The Kingdom Come

Serbia, a landlocked country in what is considered Eastern Europe is perhaps one of the most pivotal countries as it relates to Christianity's past AND its future. First, Serbia is where Constantine I was born. As you know, Constantine, whether loved or hated by modern Christians, was in fact the Roman emperor that in 312 A.D. converted to Christianity and then set about Christianizing the Roman Empire. (source) This is significant because this was the beginning of what we might call Western culture.

Serbia itself, throughout the centuries began the gateway to the Eastern Christian empire, the Byzantine Empire and its capital Constantinople. Once Constantinople fell to the Turks/Ottoman [Muslim] Empire in 1453 it would be less than a decade when Serbia would also fall. The gateway was closed. The Muslims greatly persecuted the Christian Serbians. But between 1804-1815 the Serbians revolted against the Muslim occupation and gained independence. This feat was amazing since it was the first time an entire Christian population had successfully risen up against the Ottomans; and won.

Further, Serbia was central in history as Austria-Hungary declared war against Serbia, setting off a continent wide war we know as World War 1. Serbia ultimately fought on the side of the "Allies" against Germans and the Ottoman Muslims (called the "Central Powers"). After WW1, Serbia would join with surrounding countries and be known as the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

WORLD WAR 2

As the Kingdom of Yugoslavia fell to the Nazis in 1941. During the Nazi occupation, the Nazis developed a puppet state among the Croats, an ethnic group within Yugoslavia. This in turn developed into large-scale genocide against the Serbs by the Croats via the backing of the Nazis. At the end of WW2, things didn't improve much for the Serbians, as communist Russia came and subjugated the entire region.

MUSLIM RE-EMERGENCE

An agenda of "de-centralization" began to erode the Communist grip on Yugoslavia and where Serbia Communists had dominated, there was now given more attention to ethnic minorities, including the Bosniaks, Muslim Yugoslavians left over from the Ottoman years. With ethnic tensions nigh, the Communist Serbians under the leadership of Slobodan Milosevic during the years 1989-2000 were locked in dispute, not only with the former Nazi influenced Croats but now also with the Bosnia Muslims. The tensions resulted in war (Bosnian/Balkan War -- in which USA intervened) and international isolation. In reality, Milosevic and many Serbians were attempting to reignite Serbian dominance. It was a war between "Christian" Serbia and Muslim/Nazi Bosnia/Croatia. There was horrendous brutality on both sides, often left over from the Ottoman occupation, the Nazi occupation, and the Communist occupation.

After the fall of Milosevic, and his eventual death while awaiting "war crimes" judgments, Serbia realized its goal of independence in 2006 but not without the further fracturing along ethnic lines.

PRESENT AND FUTURE

Once again, like a returning plague, there is hostile Islamic confluence in the region of Serbia. Indeed the Serbian attempt at dominance was brutal under Milosevic, even to the point of attempted genocide of the Muslims, but now it is the Muslims that are beginning to take over, just as if the Ottomans were returning.

In an Associated Press article published September 18, 2010 (source) we read "A radical brand of Islam embraced by al-Qaida and the Taliban is gaining a foothold in the Balkans." Further, "Many fear that radicalized European Muslims with EU passports could slip across borders and blend into society."

Perhaps the most important paragraph from the article and the one linking Serbia's past to the world's present and future is this:

"In neighboring Serbia last year, 12 Muslims — allegedly Wahhabis — from the tense southern Sandzak region were sentenced to up to 13 years in prison for planning terrorist attacks, including on the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade. The presence of radical Muslims in Sandzak, the poorest region of Serbia, is linked to the advent of mujahedeen foreign fighters who joined Bosnian Muslims in their battle against the Serbs in Bosnia's 1992-95 independence war."

There should be a concern among Christians that Islamic incursion into Western society is increasing. This is not a new occurrence, but as is seen from the historical record, has been the case for centuries as Muslim influence and dominance spills over the eastern gate, which is Serbia.