Islam in Kosovo Years, and Four Years from 1984 to 2013, but Was Reduced to Three Years Since 2013

ȱȱ ȱȬȱȱȱȱȱěȱȱȱ¢ȱ

by Xhabir Hamiti

Abstract ȱ¢ȱȱȱȱȱȱ ȱȱȱȱȱĴȱǯȱ ȱ¡ȱȱȱęȱ ȱȱȱȱŘŖȱ¢ǰȱȱȱ¢ȱ isolated cases of radicalization in Kosovo.

Key words: Islam, Kosovo, Education, Religus Life, Propaganda

slam is a monotheistic religion of global or multi-confessionalism, there is no record of Iproportions, similar to Judaism and Chris- ȱ Ȭȱ Ěȱ ȱ ǯȱ tianity. The main monotheistic religions, ori- The struggle for survival as well as the fear of ginating from the lands of the East, grew and annihilation from the common foe, both in the then spread worldwide. Kosovo Albanians, past and the present, has united the Albanians like other Balkans nations, became acquainted ȱǰȱĴȱȱȱ- with Islam in the early 15th century, coinci- ęȱȱȱȱĜǯȱ ȱ ȱ ȱȱȱȱĴȱȱ- Fishta, a great Albanian national poet and a ded the Balkan region which it ruled over until Roman Catholic cleric (1871-1940), delivered the early 20thcentury. to his believers and all Albanians in general During the nearly 500- year Turkish- his famous message: “Truly we observe both Ĵȱǰȱȱȱȱȱȱȱ Easter and Bajram (the main Muslim feast), nations converted to Islam. The Albanians, but together we share Albanianism1”. Bosniaks and the Pomaks in Bulgaria and The Muslim theologist and patriot, Greece were some of the nations in modern- Idriz Gjilani, was quoted saying: “Indeed we day Southeastern Europe, who widely emb- are a nation with three religions, but we share raced Islam as their spiritual religion. Even as same blood, language and homeland 2”. we speak, traces of the rich historical heritage ȱ ȱ Ĵȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ¢ȱ Balkan countries. The Composition of Kosovo Muslims ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ęȱ ȱ ȱ Islam, Albanians generally adhered to Chris- Albanian Muslims comprise the largest reli- tianity based on either Eastern Orthodox or gious community in Kosovo. The vast majori- Roman Catholic rites, while some nostalgi- ty of them adhere to the Sunni branch of Islam, cally retained their ancient pagan Illyrian be- built upon a religious school of Islamic juris- liefs. By the end of 17th century, percentage prudence established by the scholar Abu Ha- of Albanians adhering to Islam became the nifa in the 17th century. This religious school majority, while the rest remained devoted to Christianity and split between the Eastern 1 https://www.slideshare.net/marjandodaj/vrtet-ne- Orthodox and Roman Catholic Church. It is kemi-bajram-e-pashk-por-shqiptarin-e-kemi-bashk-at- gjergj-fishta worth noting that, despite the religious divide 2 http://orashqiptare.blogspot.com/2015/01/jemi-velle- zer-kemi-tri-fe-por-vetem-nje.html

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of jurisprudence is currently predominant Besides Albanians, Kosovo Muslim throughout the Islamic world, because it fol- community also includes Turkish, Gorani and lows a ‘middle course’ in interpreting Islam. Torbesh (who speak a mix of Slavic langua- It recognizes the institution of analogy in the ges) groups, as well as Roma and Ashkali mi- elaboration of legal religious provisions and norities. allows the use of logic in the argumentation ȱȱĴȱ¢ȱȱȱȱȱ ‘time and place’ perspective. Organizing Islamic religious life in Kosovo ȱ ȱęȱȱ ȱ- ȱ ȱ ȱ ¡¢ȱ ŗśȱ Ɩȱ - According to the Constitution of the Republic ȱȱȱęȱȱǰȱȱ of Kosovo, religion is clearly separated from religious mystic groups operating under their the state: (Article 8: The Republic of Kosovo is denominations such as: ǰȱǰȱ- ȱȱȱȱȱȱȱĴȱȱ- ǰȱǰȱǰȱǰȱǰȱ- gious beliefs)4. Due to this legal constitutional ǰȱǰ etc. Their particular rites, as well norm, Kosovo Muslims and other religious ȱȱęȱȱǰȱȱȱȱ communities carry out their religious activi- caliph who died in the year 661, represent the ties through independent private institutions. line of division between them and the rest of Mosques are the main places of gatherings, the Sunni Muslim majority in Kosovo. Instead where Muslim believers perform their daily of mosques, Dervishes perform their rites in and weekly religious prayers. Currently, Ko- their special shrines called “tekke”. Although sovo has a total of 810 mosques (most of them divided in rites, the Dervish orders, until 2013, ȱ ȱ ȱ Ĵȱ Ǽǯȱ - were under the umbrella of the Islamic Com- lowing the war, over 218 mosques have been munity of Kosovo (ICK). Under the new draft rebuilt on the foundations of old mosques law regulating the legal status of religious destroyed by Serbian forces, while an additi- communities in Kosovo, mystic groups are de- onal 300 new mosques were built. Meanwhile, ęȱȱȱȱȱ¢ǯ Muslim Dervish Orders5 have around 72 ICK remains the largest religious institution small tekke’s throughout Kosovo, concentra- in Kosovo.3 Prior to the collapse of the com- ted mainly in the towns of Prizren, Gjakova munist system and the breakdown of the for- and Rahovec. Islamic religious communities mer Yugoslavia, this community the ICK was in Kosovo continue to be funded on a volunta- registered with the legal authorities of Serbia ry basis by their believers and followers. None in Belgrade. From that time up to the present of the religious communities is funded by the day, all the religious communities in Kosovo, state. including ICK, continue to operate without a new legal status in the country‘s democratic setup. The draft law regulating the status of Islamic educational institutions in Kosovo all religious communities in Kosovo has been passed by the Government, but has yet to re- ȱ ȱ ȱ ěȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ - ȱȱęȱȱȱȱǯ 4 http://www.kushtetutakosoves.info/repository/docs/ Constitution.of.the.Republic.of.Kosovo.pdf 3 http://bislame.net/ 5 http://www.btkonline.net/

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ned by two major educational institutions, the port secured directly from the ICK, which is Secondary Madrasa “Alauddin”6, founded in also its founder. Due to the failure to deter- 1951 and thus one of the oldest Islamic reli- mine the legal status of the ICK within the gious schools in the country, and the Faculty country’s new institutional framework after of Islamic Studies7 as a private institution un- independence in 2008, this higher education der the ICK supervision. The Islamic religious institution has not yet been registered nor li- school “Alauddin” is funded by the Ministry censed with country’s judicial authorities. It is of Education of Kosovo, based on a decision worth mentioning that the Faculty of Islamic taken dating back to when Kosovo was admi- Studies has been awarded accreditation for nistered by UNMIK (United Nations Mission both educational levels, Bachelor and Master. Interim in Kosovo) between 1999 and 2008. In 2012, the Senate of the University of Pristina The “Alauddin” Madrasa was largely active ruled in favor of inclusion of this Faculty at during the partly monist system in the former the University of Pristina. However, the Ko- ǰȱ ȱȱȱĴȱ- sovo Ministry of Education has not taken any dents from all Albanian inhabited lands of the step to forward the procedure to legitimize former Yugoslavia as well as other nationali- and formalize this decision. ties. Upon completion of studies, students The “Alauddin” Madrasa has two se- in this educational institution are awarded parate subsidiaries in the towns of Prizren and a professional degree to serve as imams in Gjilan and counts around 600 students, both mosques or teachers at Islamic religious se- male and female. Students who graduate from condary schools in the country. The Faculty this school cherish the right to pursue studies is open to both genders. After graduation, ȱ ěȱ ¢Ȭȱ ǰȱ ȱ ȱ many students pursue their Master studies in home and abroad. The “Alauddin” Madrasa in universities, both at home and abroad. The Fa- Pristina ranks second, behind the well-known culty curriculum is mainly based on the cur- Sarajevo-based “GaziHusrevbeg” Madrasa, riculum of the Faculty of Islamic Sciences in ȱȱȱȱȱĚȱȱȱ Sarajevo. Europe in terms of training the Albanian-spea- king imams and religious teachers. The durati- ȱȱȱȱȱȱȱŗşŞŚȱ ȱęȱ Branches of Islam in Kosovo years, and four years from 1984 to 2013, but was reduced to three years since 2013. Kosovo Muslims are followers of the Sunni- Apart from the religious secondary ęȱȱȱȱȱȱ education, the ICK (Islamic Community of Ko- has taken roots among Balkan Muslims and sova) also embodies a higher education insti- ¢ǰȱ ¢ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ Ěȱ ȱ ȱ tution, the Faculty of Islamic Studies founded Ĵȱ ȱ ȱ £ȱ ȱ ǯȱ in 1992. Unlike the “Alauddin” Madrasa, the The way of interpreting Islam among Muslims Faculty of Islamic Studies provides its educa- in Kosovo and Southeastern Europe for cen- ȱȱȱȱȱȱęȱ- turies has been and still remains, the middle course- inclusive rather than exclusive. In 6 http://medreseja.com/ addition, the mystical groups represented by 7 http://www.fsi92.net/

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Dervish orders, supported this approach and large group of Shiite community in Kosovo, interpretation of Islam in Kosovo. Muslims of ȱȱȱȱ¡ȱȱĚȱȱ our country, up to the end of 20thand early ȱȱȱȱȱęȱ 21stcentury, never knew nor heard of extreme journals in the spirit of Shiite ideology. There and radical approaches to Islam. Radicalism is only a symbolic number of Shiite believers and extremism were unfamiliar terms amongst in Kosovo, who are concentrated mainly in the Kosovo Muslims and Albanians in general. multiethnic and multicultural town of Prizren. Muslim believers in Kosovo had no problem ěȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ sharing a roof with or living in a family with interpretations in Kosovo could only be obser- ěȱȱȱȱȱǯȱȱ ved over the past two decades and fortunately tolerance and mutual reverence of individual are not widespread. religious beliefs among Albanians has always been an example to follow, both inside and outside their lands. The impact of the global propaganda on As an indigenous nation of Southeas- violent religious extremism in Kosovo tern Europe, the Kosovo Muslims, regardless of their religious adherence, have shown their Kosovo Muslims are indigenous citizens of ability to preserve and respect customary good Europe, and therefore they see and feel their neighborly traditions, while sharing the com- present and future within the European Uni- mon good and bad. Even presently, the tradition. Kosovo Muslims do not consider their re- ȱȱ ȱȱĚȱȱȱ ȱ Ĝȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ rather than exclusive approach to the religion, ǯȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ continues to prevail in Kosovo, regardless of who have opened their doors to Kosovo Al- a slight variation caused by foreign religious banian immigrants, declare that regardless of doctrines reaching Kosovo and the region fol- religion, Albanians are one of the immigrant lowing the collapse of the communist system social groups whose integration into their li- in the Balkans. Over the past two decades and ving environment was the easiest. particularly following the war of 1999, non- ȱ ¡ȱ Ěȱ ȱ ȱ - domestic Islamic religious schools and doctri- gious ideology of global proportions have nes have fought and competed for domination ȱ ȱ ęȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ǯȱ - in Kosovo. The countries of the Arabian Pen- theless, and similarly to other countries, it insula, a majority of which follow a course of could not entirely prevent foreign propa- strict interpretation of Islam, have sponsored ganda coming from the war hotspots in Iraq local conservative ideologists, who succeeded and Syria from penetrating into the country in establishing small cells and groups of their mainly through the uncontrolled distribution members in Kosovo. Fortunately, they were ȱȱȱȱ ȱȱȱĚȱ ȱ ȱ ¢ȱ ¡ȱ ȱ Ěǯȱ ¢ȱ of various online websites. This sort of propa- contrast, Turkey, which considers its religious ganda, proclaimed in the name of Islam, ins- heritage in Kosovo and the Balkan region to be pired a number of citizens of Kosovo to join part of its historical past, has tried to be very the fronts of extremist and terrorist groups in active in the region. Due to the absence of any Iraq and Syria. However, owing to the measu-

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res undertaken by the Government of Kosovo, of ethnicity, both now and in the future will particularly in the course of the last two years, aspire and work towards Euro-Atlantic inte- Kosovo has not registered any case of one of gration. They are aware that Brussels is their its citizens joining ISIS. political center today. The interpretation of ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ ȱ Islam will remain a domestic one, taking into cooperation with state institutions, the ICK account the context of culture and tradition as has recently been working intensively to pre- well as the local, regional and European per- vent violent forms of interpretation of Islam spective, and shall restrict itself from imitating ȱ ǯȱȱ¢ȱȱ¢ǰȱ£ȱȱ foreign ideologies and serving politically dri- our country are realizing that violent religious ven religious purposes. extremism leading to terrorism, should not ȱ ǰȱȱȱȱ ȱ and cannot be part of our society in any form. harder to speed up Kosovo’s integration into The extreme approach to religion, the European Union. The isolation of Koso- which is embraced nowadays in the countries vo from the western world, which has taken of East, is seen by Kosovo Muslims as a reli- place so far, by impeding the free movement giously and politically deviating agenda that of its people, will allow foreign groups to take has nothing to do with Islam as a religion in advantage of its harsh economic and political ȱęȱǰȱȱ ȱȱȱȱ- situation. ropean future.

The future of Islam in Kosovo About the Author Xhabir Hamiti, Dr., is a Professor at the faculty Islam in Kosovo will continue to be developed for Islamic Studies in Pristina in Kosovo. and nourished in the spirit of tolerance and E-mail: [email protected] respect for all the country’s religious communities. Muslim believers of Kosovo, regardless

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