Islam without interference by the government. Muslims now have more houses of worship per capita than the majority Orthodox Christians in addition to their own print media and political representation in the Parliament.

Demographics of the Muslim Population in Bulgaria

While the Muslim population in Bulgaria would seem homogeneous, it is in fact made up of many different ethnic groups who occupy different regions of the country. There are three main ethnic groups in Bulgaria, the Turks, Romas and the Pomaks and each have a different proportion of Muslims within them. The ethnic Turks are a remnant of the Ottoman invasion in the 14th Century and according to the 2001 census they make up approximately 9.6% (roughly 800,000 persons) of the Bulgarian population. By and large, the mother tongue of this group is Turkish, not Bulgarian, which leads to cleavages and conflict within the Bulgarian community. The majority of the Turks live in the providences of Kardjali (103,000), Razgrad (70,000), Shumen (62,000), Brugas (61,000), Targovishte (50,000), and Silistra (48,000). Territorially, the bulk of the Turks are situated in the Northeastern and Southeastern regions of the country. Most, if not all, ethnic Turks are Muslim, with the exact number hovering around 98 percent. The Sunni-Shiite divide in this group is quite low according to a 1994 survey of Muslims. Only 17% and 2% of the Turks defined themselves as Sunnis and Shiites respectively, while 52% declared they belong to "Islamic culture as a whole".

The second largest minority and the third largest ethnic group in Bulgaria is the Roma people, who are divided into "local Roma" and "wandering Roma", both are further divided into smaller subgroups. However, the vast concentration of Roma are in the "local" category which is divided into two communities, the Bulgarian Roma and the Turkish Roma, the former is mostly Christian (Bulgarian Orthodox and Protestant) while the latter are Muslim. Again, the Muslim population is based on the Turkish ethnicity, but unlike the Turks, is spread evenly throughout the country with more than half living in urban centers. In addition, Roma speak either Turkish or the Romany language, depending on their ethnicity. According to the 2001 census, the Roma people make up around 4.7% (roughly 370,000 persons) of the Bulgarian population. The majority of the Muslim Roma population is of Turkish decent. Around 40% of the Roma community is Muslim with the majority adhering to Sunni Islam with a minute percentage following Shiite Islam.

Bulgarian Muslims, or Pomaks, constitute the third most populous Muslim group in Bulgaria. It is difficult to determine the exact number of Bulgarian Muslims because they are not considered a different ethnic group. However, according to the official Bulgarian census of 2001, 83,000 people defined themselves as Bulgarian Muslims but researchers estimate the number is significantly higher at around 250,000 people. A 2007 article in the Bulgarian Journal of American and Transatlantic Studies, pegs the number at closer to 130,000 people. The discrepancy is due to a preference within the Bulgarian Muslim community to change their identity based on who they feel most associated may it be Bulgarian or Turkish. The majority of the population lives in the Rhodope Mountains on the Greek border but a small number live in several villages around the town of Lovech within the Lovech Provence in the north-central region. Similar to the Turks and Roma, they are overwhelmingly Sunni with a small percentage of Shiite believers, while these people are ethnically identical to Christian Bulgarians, some feel closer to the Turkish or Roma population based on a bond of religion.

It is not the indigenous population of Muslims in Bulgaria which are worrying the local and regional authorities; it is the immigrants from the Near and Middle East. Over the past decade, immigration from the Middle East has risen at alarming rates. According to Bulgarian researchers, the estimated population of "legally resident and officially employed Arab immigrants" is around 17,000 persons. However, they also estimate the number of illegal immigrants is parallel to the number of legal ones, bringing the total to 34,000 Arab immigrants. Syrians make up by far the largest percentage of Arab immigrants at 45-52%, Lebanese make up 14%, Iraqis 10.3%, Palestinians 8.1%, and Jordanians 3.6%. Immigrants from Iran constitute 4% of the Arab population, Yemen 3.1%, Egypt and Afghanistan 1.8%, Saudi Arabia 1.3%, and Pakistan .4%. According to officials at the Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Internal Affairs, the biggest subgroup of Muslim immigrants is, Syria (24,000), followed by Jordan (11,000), Turkey (10,000), Lebanon (9,500), Iraq (7,000), Afghanistan (6,500), Iran (2,000), Yemen (1,500), and Egypt (1,500). An EU report on Bulgarian asylum seekers found out of 3,000 refugees 35% were from Afghanistan, 5% are from Iraq and 3% from Somalia.

Territorially, the bulk of the immigrants live in Sofia with a smaller amount living in other major cities around the country. The reasons for immigration of the Arab population are not much different than the reasons for any other immigrant, political and economic. For example, Lebanese, Afghanis, and Iraqi immigrants moved to Bulgaria to escape political upheaval and violence. Bulgaria represented a land of opportunity for Arab immigrants who felt they could not advance economically in their home countries. However, it is difficult and expensive to move and accordingly there are very few poor immigrants in this group, with most belonging to the middle or lower upper classes. Interestingly, Arab immigrants tend not to settle in towns or areas where there is a majority of Muslim inhabitants, while the exact opposite is observed by researchers. When Arabs do live within Muslim concentrations; it is most likely due to missionary activity preaching strands of Islam which include Wahhabiyah, Habashiyah, Nursiyah, and Sufism. Researchers believe most of these missionaries are from Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Somalia or Germany. According to one study, researchers found that 2.7% of the Bulgarian population adheres to non-traditional schools of Islam. Authorities are worried that some of these illegal immigrants from the Middle East are setting up pseudo-schools, which are not officially registered, but still operate in Bulgaria, teaching radical and fundamentalist Islam.

Bulgaria's Chief Mufti Conflict and Important Figures

After the fall of the communist government in Bulgaria religions were finally allowed to operate freely and without government oversight. All religions in the country needed to register and if they choose, designate a leader of the community, first with the Council of Minister's Directorate of Religious Denominations, then after 2002, the Sofia City Court. The Muslim community is structured with a central, head mufti, called the Chief Mufti who looks out for the spiritual welfare of the people in addition to controlling "the vast resources of the Chief Mufti's vakif (chartable trust) funds…the upkeep of the schools and mosques, the salaries of the Muftis and Imams, stipends for religious students…" He is elected to the position by the National Conference. In addition, the Chief Mufti is part of, but not head of, the Supreme Muslim Council, the main administrative body of the community which is similar to a cabinet in a Parliamentary government. It consists of the Chief Mufti, the Chief of the Supreme Muslim Council, the 10 Regional Muftis, and 10 regional Imams. Below that, administrative power falls to the offices of the Regional Muftis, then the Imams, and finally, the local mosque boards. As the Chief Mufti holds a large amount of power within the community it is a very desirable position, which has lead to a massive conflict within the Muslim community for over a decade until only recently being resolved.

There are three important figures in this conflict, former Chief Mufti Nedim Gendjev (Alternate Spelling- Nedim Gendzhev), former Chief Mufti Fikri Sali Hasan, and the current Chief Mufti Mustafa Alish Hadzhi (Alternate Spelling- Mustafa Alish Hadji). Former Chief Mufti Gendjev worked for the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the communist government from 1998 until the collapse of communism in 1990. He was the Chief Mufti until 1992 when a new Bulgarian government in Parliament declared his election to the position null and void because he had worked for the old communist government. Not only this, but 7 Regional Muftis were declared "illegitimate", removed, and would filled by elections later on. Gendjev contested his removal before the Supreme Court but ultimately lost. In the same year Fikri Sali Hasan was elected by the National Conference and confirmed Chief Mufti by the Directorate of Religious Denominations.

In November 1994, a National Conference elected a new Supreme Islamic Council, headed by Nedim Gendjev, and Mufti Basri Hadji-Sherif as the new Chief Mufti. In December of 1995, the Directorate of Religious Denominations confirmed his election and declared it legal. This effectively removed Chief Mufti Fikri Sali Hasan from power even though is term in office was not completed. Gendjev was able to achieve this upset because the previous year's Parliamentary elections gave the Bulgarian Socialist Party a majority who did not hesitate in aiding their old comrade. However, Mufti Fikri Sali Hasan was not finished. He convened another National Conference in March which confirmed his previous election and which the Directorate of Religious Denominations confirmed. The outcome of the political maneuvering was clear; from 1995 until 1997 there were two parallel Muslim administrations, Chief Muftis, Regional Muftis, and even Imams.

In 1997, after years of court cases and other political maneuvering between the rival factions, the Bulgarian government attempted to find a compromise by convening a new National Conference, where the delegates would consist of 2 members selected by local elections of mosque boards of trustees. However, before the elections could take place, Nedim Gendjev declared that the elections were manipulated by the Parliamentary opposition and withdrew his supporters from the Conference. The Conference continued unabated and unanimously elected a new Chief Mufti, Mustafa Alish Hadzhi, which was quickly confirmed by Directorate of Religious Denominations and Former Chief Mufti Fikri Sali Hasan. In 2000, a second Conference was held and elected Assenovgrad Regional Mufti, Selim Mehmend as the new Chief Mufti.

At the end of Mehmend's three-year term in 2003, Mufti Mustafa Alish Hadzhi was again elected to the Chief Mufti position. But the Muslim community spilt once more. Nedim Gendjev believed there was foul play involved in the Conference, promptly set up his own, and elected Ali Hadji Saduk as the new Chief Mufti. A registration crisis followed, leaving no successor to Chief Mufti Selim Mehmend and in 2004 to find a solution, the Sofia City Court invalidated the two previous National Conferences and appointed Fikri Sali Hasan, Ridvan Kadiov, and Osman Osmailov as the interim representatives of the Islamic community. However, subsequent civil court cases established that the Sofia City Court could not appoint representatives which, combined with decisions by the Sofia Appellate Court and Supreme Court of Cassation, effectively restored the pre-1997 Supreme Islamic Council with Nedim Gendjev as Chief Mufti. However, in 2005, the Sofia City Court officially registered Mustafa Alish Hadzhi as the Chief Mufti before Nedim Gendjev's case files were released by the Supreme Court of Cassation allowing him to take over the position.

The infighting between Muslim factions was essentially about money and power, multiple court cases from countless people attempted to establish themselves as legitimate leaders of the Muslim community. "Those groups that were shut out of access to the official resources of the vakif had to look elsewhere for funding, and large international orthodox Islamic charities stepped in to meet the financial needs of rival factions". Rival factions needed money and an edge in their power fight and dubious "charities" were more than happy to fund the fight in return for free reign in Bulgaria.

Radical Islam in Bulgaria: Al-Waqf Al-Islami

Since the fall of communism in Bulgaria, an abundance of NGOs and FBOs have flooded into the country looking to improve the lives of Bulgarians, and while most have nothing but the best interest in mind, one specifically has been seen as a recruiting tool for radical Islam and terrorism. This is the Al-Waqf Al-Islami Foundation (hereby also referred to as the Foundation), a Saudi Arabian organization which promotes Wahhabiyah and radical Islam. Recent events and investigations by the Dutch police and the General Intelligence and Security Service, AIVD (Algemene Inlichtingen- en Veiligheidsdienst), have discovered the Al Waqf mosques have become a recruiting ground for a "holy war". However, it is important to note there is no proof the Foundation was actively involved in terrorist activities, as only the Dutch branch has been investigated. Al-Waqf Al-Islami initially registered in Bulgaria in 1993/4 and since has built several mosques in the country as well as unregulated and unregistered Madrasahs. While the organization's charter was revoked in the summer of 1994, there is an increasing amount of evidence that not only did they stay in the country but increased their number and activities. In addition, there are faint connections between the Chief Mufti's office and the Al-Waqf Al-Islami Foundation. Former Chief Mufti Fikri Sali Hasan, as well as Regional Mufti Mehmed Alya has been accused of taking money from the Foundation and allowing them to continue their operations without oversight.

Surprisingly, on September 14, 2001, three days after 9/11, a new Foundation was established by the same person who set up the earlier Foundation; however, this incarnation was called just Al Waqf. The registration documents don't contain any reference to the religious nature of the organization, as such a categorization would make it illegal in Bulgaria without further registrations. The issue at hand in Bulgaria is whose jurisdiction regulation of the schools falls under, the Ministry of Education and Science because they are schools, the Ministry of Justice as it is a "Public Benefit Organization", or the Sofia City Court as it is technically a "sect" of Islam. It seems that Al-Waqf Al-Islami, or now just Al Waqf, has done the same as other splinter sects, and registered as a non-profit group without any mention of religious activities.

Al-Waqf Al-Islami has built both mosques and religious schools in Bulgaria for the past decade and a half. Mosques in Razgrad, Bisertzi, Brenitza, Stefan and Todorovo as well as a handful of other villages throughout Bulgaria have been built with Al-Waqf Al-Islami money since the mid-1990's. It is clear that the Foundation has funded the building of these mosques as the entrances are adorned with plaques declaring the mosques were funded by Al-Waqf Al-Islami.

There are three schools built in Bulgaria, one in Surnitsa, another in Ustina, and the third in Delchevo. The school in Ustina has been operating since 2002 but without a license from the Ministry of Education and Science, and has never applied for one as they consider themselves a Koranic course for Imams. In Delchevo the school is referred to a "hall of residence" where the pupils study the Koran in their "free time" and on weekends. Not only this, but they are operating without any permits from any government agency. The school in Surnitsa is the most mysterious of the three. No one really knows what goes on inside its walls except for the handful of Imams and citizens who attended its lessons. Although it is clear that there is some radical Islam being taught in this school. The newly graduated Imam from Dounavtsi, Sezgin Rahim Sadik, only has praise for his teachers at the school but when asked by the reporter about his marital status, he answers he is not married and does not want to be as "…this is what they taught at school". It is not so much that there is evidence that the Foundation is teaching radical Islam, but like a police detective show on TV, it is the small inconsistencies and evidence from ordinary people that bring up questions.

Unfortunately, the connections between the tangled web of illegal and legal schools, those regulated by the Chief Mufti's office or those that are not, where the money is coming from to finance the schools and who is getting a cut is difficult to unearth. In addition, the limited amount of information concerning these schools makes this job even more complex. Through multiple sources and engaging news reports it was possible to dissect this web and somehow make sense of it. Arab nationals as well as Bulgarian nationals in both the Chief Mufti and Regional Mufti's offices seem to be at least slightly involved in the advent of Wahhabism in Bulgaria. There is no doubt that the Mufti conflict of the last decade has led some fighting for power looking to unconventional sources for money or an edge and Al-Waqf Al-Islami stepped in to fill that need.

Key People Connected to Al-Waqf Al-Islami

Sheik Abdullah Abdul Aziz Soreya

Al-Waqf Al-Islami in Bulgaria was not a spontaneous occurrence; it was brought to the country by two men who have an extraordinary amount of power and wealth in promoting the Foundation's activities. One of them is Sheik Abdullah Abdul Aziz Soreya (the "good Arab"); a 90 year old Saudi Arabian national who according to police sources first entered the country in 1993 and now visits the resort of Pavel Banya every year for 2-3 months. He is the main or one of the main, benefactors of the Foundation as many reports describe him as a wealthy Saudi businessman. At least, he controls the money for the Al-Waqf Al-Islami Foundation in Bulgaria, although it is not clear if the money is coming from him or another source. There is no exact information known about this man except for the stated above, he refuses to be interviewed and is in all sense of the word, mysterious. Residents of the town of Bisertzi say that the Regional Mufti of Razgrad, Mehmed Alya, points out which villages need mosques to the Arab who then donates the money to the Mufti's office. This is at least circumstantial evidence that the Mufti's office is connected to Sheik Abdullah and allows him to operate in the region.

Muafak Ahmed al-Asaad

On the other hand, Sheik Abdullah Abdul Aziz Soreya's right-hand man is well known in the Muslim areas of Bulgaria, as he lives in Surnitsa with his Bulgarian wife and might even be the headmaster of the Al-Waqf Al-Islami school. This man is Muafak Ahmed al-Asaad, a 41 year old Syrian National who has lived in Bulgaria since 1993 and is the easiest to link to Al-Waqf Al-Islami. One of the links between him and the Foundation is a jointly owned company with Al-Waqf Al-Islami's director, Abdul Rahim Taha. By all accounts he has succeeded Taha as the head of one or more Islamic Foundations in Bulgaria, not including Al-Waqf Al-Islami. In 2002 Muafak became the manager of a newly registered Al Waqf Foundation registered with the Sofia City Court. As discussed in the previous section, it does not contain anything that would characterize it as the organization it truly is.

According to the residents of Surnitsa who characterize the Al-Waqf Al-Islami school as "his school" where he "heads the parade" and "hosts visitors" as well as other functions. A 24 Chasa news report confirms this, "Assad purchased the administrative building of the local cooperative and converted it into a religious school". The newly graduated Imam Sezgin Rahim Sadik also confirms Muafak as the real director of the school. However, the supposed "headmaster" of the school, Said Mutlu, contradicts this and says that there are no links besides the fact Muafak owns the building and lets the school use it. Muafak receives money from Sheik Abdullah and distributes it to the schools under his control. What is even more interesting is the fact that Muafak seems to know Former Chief Mufti Fikri Sali Hasan and has some contact or connections with him. In fact, in July 2004, Chief Mufti Fikri Sali Hasan and Regional Mufti Alya along with 10 other people, went on a trip to Saudi Arabia invited and sponsored by Al-Waqf Al-Islami. It comes as no surprise that Muafak was named as the coordinator of this trip.

Abdul Rahim Taha

The co-founder of Al-Waqf Al-Islami in Bulgaria is Abdul Rahim Taha who in 1993/1994 established and represented the Foundation in Bulgaria. It is not known where he is from or how old his, but it is known that he played a major role in the building of the Foundation from the time of its establishment until his deportation in 1999. Taha co-owned a company with Muafak al-Asaad until his deportation. There are links between Taha and former Chief Mufti Fikri Sali Hasan and it is evident Taha and another man, Ahmed Musa at least partially funded Hasan during the Chief Mufti conflict. He used the fact that the Imams did not receive some of their wages during the Chief Mufti conflict and the infighting in the Muslim community as a way to control Imams around the country. In this way he was known as the "shadow Mufti" because he held so much power within the Muslim community.

Ahmed Musa

The other co-founder of Al-Waqf Al-Islami in Bulgaria was Ahmed Musa, a Jordanian national who settled in Bulgaria in 1989. He immediately began to establish Islamic groups Irshad and Almanar in addition to Al-Waqf Al-Islami. However, not much is known about these groups and it seems they were never a serious threat or popular in Bulgaria. Musa and Taha were the two people who threatened Fikri Sali Hasan with financial cut-off if he did not assent to their demands. Musa was expelled from Bulgaria in 2000 because of national security concerns.

Minor People Connected to Al-Waqf Al-Islami

Former Chief Mufti Fikri Sali Hasan

Fikri Sali Hasan was the chief Mufti from 1992-1994 then again in 2004 as the appointed representative of the Muslim population along with two other members of the Muslim community. As such, he was the Chief Mufti during Al-Waqf Al-Islami's brief official stay in Bulgaria, and under his watch at least four mosques were built by the Foundation. According to newspaper reports, Ahmed Musa and Abdul Rahim Taha who were deeply involved in at least three illegal Foundations, pushed the then Chief Mufti not to accept an agreement which would end the divisions in the Chief Mufti's office. Supposedly, if the Fikri Hasan accepted the agreement, Musa and Taha threatened to end their financial support of him. This connection, if true, is as strong as any, proving that illegal Islamic Foundations, not only Al-Waqf Al-Islami, were involved in the Mufti conflict of the last decade. It is also evidence, that the Foundations had considerable power within the Muslim community, more than enough to coerce the Chief Mufti of Bulgaria.

Razgrad Regional Mufti Mehmed Alya

According to newspaper reports Mehmed Alya reportedly identified the villages in need of a mosque to Sheik Abdullah who then donated the money to the Mufti's office. In addition, Alya brought the Sheik to the village of Bisertzi in 1993 to view the progress of the mosque being built. He also attended the trip financed by Al-Waqf Al-Islami in July 2004 to Saudi Arabia but fervently denied the trip was financed by Al-Waqf Al-Islami. However, it is clear the invitation came from the Dutch branch of the foundation as reporters had Al-Waqf Al-Islami fax them a copy.

Radical Groups in Bulgaria: Hezbollah and al-Qaeda

Al-Waqf Al-Islami seems to be the only radical Muslim group in Bulgaria at this time. There is no real evidence besides whispers and rumors that any other movement, namely al-Qaeda and Hezbollah, are involved in any serious way in Bulgaria. Nothing has been reported besides the off-hand reference or the possibility of Islamic influence. The strongest evidence, with strong being an overstatement, is that some of revenue from the illegal drug trade in Bulgaria is going to fund groups such as Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad and Christian Militias in Lebanon. For example, in 2007 the National Security Service arrested 4 people accused of attempting to assassinate President Bush during his visit. According to a news report, one was the liaison between Lebanese drug czar Adel Sarkis and his assistant, a Bulgarian only identified as D.R. The same newspaper reports of an operation in Lebanon consisting of a combined force of local police, US Agents, as well as Bulgarian anti-mafia experts. However, given that these reports cannot be independently verified and taking into account the tumultuous state of Lebanon, it seems unlikely that such an operation ever occurred.

Other Radical Islam

Former Sofia Mufti Ali Haireddin

On February 4^th 2007, former Sofia Mufti Ali Haireddin along with three other Bulgarians was arrested by police for allegedly running a Muslim extremist website. There are no connections to Al-Waqf Al-Islami however, and it seems to be an isolated incident. But according to news reports, the website carried Wahhabi propaganda as well as calling for the introduction of Islamic Law in Bulgaria. Haireddin also participates in an organization called the Union for Muslims in Bulgaria, which according to conflicting news reports, is either a legal or illegal organization. However, given that the group was released three days later over a lack of evidence makes these reports inconsequential.

Conclusion

There is no doubting the facts. Radical Muslim elements are currently operating in the Republic of Bulgaria. They have been operating in the country for over a decade and have thus far avoided the Bulgarian Government's attempts to stop them. Al Wqaf Al Islami in Bulgaria is a radical charitable organization from Saudi Arabia, run by questionable characters, funded by unknown sources, which preaches Wahhabism in semi-legal or illegal schools. While they might not be making bombs or planning operations, they are certainly pointing the way for those who are interested in jihad. Ideas and words always come first and it seems Al-Waqf Al-Islami is providing them to the Bulgarian Muslims. Even though it seems that this foundation is the only such group in Bulgaria, there are inklings of other more serious organizations such as al-Qaeda or Hezbollah who have an increasingly global reach. This posture of lenient enforcement taken by the Bulgarian Government must change. The fact that there is limited or no information on these terrorist groups or "charities", shows that the Government is not taking these warnings seriously enough. While they have taken some preventative measures, such as deporting Abdul Rahim Taha and Ahmed Musa, it is not adequate and it appears that active counter-terrorist operations are lacking. Current laws on the books do not allow for adequate regulation or investigation of these semi-legal foundations and charities. Not only is it the Bulgarian Government's misstep but the Muslim leadership who is at fault in this situation. The Muslim leadership dispute has significantly weakened self-regulation of the Muslim community which makes cracking down on extremist groups should be the first order of business for the, hopefully post-schism, leadership. Bulgaria's Muslims are peaceful Sunnis who follow Islam the way it is meant to be practiced and who view the Wahabbists as an alien sect; therefore combating Al-Waqf Al-Islami should not be a difficult undertaking. However, if the leadership continues to squabble with each other and unwittingly allow the preaching of Wahabbiyyah, removing these radical elements becomes an increasingly difficult proposition. Both the Bulgarian Government and Muslim leadership should be taken to task over this objective, if they do not, and continue to look the other way, they should not be surprised when they look back and discover Bulgaria has become an al-Qaeda or Hezbollah recruiting ground.

Bibliography

AFP. "Bulgarian Drug Traffic Helping Fund Terrorist Groups." AFP 9 April 2008.

Anday, Ilkhan. "Al-Tawhid Recruits Members in Sliven Area." 24 Chasa 9 September 2004.

European Commission- Justice and Home Affairs. "Country Report Bulgaria 2003 on Asylum and Migration." Offical Government Report. 2003.

Ghodsee, Kristen. "Religious Freedoms versus Gender Equality: Faith-Based Organizations, Muslim Minorities, and Islamic Headscarves in the New Europe." Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society (2007).

Iliev, Dimitur. "Detained Sniper Participated in Narcotics Smuggling Route." Standart News 14 June 2007.

Koinova, Maria. "Muslims of Bulgaria." Center for Documentation and Information on Minorities in Europe - Southeast Europe (1999): 2-48.

Marushiakova, Elena and Popov, Vesslin. "Muslim Minorities in Bulgaria." (2002): 1-58.

Pulieva, Desislava Dr. "Bulgaria: Ethnic Diversity and Religious Tolerance in an European Orthodox Christian Country." Bulgarian Journal of American and Transatlantic Studies (2007).

Saudi Aramco. "Islam in Bulgaria." May/June 1994. Saudi Aramco World. 2 June 2008 <http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/199403/islam.in.bulgaria.htm>.

Stancheva, Stanka. "Out of the Rose Valley: Religious Trafficking- A New Twist." October 2005. Journalists Network on Trafficking Website and Project. 22 June 2008 <http://www.jnet-trafficking.org/Default.aspx?page=cover_story&evntid=13140&title=>.

State, US Department of. "International Religious Freedom Report 2005- Bulgaria." 8 November 2005. US Department of State Website. 3 June 2008 <http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2005/51545.htm>.

Supreme Holy Council of the Muslim Community v. Bulgaria. No. 39023/97. European Court of Human Rights. 16 March 2005.

Tashev, Stefan, Slavi Angelov and Stanimir Vuglenov. "Former Mufti Heads Al-Qa'ida in Bulgaria." 24 Chasa 21 February 2007.

Tavanier, Yana Buhrer. "Bulgaria: Mysterious Mosques and Schools." Transitions Online (2005).

—. "Bulgaria: The Schools that Aren't Schools." Transitions Online (2005).

The Sofia Echo. "Muslim Leadership Dispute." The Sofia Echo 27 March 2005.

—. "Row Over New Mufti." 18 December 2003. The Sofia Echo. 16 July 2008 <http://www.sofiaecho.com/article/row-over-new-mufti/id_8624/catid_5/search_1>.

United States Central Intelligence Agency. CIA - The World Fact Book: Bulgaria. 10 June 2008. 2 June 2008 <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bu.html>.

Zhelyazkova, Antonina. "Immigrants from the Near and Middle East in Bulgaria." International Centre for Minority Studies and Intercultural Relations (2004): 1-35.

Now for some videos

2008-06-29T10:14:00.003-04:00

Yes I know I should have put them in the posts they belong to but whatever. First up, Paris:

Zurich

2008-06-29T09:30:00.007-04:00

Unfortunately there was no direct flight from Madrid to Tel Aviv, and I had to get a flight from Madrid to Zurich to Tel Aviv on Swissair. On which, I had the best airline food I have ever had in my life, there was Brie and bread, chicken that was actually good, and some Swiss chocolate pudding for desert, and I actually received real silverware to use. Not that pain-in-the-ass jail-style plasicware that you cant even use to cut the so-called chicken, that I think was just pieces of rubber that fell off the tires with seasoning, the American airlines give you to eat. Anyway, I had about 5 or so hours between flights and when I landed in Zurich, I found some random person at some help desk and found out that its only a 15 minute train ride from the airport to the city center. So I bought a ticket and soon I found myself in Zurich armed with just a map and a camera. After walking around a bit I finally found a place next to the river to get some food before I had to get back to the airport.

Madrid, Part 2

2008-06-25T16:19:00.003-04:00

Madrid, Part 1

2008-06-25T15:53:00.003-04:00

So us three went from Rome to Madrid, Spain where we met some of Jon's friends and toured around the city.

I dont know what I'm doing but its a funny picture nonetheless.

Parque de Madrid

Independence Square

Madrid's city symbol

Rome

2008-06-20T13:29:00.004-04:00

We took the train from Florence to Rome, but we got off one station too soon and as we walked out of the station the first sight that greeted us was a drunk peeing on a car. Turning the corner, we spot another person peeing on the wall, to say that we were a little taken aback is a understatement. But we finally made it to the hostel, which was very nice, and proceeded to see the city before going on our pub crawl of Rome.

Florence , Part 1

2008-06-18T11:53:00.005-04:00

Our flight from Paris-Orly was delayed about 2 hours because of bad weather, and we had to pay a 25 euro fine after getting off the train to get on the train to Orly. Apparently, you had to buy a special ticket even though no one told us, then we had to buy a ticket to the airport, so we weren't too happy. Then after arriving in Pisa we took a hour train to Florence where we met some Americans studying there, halfway through the conversation they start talking about how people they knew got mugged by people and all these bad things that happened. So to say the least, when we got off the train, we were a bit nervous, it didn't help that it was midnight. We couldn't take a cab because we had vowed not to take cabs on this trip, so we were walking around Florence at night, we did a complete circle before we found our way at about 2:30 in the morning. It was a lot of fun to say the least.

The Swiss Alps on the way to Italy

We flew by a storm and I was lucky enough to catch the lightning

The Duomo

Ponte Vecchio

Sorry, more Paris

2008-06-11T16:41:00.004-04:00

For dinner one night we took a blanket we stole from the plane and had a picnic with wine, bread, cheese, smoked meat and all sorts of goodies. We had three bottles between us so you can connect the dots on that one. It was quite a night, we talked, ate, drank, had some Irish guy come up to us claiming he was Bono's brother and he needed some wine, and watched the Tower.

Views from the top of the Eiffel Tower

Paris Again

2008-06-11T16:18:00.004-04:00

Some really strange ad where it looks like the squirrel is going to eat the two people or that somehow the people have a giant squirrel as a pet. I don't speak French so I have no idea.

A bridge over the Seine at night.

Centre Georges Pompidou

Paris Continued

2008-06-11T15:47:00.003-04:00

Now up, some pictures of the Louvre, the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo.

Finally starting posting pictures of the Euro trip!!

2008-05-06T11:18:00.007-04:00

I am finally getting around to posting the pictures from my Europe trip with two of my friends. I took over 750 pictures and videos so I wont be posting them all but I'll try to get as many as I can. What I am going to do is post pictures from each day and hopefully that will keep it organized. We left the 10th of April and spent that night and the next days in Paris. We went to the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, The Louvre, Champs Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, and the Centre Georges Pompidou.

On the 13th, at night, we left for Florence and after a delayed flight and an hour train ride with arrived in Florence. We spent thee next day in Florence, walking around, seeing the sights (which included seeing the fake david) and other touristy things like that. The next day, the 15th we took an early train to Rome to meet up with a couple friends and do a pub crawl that night. Rome was OK, it was very dirty and did not seem like that great of a city. However, we saw all the major sights. Then on the afternoon of the 16th we left for Madrid. We then saw the sights of Madrid and met up with a couple of my friend's friends who were studying abroad in Madrid, and they took us around the city. Then on the 19th I went on a Swissair flight from Madrid to Zurich, then Zurich to Tel Aviv. But the connecting flights were about 5 hours apart so I was able to take a 15 minute train ride from the airport to the Zurich city center. There I walked around for a couple of hours and had dinner and a beer by the river and hopped on the next train for the airport.

So finally onto the picture of the first day of Paris.

This was on the tray table on the airplane, "Fasten selt belt while seated", I'm not quite sure what a "selt belt" is but I have to imagine its something like a seat belt.

I had to share a bed with my friend the first night because of a mix-up.

North Trip Third Day

2008-04-30T08:39:00.003-04:00

On the third day we went hiking near the Kinneret and did some real mountain climbing as the way down was basically straight down with only handles and ropes drilled into the side of the cliff. After that we went rafting down the Dan river that feeds the Kinneret but I dont have any pictures of that.

North Trip Second Day

2008-04-30T08:08:00.003-04:00

Monfort, a old crusader castle

North Trip First Day

2008-04-28T11:05:00.004-04:00

Im finally getting around to posting pictures now that I'm back and have access to the fast internet. First up, the OSP north trip where we went hiking the first day, hiking the second, and hiking the third. Not much difference between photos unfortunately.

A fig tree

Putting some videos on the blog

2008-03-21T18:01:00.004-04:00

More Negev Pictures

2008-03-16T10:31:00.004-04:00

Masada

More Negev Pictures

2008-03-16T10:00:00.001-04:00

Another shot of the Mahtesh

The perimeter fence and picture of the "secret" Israeli nuclear plant

Hiking to a stream

My table at the Bedouin dinner

More Negev Pictures

2008-03-12T18:07:00.003-04:00

A artistic shot of the Machtesh

More of the Machtesh

OSP South Trip

2008-03-12T17:53:00.002-04:00

I'm now posting the pictures that I took over the weekend of the South Trip that we went on. It was Friday to Sunday and we went hiking everyday, saw Ben-Gurion's grave, saw waterfalls, and swam in the Dead Sea.

Finished

2008-02-28T14:11:00.002-05:00

Finally the crowning achievement of my trip, I think this is one of the best pictures I have every taken.

A side street in the Taxim in a blizzard.

Almost done

2008-02-27T12:29:00.002-05:00

Picture of a Mosque in the snow

A bridge in Istanbul, I cant remeber which one it is

Inside a palace

At a bar later that night

Inside the Hagia Sofia

Call to prayer in Istanbul

Starting the second round of pictures

2008-02-26T14:23:00.004-05:00

I took more than 150 pictures over this trip so I'm only posting a small portion. I have some videos as well to post.

The Blue Mosque

Inside the Blue Mosque

Inside the Istanbul spice market

Again Istanbul

2008-02-23T09:03:00.004-05:00

Outside the Hagia Sofia

Inside the Hagia Sofia

Again Istanbul

2008-02-23T08:41:00.004-05:00

Another group shot with the tour guide

Inside the Jewish Musum of Istanbul, the only Jewish musume in a Muslim country

Some famous stairs

The streets

More Istanbul

2008-02-23T08:25:00.002-05:00

The Cupola of the Synagogue

The outside, there were two blast doors about 3-4 inches thick and they must have weighed about a ton each

Just me

A picture of the second Synagogue

More Istanbul

2008-02-23T08:15:00.003-05:00

A shot of the of the old city

Walking up to the first Synagogue

A plaque in the Synagogue

Inside

A little artistic B&W shot

Finally posting some Istanbul pictures

2008-02-23T08:05:00.003-05:00

Now that I have some time to myself (I've been out partying, going to the port, going to the park over the past two days) I can finally post some of the pictures that I took in Istanbul. I took about 130 pictures on the first day so I am only going to post the better/interesting ones, the rest are on facebook.

First up, a friend and I going out on the first night in Turkey

A few shots of the dinner (we had about 12 people with us that night)

The first full day in the tour van, we had 8 people on the tour.

Just some pictures of the dorm room

2008-02-11T15:40:00.000-05:00

I have told a couple people about the state of our dorms here and they are a long way from even my freshman room. When I first walked in the room I was like, "How am I going to live here for 5 months...” Now that I am settled in and unpacked its almost livable.

More pictures

2008-02-07T11:59:00.000-05:00

Went to an Israel-Romaina Football Match Yesterday

2008-02-07T11:21:00.000-05:00

Some friends and I went to an Israeli national football team match against Romaina last night, and we won 2-1! It wasn't too crowded but it was still pretty cool to see a professonal football game.

Giants win! Giants win!!!

2008-02-04T14:18:00.000-05:00

So last night a couple of friends and I went to a microbrewery in the city called the Dancing Camel. You had to buy a ticket online and there were only 100 available because it was an all-you-can-drink, all-you-can-eat, type thing, which was amazing! Anyway, I have absolutely no voice anymore from screaming at the game and we didn't get back until about 5:30 in the morning because of the time difference. Plus it was nice to see utter rejection on the faces of all the Pats fans that night; New York finally got their revenge for 2004!

And a video of the bar.

More Shuck pictures

2008-01-31T07:34:00.000-05:00

Pictures of some stuff around campus and the local market or Shuck

2008-01-31T07:15:00.000-05:00

A local store.

An Israeli ad for We Own the Night.

A picture of campus from the OSP building.

Finally the Shuck.

2008-01-30T14:16:00.000-05:00

Yea I took alot of Yafo pictures

2008-01-30T14:04:00.000-05:00

The famious hanging tree in Yafo.

The inside of a Falafel restaurant.

And again more pictures of Yafo

2008-01-28T07:38:00.000-05:00

The Cow Restaurant

Now some shots of the old port.

More pictures of Yafo

2008-01-27T17:03:00.000-05:00

Some soilders looking at some paintings it looks like.

The downtown market.

The clock tower in Old Yafo.

Just traffic.

This is an interesting one... its a picture of a crane game that obviously was originally used for some baby supplies but now instead of holding diapers, its full of cigarettes. Go figure.

2008-01-27T11:07:00.000-05:00

Now some pictures of Old Yafo on the way to vist a friends Aunt who has been living here for 30 years.

More Pictures

2008-01-27T08:17:00.001-05:00

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Internet finally!!!

2008-01-27T07:33:00.000-05:00

So after about 2 and a half weeks I now finally have internet in the dorms so I'll be posting alot more from now on. Dont ask why it took so long, Israelis are good at many things, installing the internet isn't one of them.

Anyway, here are some pictures of the street my dorms are on and a bus map.

Posting Some pictures from the last few days

2008-01-20T14:15:00.000-05:00

So now that I have a reliable internet connection and are taking my camera wherever I go I now have some pictures of Jaffa, Old Yafo and Yafo.

First up, just some pictures of Israel, first a side of the road shop taken from the bus on the way to bowling on the 17th.

An Israeli intersection.

Midnight in Tel Aviv.

Finally posting something

2008-01-19T08:10:00.000-05:00

Well I'm finally here, almost settled down and dreading waking up at 7:45 to get to Ulpan at 8:30 every Sunday through Thursday (Thats the weekday here Sun-Thurs). Anyway I will be posting mostly pictures rather than writing so I should be getting some pictures up sometime today.