The Religion of Albania: Traditional Islam or Modern Christianity? Religion and faith in Albania Who are the Albanians according to faith.

European Albania, whose religion intertwined Muslims, Catholics and Orthodox in the most incredible way, is perhaps the most mysterious and unspoiled country by tourists today.

Albania - a gem in a bunker

The warm, kind and hospitable Land of Eagles, or “Schiptara”, as the Albanians themselves call their homeland, stayed away from the crowded resort routes. And the reason for this is not the lack of climatic attractions. With this, just the opposite is true: the gentle and warm waters of the Ionian and Adriatic seas, mild climate, proximity to the popular resorts of Greece, Montenegro, Serbia, Macedonia ... The communist past, which is most deeply rooted in this country, is to blame.

The devotion of the former government to the cause of Lenin and Stalin reached such fanaticism that when the process of de-Stalinism began in the USSR, Albania severed all ties with the former "friend". Complete isolation from the outside world, the total destruction of religiosity has led to the fact that even today the population of Albania is the most atheistic in the world.

Orthodox churches and Muslim mosques were destroyed or turned into buildings for social purposes. Instead of them, bunkers were massively erected - shelters from the attack of "evil imperialists". After the change of government, believers, regardless of religion, are happy to restore the forgotten traditions of their ancestors.

Brotherhood of Faiths

The period of domination of atheistic communism has raised a whole generation of Albanians who, when asked about their religion, cannot give a firm answer. Albania, whose religion is currently undergoing a revival, can serve modern world an example of the peaceful coexistence of people of different religious beliefs.

Mosques and temples are being revived on a par. Christians and Muslims not only live and work peacefully hand in hand, but also create families. Albania is an interesting country. Religion in life is vividly represented by the example of the family of the Albanian Prime Minister. The grandfather of the country's chief minister, Edi Rama, was Orthodox, and his grandmother was Catholic. She raised her sons in this faith. The current wife of the head of the Cabinet is a Muslim, two sons from different marriages are adherents of Orthodoxy and Catholicism. And such a multi-confessional family in Albania is not alone.

Islam in Albania

In many sources, Albania is called the only Muslim country in Europe. It's not quite precise definition. First, we must not forget Turkey; secondly, Islam was the dominant religion only at the stage of religious revival. The results of the latest census indicate that the percentage of Muslims is now represented by 60%.

So, Muslim Albania. The religion of Islam came to this country with the adherents of Haji Bektash-veli at the turn of the 12th-13th centuries. Later, from the 14th century, Sunni Muslims penetrated the territory of the state with the Ottomans. The traditions of Albanian Bektashi Muslims differ from traditional Islamic ones and contain some elements similar to Christianity.

If distributed by territoriality, then the Sunnis occupy mainly the northeast and the center of the country, the Bektashi mainly settle in cities.

Orthodoxy in Albania

The birth of Orthodoxy in Albania is associated with the name of Saint Caesar, who is considered the apostle of this region. The names of many holy great martyrs are associated with the Albanian land. Albania, whose religion was under the strictest ban for a long time (they could be sentenced to imprisonment for an icon found in the house), is the birthplace of Saints Donatus, Ferin, Danax, Nifont and others. Martyrdom for Christ was accepted on this earth by Cosmas of Aetolia and Nikita of Albania. During the repressions, Orthodox priests suffered more than others.

After the change of regime, not a single Christian monastery, not a single whole temple remained on the territory of the country. For comparison: before the First World War, Orthodoxy consisted of 354 churches, 300 small chapels, 28 monasteries and two theological seminaries.

The Church entrusted the restoration of the destroyed Orthodoxy to Bishop Anastassy. The first church services had to be held in the open air, since there was not a single surviving church. The result of the archbishop's activity was the restoration and repair of destroyed churches, the construction of new ones, the opening of monasteries, and the training of priests.

Albanian Catholics

Greek Catholics of the Byzantine rite appeared in Albania from among the Greeks and Albanians who fled from the Turkish conquerors. The population of Albania, professing Catholicism, today is about 10% of all believers.

Albanian feature

What you will not see anywhere else is the amazing tolerance for the rites and customs of representatives of various faiths. No one here will be surprised, for example, that a deceased Muslim will be led into the world by another Orthodox priest. Here, as nowhere else, the truth is confirmed: only religions are different. The largest in this country and the number of mixed marriages.

Original taken from acer120 in post

Religion in Albania. Results of the 2011 Population Census by regions.

188,992 people or 6.75% of the population of Albania - this is how many Orthodox people counted the valiant Albanian scribes during the census. The Albanian Orthodox Church, which is quite obvious, did not recognize the result. Those interested can find on the main page of the AOC website a link to an official declaration with the title "The results of the 2011 Census regarding the Orthodox Christians in Albania are totally incorrect and unacceptable."

At the same time, the number of Catholics turned out to be expected, 10%, and Muslims were counted at all less than 60%. But in Albania, masses of atheists, agnostics and people who prefer to keep quiet about their religious affiliation were found. I immediately assumed that miraculously, all these comrades would turn out to be mainly residents of southern Albania. And so it happened. In some places even better than the results United Russia in Dagestan:
Agnostics: northern Shkodra - 0.31%, southern Vlore - 10.97% or 35 times more.
Atheists: northern Lezha - 0.13%, southern Gjirokastra - 6.3% or 48 times more.
They did not answer: northern Shkodra - 4.94%, southern Fier - 20.93% or 4 times more. Thanks for not being 40, yeah.

In general, I made the cards, enjoy!

1. Four main religions:

Everything is quite obvious here, except for the extremely low number of Orthodox.

2. And here is the answer to the question why the Orthodox were not counted:

The correlation is just amazing.

3. Once again, all together in the context of three regions characteristic of the confessional geography of Albania:

As for the design of the maps, yes, the intervals are torn for informational content, the differences in values ​​are strong, there are only 12 areas.

And yes, this is my first post in LiveJournal, so everything is framed so crookedly, don't find fault.

Generally. Despite the fact that modern Albania cannot be called a typical Muslim country, certain elements of Islam are recognized by up to 60% of the country's population. Unlike Kosovo, the influence of Islam in Albania is waning as the country integrates into the common European space. Nevertheless, for a long time, Albania was considered to be the only officially recognized country located entirely in Europe and at the same time having a Muslim majority.

Story

Main article: Religion in Albania

The ancient Albanians were one of the first Christianized peoples. The Orthodox rite as a whole became the first and predominant form of Christianity among the Albanian tribes in the 5th-15th centuries, when they experienced both the strong influence of the Byzantine Empire and the neighboring Slavic tribes who settled on its territory and adopted Orthodoxy. After the first fall of Constantinople in 1204 from the attacks of the Crusader Knights, the Albanian coast fell into the zone of influence of Catholic Venice. Catholicism also begins to compete with Orthodoxy, especially in the northern and coastal regions of the country, focused on trade with Italy and Dalmatia since ancient times.

Islamization

The religious split in medieval Albania, as well as in neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina, was skillfully used by the expanding Ottoman Empire. In the 15th-19th centuries, the majority of Albanians for the first time in their history united politically, territorially and economically under the banner of Islam. In exchange for converting to Islam, the Turkish sultans made the Albanians the backbone of their power in the Balkans. Despite the fact that up to 80% of Albanians professed Islam at the zenith of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans, its real penetration into the life of Albanian society remained and remains in question. In general, Islam in Albania was seen as a means of moving up the career ladder under the new government. Orthodoxy and Catholicism continued to be practiced secretly throughout the Ottoman period. Moreover, most of the Aranut Albanians settled by the Ottomans in the Greek lands to the south continued to adhere to Orthodoxy and gradually became part of the Greek people after gaining independence in 1830. Part of the Orthodox Albanians (Arbereshi) did not reconcile themselves to the Turkish regime and moved to Southern Italy, maintaining long-standing Orthodox traditions in the south of this country for a long time, although over time, most of their descendants gradually converted to Catholicism. Also, after Albania gained independence in 1912, the influence of Italy began to increase in the country, which again led to an increase in the popularity of Catholicism, usually at the expense of Islam. The ban on any religion in socialist Albania in 1964-1989 led to the spread of atheism and agnosticism.

Religious specificity

The periphery of Albania, as well as the constant invasions of multilingual, multi-religious peoples, are reflected in the peculiar perception of religion by Albanians, including Muslim Albanians. The Muslims of the East found some of the customs of the Muslim Albanians simply absurd. Orthodox, Catholic, Muslim, and even ancient Illyrian cults were often observed in the same family, whose members bore both Christian and Muslim names. Therefore, unlike the South Slavic peoples, the Albanians have never experienced strife on religious grounds. As a result of the mixing of various religions in Albania, the Bektashi direction arose, which became the core of the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe struggle for the independence of Albania. One way or another, but ethnic Albanians have always placed national-linguistic affiliation above religious.

Current position

After gaining independence, the influence of Islam in the country quickly weakened. Polygamy was abolished, and prayer began to be read in Albanian, standing and without bowing. In 1967-1991 the country was officially atheistic. Furthermore, ex-president Orthodox Alfred Moisiu of the country even called Albania a Christian country, although in response he received a lot of criticism from the humanitarian intelligentsia, united in Muslim organizations, which retain significant influence, despite their relatively small membership.

Notes

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010 .

See what "Islam in Albania" is in other dictionaries:

Monotheistic religion. The followers of this religion do not worship its prophet Muhammad, considering him ordinary person whom God has chosen as his messenger. Believers call themselves Muslims (Arabic Muslim). Islam is currently... Collier Encyclopedia

- [Arabic, literally humility, surrender of oneself (to the will of God)], one of the most widespread religions in the world. Its Muslim followers make up the majority (from 80 to 98%) of the population of Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

- (Arabic humility) one of the most common religions, sometimes along with Buddhism and Christianity called the world religion. Its followers are Muslims (hence its other name Islam) make up the vast majority (from 80 to ... ... Soviet Historical Encyclopedia - History of Albania ... Wikipedia

Coordinates: 41°21′00″ s. sh. 19°59′00″ e.  / 41.35° N sh. 19.983333° E etc. ... Wikipedia

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Main article: Albania The population of Albania is 3.2 million people. About 70% of the population professes Islam, 20% Orthodox Christians, 10% Catholics (the proportion of believers is actually smaller due to secularization in ... ... Wikipedia

Shkoder, Albania. Converted into a basketball arena for two decades under the communists, the Catholic cathedral is busier than ever, with more than 2,000 people attending a single Sunday mass. An ornate Albanian Orthodox church with three large peach-colored domes is preparing to celebrate Easter with a popular candlelit night procession. And a few days ago, with fanfare and calls to prayer, the newest mosque, one of more than 50 in the area, opened.

Religion has returned to a land where God was once banned. She's back, but in a different way, she's not the same as she was before the long ungodly experiment. Albanians have returned to religious practice, and their faith has only become stronger during the years of persecution. At the same time, new religious practices and beliefs - a wave of foreign missionaries and money swept over Albania, and the tiny state on the Adriatic coast became a perfect example of religious globalization.

Albanians are "happy that religion has returned," says Zef Plummi, an 83-year-old Catholic priest who spent 25 years in prison for his faith. Many people are glad that Albania is being paid attention abroad and they say that the country needs help from abroad. But Pllumi sees the risk in this foreign influence. “Foreigners do not know our traditions, and many of those who study abroad come back to us with fundamentalist ideas,” he said.

In cities across the mountainous country, new prayer buildings shine like gems next to gloomy Soviet-style apartment buildings - almost all of them were built with money from individuals and organizations from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran, the USA, Greece, Italy. and many more countries.

Christian missionaries and Muslim imams arrive here in large numbers, hoping to gain new followers from among the 3.5 million Albanians. Libya, Egypt, Malaysia and other Islamic countries pay hundreds of Albanians to study at home, after which they return to preach in their homeland. Many of Albania's top religious leaders are from abroad. For example, one Catholic archbishop is Italian, another used to live in New York, and the head is.

In Albania, once one of the world's most closed countries, some farmers still ride horse-drawn carts. There is no McDonald's here, and the Internet is considered a luxury item. In the neighborhood of Shkoder, a lakeside city, the infamous “pillboxes” are scattered across the hills and farmlands – tiny one-person bunkers built once to protect against an invasion that never happened.

But nearby you can see houses painted in the color of lime, tangerine; purple houses, buildings of different bright colors - these are people who have regained the freedom to own something and be different from others - in a country that was once all monotonous and gray.

Albania became the first officially completely atheist country in 1967. By order of the dictator Enver Hoxha, all mosques and churches were either destroyed or turned into gyms, warehouses, etc. Hoxha closed all borders. Any manifestation of religiosity was completely prohibited, and this continued until the fall of communism in 1990.

Ilica Kavaca recalls that it was even forbidden to wish "Merry Christmas".

“We felt so cut off from the world,” says Kavaja, an engineer in a city of about 80,000, a city where I sell mountains of used shoes on the sidewalks next to new European-style cafes. He remembers how on Sundays he put on his best suit and went for a walk around Shkoder, praying to himself - there was not a single church left in the whole country.

In the early 1990s, after the return of religious freedom, Kavaja, along with other Christians, began attending open-air services. Today he prays Orthodox Church, built five years ago with money from Greece. On a recent Sunday, he climbed the steps of the temple to attend a service during which a priest in golden robes, surrounded by a cloud of incense smoke, lifted a Bible into the air.

Kavaja loves to take his daughter, 12-year-old Ilvana, with her to church. He is grateful for the tens of millions of dollars that flooded his country—roughly the size of Maryland—and enabled him and his fellow citizens to have homes for prayer. Standing on the porch of the church, Ilvana, with a white scarf on her head and in white stockings, listens to her father about how they tried to completely destroy religion in his country - it was even forbidden to pray at funerals. The girl cannot imagine such a thing. “I feel protected when I pray,” she says.

Eva Ndoja, a 20-year-old factory worker, is one of the 2,000 regular parishioners who come to the Catholic Cathedral for Sunday mass at 10 o'clock. She greatly values ​​her right to go to church, a right her parents were denied. “I love being part of this big community,” she says, as hundreds of people stood up from their pews in the church, pews that were once thrown away to make room for basketballs in the temple. “I go to church and feel good about it.”

There are no reliable statistics on the religious affiliation of Albanians - faith in the country is still rigidly separated from politics. It is generally accepted that the majority of the country's inhabitants are Muslims, although many of them do not practice their faith. There are also large communities of Orthodox, Catholics and followers of the Bektashi teachings in Albania - this is a Sufi Muslim sect, the center of which is located in Albania. There are also Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons and others.

Many Albanians who were taught in school that there is no God do not feel the need for religion. “We still have atheists, but the number of believers is growing every day,” says Rasim Hasanaj, chairman of the Albanian State Committee for Religious Affairs, as the government body for religious affairs is called.

Religious leaders say Shkodër has a roughly equal number of Christians and Muslims — the city is full of mixed marriages and people who celebrate both Easter and the Muslim holiday of Eid. Many Albanians interviewed say they are grateful for foreign money being poured into the country. religious organizations. This money not only builds new churches and mosques, but also finances professional education, food programs, road construction, irrigation systems, schools and more.

However, there are concerns about funds set up by extremist Muslim groups. Many people are also concerned that foreign influence is bringing a conservative and radical attitude to Albania that is not native to it - throughout its history it has been a moderate, multi-religious country.

For example, several large crosses were erected on the hills not far from Shkodra, which caused discontent in society, and at least one of the crosses was removed. Muslims believe the crosses were erected by Christians from abroad - a local tradition that existed long before the advent of the communists prescribes not to parade religious symbols so as not to offend people of other faiths.

"I think it's a good idea to keep religious symbols inside," said Ndrichim Soleimani, the mufti of Shkodër. Perhaps, the Islamic leader believes, this tradition has helped Albanians of various religions maintain good relations.

He says there are now thousands of Muslims attending the region's 54 mosques on Fridays, twice as many as there were before the attempts to eradicate the religion. “The attempt to kill religion was unfair, and any injustice is doomed to failure,” says the mufti.

Religious education, which has not been in his native country for decades, Soleimani received in Syria. But in recent times New Christian and Islamic schools have opened in Albania, where an increasing number of people are studying the Koran and the Bible.

The leaders of the major religions are unanimous in one thing: in their demands for the government to return the lands seized during the communist era. At the very least, they say, it would improve their well-being, and then they could be less dependent on Western funds. But the government's efforts to reclaim property are complicated by the fact that on land once owned by religious groups, many have already built homes.

Pllumi, a Catholic priest, says he looks forward to the day when "religious institutions in Albania are led by Albanians." He recounted a glaring incident last year in which a Muslim leader who had lived in the Middle East for many years opposed the decision to erect a statue of Mother Teresa in Shkodra. The nun and Nobel Prize winner was an ethnic Albanian, and her parents came from this city. “It would never have occurred to a Muslim Albanian to oppose the statue of Mother Teresa,” Pllumi says.

The life of Pllumi, an elderly and frail man who lives in a tiny cell in a Franciscan monastery (the monastery was once turned into a prison for priests), embodies the history of his country's relationship with the faith. He was first arrested for being a Catholic priest in the 1940s, when the communists first came to power. He was released three years later. Then, in 1967, when Khlja declared Albania a completely atheistic country, Pllumi was imprisoned again - for 22 years, during which he was transferred from one camp to another.

He recalls seeing one of the top leaders of the Muslim clergy in a copper mine, where they were both forced to work. From the fact that faith is taken away from people, it “will certainly only become stronger,” the priest is convinced.

Pllumi hides his hand under his black sweater, showing how he learned to cross himself discreetly. If his religious gesture had been detected, which happened, even more cruel punishment would have awaited him - for example, he would be stripped naked and thrown into a punishment cell with a cold concrete floor.

Today he does not like the cold very much. Although the temperature rises to 15 degrees these spring days, he does not want to go outside until it is quite warm. He reads all day long with a huge magnifying glass, including a lot of reading about religious conflicts in the world. He prays that harmony will continue to reign in Albania. He remembers with a smile how he got out of prison and started to say Mass in the open air, and the local Muslims offered to guard him.

Sitting on his bed, on a blanket of colorful sailboats, Pllumi says the religious revival of his hometown proves that faith cannot be destroyed by decrees, bulldozers or bullets.

“Religion makes people alive,” he says.

“Country of Eagles” – this is how the authentic name of Albania is translated from Albanian. It got its name because of the majestic eagles soaring over the high mountains and lakes of Albania. In addition to many mountains, Albania is also a country of two seas - the Adriatic and the Ionian. The sea coasts have made this country attractive to many holidaymakers after the wind of change swept away the authoritarian regime of Albanian President Enver Hoxha, who ruled the country for 40 years. In addition, it is the only European country where the majority of the population is Muslim (according to the 2011 census - 56.1%).

It so happened that, due to geopolitical and ethno-cultural isolation, this country, unfortunately, found itself on the periphery of attention. Meanwhile, it has a unique history, including a religious one, in which global historical processes are reflected through local specifics.

Albanians are the descendants of ancient peoples, the Illyrians and Thracians, known since ancient times. The textbook king Pyrrhus, who won a well-known "victory", is also one of the ancestors of the Albanians.

Historically, Albania found itself at the crossroads of the religious expansion of Christianity and Islam. Albanians adopted Christianity back in the days of the Roman Empire, and both Catholicism and Orthodoxy were present and present here. Therefore, when Islam came to Albania, there was already a fairly developed culture of monotheistic religiosity.

It is a mistake to assume that the history of Islam in Albanian lands begins in the 14th-16th centuries, i.e. with the expansion of the Balkans by the Ottoman Empire. Even at the turn of the XII-XIII centuries. followers of the Turkic-Persian mystic Haji Bektash-veli, who preached an unorthodox understanding of Islam, penetrated here. Paradoxically, “Bektashism” managed to put down strong roots in Albania, and to this day the Bektashi World Center is located here. Perhaps the popularity of "Bektashism" in Albania is due precisely to the development of Christianity here, since this para-Islamic trend contains elements characteristic of "church" Christianity, but completely alien to traditional Islam.

The advent of Sunni Islam in the 14th century came across serious opposition to Christianity. And although as a result Sunni Islam gained the majority, it has to coexist and reckon with the equally strong influence of Christianity among the Albanian people. As a result, the following religious and geographical alignment emerged: the north of present-day Albania is Catholics, the northeast (present-day Kosovo and Macedonia, as well as the center of Albania) are Sunnis, and the south is Orthodox. Bektashi live mainly in cities.

This situation gave rise among the Albanians to a peculiar phenomenon of practical and syncretic religiosity. It is worth noting that until now, especially in the villages, the main rites are performed by a representative of that religion, who, as they say, was at hand. It is not surprising that an imam conducts the initiation of a newborn Christian baby, and a Christian priest performs the funeral prayer over a traditional Muslim. Some researchers note that in the everyday life of many Albanians, elements of water cults have been preserved, dating back almost to the Illyrian-Thracian era.

Turning to history, we see that until 1923, the religious life of Albania was in line with the general trend of the Ottoman Empire. Everything changed after 1923, when Ataturk proclaimed the collapse of the empire and the formation of a secular republic. One of the secularization measures was the ban on Sufi tarikats, including the Bektashi. The latter moved to Albania and sharply strengthened here, constituting, despite their relative small numbers, the backbone of the new national elite. Ahmet Zogu, the first head of the Albanian state, Bektashi, who in 1928 proclaimed himself king, headed for the equidistance of religions from the state, their "Albanization". In particular, in 1929, the congress of Sunni Muslims of Albania decided to use the Albanian language exclusively in prayers, reduce the number of mosques, unify curricula madrasah, etc. In fact, it was a softer version of Turkish secularization. This could not be accepted by many Muslims, especially Sunnis. It was the policy of Ahmet Zogu that forced the family of the future world-famous alim Jamaleddin al-Albani to leave Albania.

Of particular interest is the religious situation in Albania during the communist period (1945-1992). It is clear that in the conditions of the communist system, religion is uncomfortable, but in March 1967, the Albanian authorities made an unprecedented decision. The country was officially declared an "atheist state" (for the outside world, this wording sounded like this: in Albania there is no problem of relations between religion and the state). In practice, this meant the closure of all 2169 mosques, churches and techche across the country with their subsequent destruction or transformation into cultural centers, cinemas and so on. Not only professional religious and preaching activities became criminally punishable, but even a purely private confession of faith. This was monitored by the secret police. For example, the month of Ramadan was approaching, and at enterprises, institutions, organizations, they began to take “on a pencil” those who stopped going to the canteen with all the ensuing consequences. Or in the canteens they began to feed only pork dishes, with the "calculation" of those who refused such food. And this state of affairs persisted for a good quarter of a century.

Only in the early 1990s did religious life revive in the country and religious freedom. Today, Albanian legislation on religion is one of the most liberal in the world. It is now noticeable that the national-religious tradition was preserved to the greatest extent by Sunni and Orthodox Muslims, and to the least extent by the Bektashi. In many ways, this became possible due to the fact that the northern Albanians (Ghegs), mostly Sunnis, also lived in Kosovo and Macedonia. In those years, these territories were part of Yugoslavia, where the communist regime also existed, but it was not as categorical about religion as in Albania. That is why it was possible to preserve and support the living Sunni tradition.

An important role was played by the fall of the "iron curtain", which in Albania was perhaps the most "iron" of all the countries of the socialist bloc. Contacts with foreign co-religionists and assistance to Albanian Muslims from the latter became possible. The Sunni community is actively assisted, especially in terms of charity and education, Saudi Arabia and Egypt (al-Azhar). It is worth noting that the first ruler of independent Egypt, Muhammad Ali, was an Albanian. Albania became the first European country to be a member of the OIC (OIC).

Post-communist Albania is characterized by one cultural phenomenon, which also led to the manifestation of Islamophobia. With the suggestion of authoritative representatives of the national intelligentsia, the minds of society began to actively take possession of the idea of ​​the need to return the Albanians to the "European-Christian" fundamental principles. At the same time, Islam is viewed as something external, brought in, as an instrument of spiritual colonization of the Albanians. The apogee was the official speech of the President of the country, Alfred Moisiu (2002-2007), when he, the first "Orthodox" president of the country, stated bluntly that "Albania is an Orthodox country!"

Naturally, in such an atmosphere, the Muslim community became marginalized and left the public forefront. But now the situation is changing: the Sunni Ummah of the country is gaining more and more strength, organizational and information resources. In 2011, the first Islamic university was opened in the country.

Ilmira Gafiyatullina, Kazan