Patrick Poole, whose recent article on Islam in Albania generated a large volume of comments, has published another piece in the same online journal. This article, Kosova and Anti-Jihad Bigotry, looks at some of the responses to the arrest of a number of ethnic Albanians in the US on suspicion of planning attacks on the US military. There is also some comment from Poole on responses to this article on his blog.
I was watching Top Channel last night, first the news, then Fiks Fare. According to them Tirana's citizens now have a choice not only between Rama and Olldashi, but also between Rama and Rama. A minor right-wing faction, Parti 'Balli Kombetar' , submitted papers to the election authorities registering their candidate, Akile Rama. The people on Fiks Fare got hold of the papers and sent a reporter and camera team to the address listed for Mr A Rama. After much ringing of the bell the gate was reluctantly opened by a middle-aged woman who refused to speak to the reporter and tried to close the gate on her. Back in the studio Saimiri and Doctori - the two presenters of Fiks Fare - revealed that Mr Akile Rama was 73 years old, in hospital, and did not know he was now a candidate for mayor. They also compared two documents - the papers submitted on his behalf, and a genuine document he had signed. The signatures were not even remotely similar. There was an interview with the lea...
Comments
the biggest crime in Albania since communism has been the lack of registration of the population!
We don't even know how many Albanians are there let alone the religious direction.
"If they say NO, and we need our dual identity as REXHEP (TRAP) QOSE put it, then thats fine as well."
I totally agree with you, but go tell it to Kosovars who adore Qose
As for Qose, I was following the debates with him and Kadare and I think Kadare put him in his place, quite rightly so. AS a writer he is at a magnitude quite above Qose and he has always been the writer and person Qose never could be. People like Qose or Baleta in the republic have eaten a piece of cake somewhere and now just fly the flag of whoever gave them that piece of cake...Purely materialistic. Following an acient Albanian proverb: where the money lies there lies the sword. But this time we're talking about the survival of Albania, the upbringing of a new generation and direction of Albanians as a nation.
"The question should be posed as "Do you feel Muslim or Christion or atheist or whatever?" rather then "Are you such and such" since most people will say the religions of their forefathers which they dont identify with. "
I was thinkign of the kind of question and you nailed it!
I don't think that it will be a problem with Greeks at all.
I'm with Kadare as well, you cannot even compare him to Qose.
My grandpa was in the same highschool class with Kadare. That cohort was the one that kids from the Greek minority from Dropull had to go to highschool in Albanian in Gjirokastra. So, he lived in the Christian/Muslim environment.
Albania has never been 70% Muslim. That number was wrong on so many leveles. Entire villages (mostly Christians) were not included in the sensus back then due to the remotness of their location, The Catholic numbers especially were downsized to 10%, when even today by most statistics it appears to be over 15%.
1) Albanians are in no way immune to the ready-made islamic identity. These morons were radicalized in the US.
2) The Albanians have 'brands': you have the nationalistic brand in Kosovo, the islamic one in FYROM, and the "i dont give a shit" brand in Albania.
however there is a real threat that Kosovo is now facing with regards to islamic puritanism and its deep pocketed supporters in Arabia.
For more information on the subject consult Isa Blumi's work. Just google his name
I think you are mistaken about that. Have you had a look at some blogs or albanian forums. I think you will find that several albanians post very radical ideas there. Also, most sane people loose out to them in these writings just because they loose patience to deal with radicals that have no common sense. Even if they are a small minority of the population, by talking so much all the time, their voice will be the loudest and eventually it will be the only voice foreigners hear of from Albania. That's why the government needs to step in. This isnt about freedom of speech or religion or anything else. This is about protecting our European Albanian identity. Kosovo has its problems, thats granted, but their eye now is on independence and not on cultural identities. The republic should set an example for albanian inhabited lands by adopting a strong stand against islamics with arab money that stroll the streets of the country preaching non-european values. This must be done now before part of our unemployed and desperate youth succumbs to it.
There's nothing to be done about it. They will succumb no matter what, for as long as there's no real Albanian rival to that ideology. The only rival I see is nationalism but like I says "the I dont give a shit" attitude will virtually ensure the other side wins.
"There's nothing to be done about it. They will succumb no matter what, for as long as there's no real Albanian rival to that ideology. The only rival I see is nationalism but like I says "the I dont give a shit" attitude will virtually ensure the other side wins. "
Very Pesimistic of you. Are you having a downer of a day or something...lol. Anyways, hope everything turns out good in the end. Although all the signs are showing otherwise.
What government? The Sali BErisha obe who put us in the Islamic League? I think that we should withdraw immediately.
During communism if you were Orthodox Christian and didn't marry a muslim you were outcast from society because you became "religious or bourgeois". I call it assimilation of the Christians. There was religious "tolerance" in Albania because the Christians are in minority and they are the tolerant ones. During communism muslim rituals became the supposed "secular" rituals. Tell me now how weddings are celebrated in Albania.
Could Christians marry in Churches? No, they had to follow the muslim or fake "secular" traditions. If an Orthodox married a muslim how was that celebrated? If the wife was christian, how does she have to behave in a muslim family. Albanians, you know it very well how!
I don't blame Enver. His father was an imam and for him to try to modernize was a courageous step, but he couldn't do much when every one is muslim."
Wow, the level of ignorance surprises me. I like the quote could "Christian marry in Church? No, they had to follow muslim or fake secular ones."
Why, muslims could marry in mosques, or are does muslim equal secular?
And, also, our man in Tirana, I think you should make people aware of some rules about the blog. "but he couldn't do much if everyone is muslim." Note how bad it sounds when we stop calling muslims that: "for him to try to modernize was a courageous step but he couldn't do much if everyone is a Jewish" " for him to try to modernize was a courageous step but he couldn't do much if everyone is black".
And, before you speak of radical islam, watch how your radical your language has been.
My exact point, and first comment on the blog. If you are going to be sheep all of your life, then you should know that France and USA does not talk like that anymore. That's how Milosevic talks.
In the Albanian context,looking at our history and fresh experiences for us it is better to just stay away from their influences for at least another 100 years maybe.
WE need to do some catching up inside our society. They are just taking us steps back. Our interest comes first.
Bin Laden came to Albania in 97, when the country was in chaos. Fundamentalist want to create a mess in Kosovo and Macedonia so that they can do whatever they want, just like in Ottoman times. They are not our friends.
We have to withdraw from the Islamic League because we don't want Shariah laws. How can we join the EU if Islamic laws go against Eu's values?
Let's leave it to big dogs, Canada etc to deal "nicely" with Middle Easteners so they can feel better about themselves.
Call us sheep all you want, but in our country it is up to us to decide what to do, not you. Otherwise all trends show that we are going back to the Sultanate.
Milosevic and Serbs, your idols, can say what they want about ALbanians. If we cared what they said, Tirana would be Serb now. Whatever they say about us, know it that we think 100 times worse of them. We just don't act like they do.
The ones that hate us, i've always discovered that it is because of jealousy. It makes me happy. We happy little sheeps have something that you obviously don't!