FLASH
Shkruar nga Mero Baze
The truth is that religious communities in Albania are independent from Albania and are very fanatical if Albania interferes with the Archbishop, Cardinal or Grand Mufti, but they are not like that towards others who finance them.
The President of Turkey, Rexhep Erdogan, constantly stirs up debates every time he travels to Albania. There is always someone who disagrees with the export of his political and religious problems from Turkey to Albania. But beyond state courtesy, and official respect to him as the President of a friendly country, debates are normal.
These debates accompanied today's visit, which was dominated by the absence of high representatives of the Muslim Community in the ceremony, because Turkey thinks that they are formed under the influence of its political enemy, Gulen.
Fortunately, Albania has respected the problems that Erdogan has with his enemies in Turkey, but has refrained from exporting them to Albania.
The Albanian government has not interfered in the elections of the Muslim community, and has not interfered in their internal wars, respecting the independence of religion from the state.
And in this aspect, it can neither influence Erdogan's behavior towards the Muslim community nor the debates of the Muslim community towards President Erdogan.
The problem that the Albanian Muslim community has is that they themselves have lined up and divided themselves for and against Erdogan or Gulen, an unforgivable mistake of theirs that stems, among other things, from their lack of financial independence.
Practically, this is a community that is mostly financed by Turkey or foundations connected to the Arab world, and this is a problem that the Albanian state has not solved with any religious community, neither with the Orthodox Church, nor with the Catholic Church, nor with the Muslim community. One side has its eyes on Istanbul, one side on Athens and the other on the Vatican. Only Baba Mondi is independent, but even that was almost drowned out because it should be a religion based in Albania. We don't even want to recognize it as such. And so it has always been.
Medi Frashëri tells in his memoirs that in 1914, i.e. 110 years ago, when Prince Vidi came to Albania, he charged him with the task of getting the consent of the religious committees in Shkodër for him.
He met the head of the Catholics and asked him for support for the Prince.
- Definitely told him, but you will wait 15 days for us to send a telegram to Austria to get an opinion from them.
Then he went to the first of the Muslims in the city. He repeated the request. And he asked for 15 days to send a telegram to Istanbul to ask what to do. This is sadly the story of the dependence of our religious communities on Istanbul, Athens and the Vatican.
The truth is that religious communities in Albania are independent from Albania and are very fanatical if Albania interferes with the Archbishop, Cardinal or Grand Mufti, but they are not like that towards others who finance them.
And when you can't solve it, it's better to stay out of the mix in this story. Albania has found out that the Albanians are indifferent to this history.
Today, the only politician who tried to bridge the gap to this story was Sali Berisha. First, he complained that he had inaugurated the construction of the Mosque in 2013, but Edi Rama had suspended it and restarted it in 2015, and the second condemned Turkey's interference in the affairs of the Muslim community.
So he tried to become a spokesperson for all the divisions that exist among Muslims in Albania on this issue.
As for the mosque that he started to build, in fact, Berisha canceled a project of a modern mosque in Tirana, where his son is currently building the Tower behind the Palace of Culture, designed by Zaha Hadid, one of the best architects in the world. it would be a symbol mosque for modern Albania.
Edi Rama approved it in 2011 and Berisha canceled it by offering this project which is actually traditional Ottoman and without any added value for our cultural and religious heritage.
Berisha designed more than a mosque, a shopping center for his people, keeping an eye on the SHQUP building next door where he had designed three towers called "Freedom Towers". This was one of the reasons that it just lost in 2013 and occupied the Slovak Republic with the hope of raising development in that area, dreaming that it would soon return.
Edi Rama has not canceled any project other than the SHQUP towers and the mosque shopping center. He renewed the permit for the Namazgja Mosque, which is being inaugurated today.
Berisha's other attempt to emphasize Turkey's intervention in the affairs of the Muslim community in Albania is simply a way to divide the community politically in the hope that they will not be affected by the construction of the Mosque and the government's support for the project, to be divided into those of Erdogan who should be with Rama and those others who should be with him. It is the only thing I know how to do whenever there are delicate debates in Albania about this topic.
And to think that this politician, who is excited by the division towards each community, such as the Orthodox Catholics and Muslims, where each of them wants his own flock separated from others politically, on the other hand accuses Turkey of interfering in the affairs of religion Muslims in Albania. This has left no religion without division, party without division and even association without division to be for or against him.
He did the same thing today, many times more than a country like Turkey or Greece does, which have the Muslim or Orthodox religion as part of their state policy even though they are formally secular.
This is an atheist and 24 hours a day it is only about how you divide Muslims, Orthodox or Catholics for and against him. And he complains about Erdogan because he left him without a shopping center, and from Edi Rama why he left him without towers in SQUPI.
Lini një Përgjigje