FLASH
Shkruar nga PamfletiSkanderbeg is the main enemy of the Islamists of Albania. Not of the Muslims, of the Islamists. They hate him because he represents resistance to the Ottoman Empire and the defense of the European identity of the Albanians.
Writer, journalist, and former politician Ben Blushi, in a recent interview, has held sharp and critical positions on media developments, religious radicalism, national history, and the frightening steps of technology.
Starting from the media, his early profession, Blushi emphasized that the quality of journalism in Albania has suffered a drastic decline compared to previous decades. He stated that about 70% of journalists today apply the "copy-paste" method, turning into mere "walking microphones" who lack in-depth training. According to him, this crisis is also deepened by the public itself, where about 90% of people are informed only by reading the headlines.
During the conversation with journalist Arbër Hitaj on “ Albania News Cast ”, a lot of attention was paid to the debate around his book “Unë jam musliman” and the accusations of Islamophobia. Rejecting these labels, the former MP explained that half of his family belongs to the Muslim faith and emphasized that coexistence in Albania is not in danger from simple believers.
However, he warned that the real danger comes if radicalized movements attempt to undermine the foundations of the secular state. Regarding history, he defended the figure of Skanderbeg, arguing that the national hero is attacked by extremist groups precisely because he was the one who preserved the European orientation of the Albanian nation against the Ottoman Empire.
-We meet after many years. We will not talk about politics today, but we will talk about issues that are perhaps more important than politics. First, I want to stop at the media. You are a person who knows the media very well. How has the media evolved in the eyes of Ben Blushi in recent years, especially, and are journalists of better quality now or were they better quality then?
This is a difficult question... journalists were better before. This is mainly because of school. School was stronger in Albania 30-40 years ago. People who came out of school were a little more educated than today. So today you can find journalists who don't know what happened 10 years ago in Albania. They are just walking microphones. Today 70% of journalists are copy-pasters. So, if you work for a portal, you copy-paste the writing of another portal, change the headline a little and get paid. I bet today that 90% of people only read the headlines.
-I want to dwell a little on another element, religion, literature, and I want to move on to the book "I am a Muslim". It is a provocative book, it has aroused many reactions. Everyone tells me that Blushi is a person who likes to provoke debate. Has the reactions from certain groups become an annoyance, a concern for you at certain moments?
Not much. I'm used to it. They accuse me of things I couldn't do even if I had more power. But in Albania there is a phalanx of people... there are some desperate ones, some Islamists, unfortunately, some people who still think that Albania is a communist order. These people have only one job, to curse you on Facebook. When I enter that Facebook forest, I am a trained animal.
-Do you see the future as problematic, especially with regard to Islamic radicalism?
Islamic radicalism is more of a problem in England today than in Albania. Why? Because they are societies that do not recognize Islam. For Albanians this is not a problem, we have been coexisting with Islam for 500 years. I only have a problem with one point: if these religiously inspired groups were to take political action that would infringe on our secular freedoms. To the point that religious rights do not infringe on the secular state, I have no problem at all. The moment the secular state is threatened, that is where the problem begins.
-Let's go back to the situation in the country. There are reports with some communities, there is a lot of criticism that I read on social networks towards Ben Blushi... Islamophobic. They call you Islamophobic. Is Ben Blushi Islamophobic or not?
No, I am not Islamophobic because I live with Muslims. Half of my family are Muslims. My grandfather was Muslim, my children's grandmother is Muslim. The problem is that Islam came to Albania with the invaders. It did not come naturally. And people refuse to accept this historical fact.
-Since we are on the subject of history, I want to dwell a little on Skanderbeg. Is it true that some believers are angry with him?
Skanderbeg is the main enemy of the Islamists of Albania. Not of the Muslims, of the Islamists. They hate him because he represents the resistance to the Ottoman Empire and the defense of the European identity of the Albanians. We are a European people, we are integrated, even though we were held back by 500 years of occupation.
-What are the main risks you see for Albania today?
Inequality and ignorance. These are the two biggest dangers. We have an incredible social gap where very few people get rich and a majority are left behind. And our education system is producing ignorance.
-What is your opinion on artificial intelligence, like ChatGPT?
I don't like ChatGPT. It seems very left-wing, biased and manipulative to me. I use Grok from Elon Musk and Gemini from Google. But my fear is that Artificial Intelligence will very soon replace people at work, and it would even be better to replace politicians or mayors. A robot would not be corrupt, would not ask for bribes and would clean the city better than people.
-When will Ben Blushi talk about the politics of these years? Do you intend to return in 2026?
I am young, I have no reason to tell memories or write memoirs about politics now. I do not have that desire at the moment. The only thing I miss is the rostrum of Parliament, where I could speak freely. For the rest, I have no nostalgia.
Me keto perralla, po tregon qe ekstremist je vete
Z.Blushi ju jeni njeri me kulturë, dhe kete e keni edhe te trashëguar. Por jeni edhe trim. Ato qe thoni jane te verteta dhe shqetësime serioze per vendin tone. Ju lumte qe thoni te vertete per Heroin tone kombëtar, Skenderbeun, dhe e mbroni Ate. Shqipetareve jane krenare per Heroin e tyre Kombetar dhe vizionar. Busti i tij eshte i vendosur ne vende europiane si Mbrojtësi i Krishterimit. Skenderbeu eshte quajtur " Atleti i Krishtit". Te lumte.