ALBANIA

Islam in Albania

Islam in Albania

Historical Background

In history, the Albanians are the only nation, whose national awareness has not been identified and shaped by their religious relationship. Instead, Albanians have described their individual identity with the help of language. All through the turbulent period, Albanians have transferred with comparative ease from a religion to another religion-being Muslim, Orthodox or Catholic, depending on what properly served their interests at that time. When the middle ages were coming to an end, the lands of Albanians turned into battlefield between Orthodox East and Catholic West. Each time the West was moving forward, the feudal lords of Albania promoted Catholicism; each time Byzantium got victory and the West moved away, they hold orthodoxy.

Since 18the century, there was a threat for Ottoman Empire; these threats were posed by the wars with the Russians that supported the Porte to make increase for taxes on all subjects that were related to non-Muslim community. At the same time, as those who converted to Islam were grants for lands, charged lower taxes, and they were given the right to allow arms. Including these and several other incentives encouraged large number of Albanians to convert Muslims. On the other hand, the Albanian individuals who moved towards Islam had major strength of male individuals, whereas women, even if married to Muslim men often followed their beliefs of Christianity, and were therefore a factor in making good relation between supporters of the two different faiths. In the pre-Ottoman period, several Albanians maintained strong religious roots and family sense. Muslims of Albania have conventionally taken a peaceful approach for Islamic performance that reflects extremely ingrained customs of Ottoman Islam, which was mainly less rigid as compared to other regions of the Islamic world (Hasluk, 1925, pp. 392).

In the year 1912, not any official religion of state was recognized in the period of inter-war, even though liberty to practice religion was assured. In the year 1945, after the victory of Communist, there was a demanding constrains to educate Albanians about accepting and understanding the new collective ideology that was meant to destroy the conservative traditions and customs as well as old patriarchal. This resulted in the eradication of all religious practices in the year 1967 (Vickers, 2005, pp.30). The Ottoman Empire ruled over Albania from 1481 until 1912. In the era of 1415, the Ottomans erected their garrisons all across the southern Albania, and set formal legislation in the era of 1413. The Ottoman Empire has battle with the army that was lauded by the Prince Lazar Hrebeljanovic-who was the prince of Serbia. This battle is mainly significant for the serbian national identity, tradition and history. There Serbs kept on following the Orthodox Christianity even in the rule of Muslims, and they kept alive the hatred feeling that was left over from the Battle of Kosovo. The Serbs strengthened their religious identity by telling war stories and turning soldiers who had died into heroes.

In Ottoman rule, five centuries grouped the Albanian nation ...