TIRANA: ADIEU BRETHREN MUSLIMS

AIM Tirana, 30 December, 1997

One armchair remained empty in the hall where the meeting on the high level of the Islamic Conference took place in Teheran this December. On the day presidents of states or foreign ministers of Islamic countries were arriving at the Tehwran airport, Albanian prime minister Nano was travelling to London, and the foreign minister Milo was heading towards Moscow. Even the Albanian ambassador in Teheran failed to appear at the Summit.

It seems that the meeting in Teheran accelerated the announced estrangement of Tirana from the Organization of Islamic Conference. Five years ago, former president Berisha, having just come to power, put his signature on membership of Albania in the Islamic Conference, causing sharp criticism inside his own country and suspicion in western offices.

Indeed, the reasons which made Berisha take such a step have never been fully understood. When in October 1992 he signed the Charter which began with the following words: "In the name of the most gracious Allah"... Berisha was the favourite of the West, his country even lived on charity arriving from the neighbouring Catholic Italy and the money donated by 300 thousand emigrants from neighbouring Orthodox Greece. The possibility should not be rejected that promises of economic and financial aid of various Islamic countries induced Berisha to take this step which has not passed without consequences not only concerning the image of this country abroad, but also in internal relations between different religions.

The writer Ismail Kadare, one of the main supporters of the thesis that the Albanians should return to their initial religion, Christianity, declared in an interview that in a multiconfessional country, experiments such as membership in the Islamic Conference were very dangerous. "Bosnia also seemed to be an island of religious harmony, but when the balance was disturbed, everything tumbled down", said Kadare at the time.

Berisha had not anticipated sharp criticism of the opposition and the intellectual circles, nor discontent of other religious communities in the country, nor scepticism of the West. His naive argument that "had there been a Catholic or an Orthodox Conference, we would have become member of them too", did not contribute to anything else but revival of black humour in bars of Tirana. New generations which are under strong influence of the west, especially of the neighbouring Italy, could not accept identification of their country with Islam.

For centuries, Albania was a country of three religions: the Muslim, the Orthodox and the Roman Catholic. Religious life in Albania is characterized by a high level of tolerance and generally weak religious feelings. The latest religious censuses in Albania all date back before the Second World War - 1923, 1938, 1942. According to the latest census, 72 per cent of the Albanians are Muslims, 20 per cent are Orthodox and 10 per cent of them are Catholic. It has become customary to transfer these figures to the present and to create the religious image of the country based on them. There is no doubt that the attempt to present Albania as an Islamic country, or more precisely as an Islamic island in Europe, along with Bosnia, is pure speculation.

There are numerous data and arguments which lead to the conclusion that the current religious lanndscape of Albania is different from the prewar one:

First, mechanical transfer of prewar figures after 50 years have gone by, neglects the fact that the question of religion is a question of personal choice, in other words that a man may be born in a Muslim or Orthodox family, but that he can declare himself to be an atheist or a Budhist.

Second, even if the origin were decisive considering the family religious influence in childhood, what can be said about children born in marrigaes of couples of different religions, what religion do they belong to?

Third, it cannot be disregarded that new non-traditional religions have met with quite a large number of followers in Albania which must be taken into account.

Fourth, it should be admitted that Hoxha's experiment with banning religion which lasted for three decades, although anti-democratic, brought about the situation in which at least two or three generations have weakened religious feelings or even prefer not to identify with a any religion.

And finally, we are witnessing a process of conversion of young generations into Roman Catholic religion which is linked to identification of Catholicism with the western civilization and Italian influence in the spiritual life of the Albanians.

Groups for protection of human rights active in Albania demanded a new religious census of the population which would give a more precise picture of religious reality in the country. This demand was supported by new religions which do not appear in any statistics.

After the signature in Xheda, while waiting for Arabian investments, only the number of minarets of the mosques increased along national roads, which was done solely to make the impression of an Islamic country. Simple abolishment of visas for the Arabian countries led to disembarkment in Albania of various religious groups, including some from Sudan and Iran which even tended to pay young Muslim girls in order to make them wear veils. Computer courses were often just a mask for courses for teaching Islam. On the other hand, there were also extreme protestant groups which organized actions against other religions, mostly against Islam. In two cases - a Swedish protestant and an Egyptian fundamentalist were exiled from the country because they preached violence asnd religious hatred. The government was forced to prevent dissemination of new edition of Koran in Albanian, printed in Cairo, in the foreward of which Christianity was attacked and Albania treated as a Muslim island in Europe. The information in a journal for culture of a publisher in Tirana which planned to translate and publish "Satanic Rhymes", was received with nervousness by leaders of the Albanian Islamic community who announced on the occasion that they would sharply react.

Nevertheless, Berisha's signature on the Charter of the Islamic Congference has never been ratified by the Albanian parliament, and for a long time it seemed that this chapter was completed. However, the invitation to participate at the meeting in Teheran, re-opened the debate, this time with cards laid on the table. In fact, only those cards were laid on the table which could be found, since a few days before that, foreign minister Milo caused surprise by his declaration for the journalists that the dossier on membership of Albania in Islamic Conference was not in the archives of the Albanian state. According to certain newspapers, Berisha has taken the dossier titled "Islamic Conference" with him when he left the post!

Regardless of that, the press managed to get hold of a letter written by the former Albanian president to the president of Pakistan in which, among other, the following was stated: "Islamic solidarity has united us and it keeps us connected because of our sacred intent, high and sublime goals of the sacred Koran". After this, one journal called the former Albanian president Hadji Sali Berisha.

Of course, absence of Albania in Teheran did not pass without problems in its relations with Islamnic countries. It is hard to believe that Albania will officially withdraw from the Islamic conference, but it seems that its presence in this organization will remain just formal. Estrangement from the Islamic Conference, without officially abandoning it seems to be the best way not to increase problems.

In fact, more than economic and financial aid which has never had a considerable significance for the Albanian economy, it is important for Tirana not to lose support of the Arabian countries offered it in international organizations, especially OUN, concerning Kosovo. Tirana has about 50 guaranteed votes in its favour whenever a resolution on Kosovo is put to vote in the General Assembly and it does not wish to lose these votes. However, relations with all the Islamic countries, except Turkey, have seen better days. The existing Albanian embassies in Islamic countries, in Malesia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Pakistan are almost paralyzed. This is the reason why foreign minister Milo tried to overcome the estrangement from the Islamic Conference by the invitation for further development and intensification of bilateral relations eith different Islamic countries.

Modern Albania cannot be considered to be an El Dorado for different religions, but neither can be treated as a refuge for fundamentalism. In fact, any attempt to define this country deeply sunk in crisis by religious terms would be just another big mistake.

AIM Tirana

Remzi LANI