The Influence of Islam on Albanian Culture Fatmir Shehu ∗ Abstract This paper examines the influence of Islam on Albanian culture. The Islamization process of the Albanian culture was very crucial for the Albanians themselves as it gave them a new identity, which they lacked since their settlement on the Adriatic shores. According to history, Albanians, the biggest Muslim nation dwelling in the Balkans, South-East of Europe, are believed to be the descendents of the ancient Illyrians, who settled in Europe around 2500 years ago. They lived a social life based on tribalism, where every tribe had established its own cultural system and way of life. Thus, their cultural differences disallowed them to unite. Such situation did not change, even when Christianity was introduced to them. Because, Christianity came to Albania through two great dominations: Christian Catholics of Vatican (the Northern part of Albanian) and Christian Orthodox of Greece (the Southern part of Albania). The continuous religious and political suppression faced by the Albanians from their Byzantine and Latin masters enabled them to be the first people of the Balkans, who welcomed openheartedly the Ottoman Muslims and embraced Islam as their new way of life in the 15th century. The study focuses on the following issues: (1) Historical background of Albania and Albanians; (2) The genesis of Albanian culture; and (3) The process of integration between Islamic culture and Albanian culture. This research attempts to provide important findings, which will be very helpful to the Muslims and others. Abstrak Karya ini mengkaji pengaruhan Islam terhadap budaya Albania. Proses pengislaman budaya Albania adalah amat penting kepada orang-orang Albania sendiri kerana ia telah memberi mereka suatu identiti baru yang mereka kekurangan sejak penempatan mereka di pesisiran Adriatic. Menurut sejarah, Albania adalah negara Islam terbesar di Balkan, Selatan- Timur Eropah, dan dipercayai keturunan purba Illyrians, yang menetap di Eropah sekitar 2500 tahun yang lalu. Mereka hidup berdasarkan fahaman berpuak dimana setiap suku telah menubuhkan sistem budaya dan cara hidup yang berlainan. Oleh kerana perbezaan budaya mereka, mereka tidak diberi peluang untuk bersatu. Situasi ini tidak berubah, walaupun agama Kristian diperkenalkan kepada mereka. Ini kerana, agama Kristian datang ke Albania menerusi dua penguasaan besar: Kristian Katolik Vatican (bahagian Utara Albania) dan Kristian Ortodoks Yunani (bahagian Selatan Albania). Penindasan agama dan politik yang berterusan dan dihadapi oleh Albania daripada ketua-ketua Byzantine dan Latin mereka, membolehkan mereka menjadi orang pertama di kawasan Balkan yang mengalu-alukan Muslim-muslim Uthmaniyyah dan memeluk agama Islam sebagai cara hidup baru mereka di abad ke-15. Kajian ini memberi tumpuan kepada isu-isu berikut: (1) Latar ∗ Assistant Professor , Department of General Studies, Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge & Human Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). E- mail: [email protected] ©International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) Journal Of Islam In Asia, Special Issue,o.1 March 2011 390 Fatmir Shehu belakang sejarah Albania dan orang-orangnya; (2) asal-usul budaya Albania; dan (3) proses integrasi antara budaya Islam dan budaya Albania. Kajian ini mencuba untuk menyediakan penemuan-penemuan penting yang akan sangat membantu Umat Islam dan juga lain-lain. Introduction The concept of Culture 1 is a very basic mechanism to human societies because it provides for them their identity, system of belief as well as their moral values enabling them to act accordingly. The most important element of culture that helps people to build their worldview about the reality is ethos , which refers to apprehended beliefs within a cultural group that guide social interactions, i.e., independence vs. interdependence; individual rights vs. honor and protection of family; egalitarianism vs. authoritarianism; control and dominance vs. harmony and defense. 2 In other words, one’s culture values become one’s paradigm, defining what is real and right. One’s culture identity that is constructed on all the above mentioned values refers to the broad sense of cultural belongingness and shared values derived from (1) group membership, (2) a common history, (3) tradition and (4) language. Also, it focuses on shared behavior, symbols, values or beliefs. 3 In other words, cultural identity is understood as a complex of moral values and virtues possessed and practiced by a group of people or a community characterized by diversity. It is the cultural identity and belongingness that make people differ from one another. Besides, cultural identity or ethnicity “requires 1 The notion of culture can be deployed into "four clusters of meanings: first , culture as a cognitive category , a state of mind [with an ideal goal implied], which is the proper concern of the arts and ethics; second , culture as the level of collective social development , with this sphere of concern designated as ‘culture and society’; third , culture as the arts , where a restricted sphere of self-conscious expression is designated [and may be reserved for particular groups, with their own self-images]; and fourth , culture as the way of life of people , the sphere of complex practical activity, or praxis” that denotes “sets of ideas embedded within routine practice and familiar institutions, and read them as implicated in the reports of self which we make, or in self-identity.” P.W. Preston, (1997), Political/Cultural Identity: Citizens and ations in a Global Era , London - California - New Delhi: SAGE Publications, pp. 38-39. 2 Jerry V. Diller, (2007), Cultural Diversity: A Primer for the Human Services U.S.A.: Thomas Brooks/Cole, 3rd edition, pp. 61-62, passim p. 65. 3Karmela Liebkind, (1989), ew Identities in Europe: Immigrant Ancestry and Ethnic Identity of Youth , England: Gower Publishing Company Ltd., p. 21. ©International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) Journal Of Islam In Asia, Special Issue,o.1 March 2011 The Influence of Islam on Albanian Cultur e 391 the self-consciousness recognition by a group of individuals of commonalities that emerge through their conformity to similar ways of acting and being.” 4 All aspects of cultural identity will be expressed through the possession of similar cultural starts, like language, styles of dress, personal adornment, material objects and particular ways of behaving.5 For instance, a common way of building and decorating houses will consequently be indicative of a shared set of values, which, in turn, will indicate a cultural identity. Since the very beginning, people were divided into groups sharing the same cultural values that gave them cultural identity and enabled them to survive. Among those people were the Albanians too, who, although small in number, have fought very hard to maintain their culture identity. The Council of Europe (2009) 6 considers "Albania," as one of the oldest countries on the Balkan Peninsula, and its people, the Albanians, have been recognized as "indigenous peoples" who, based on their unique culture and language, "would place them among the oldest groups of peoples in Europe." 7 Albania being situated at the cross roads of Europe, the Balkans, the Mediterranean and Illyria, has made it very attractive to others especially the neighboring countries, i.e., Greece, Italy, Serbia, and Macedonia. Its strategic location made Robin Alison Remington to assert that "Albania is a state slightly larger than Maryland with a strategic importance the size of China." 8 Indeed, Albania occupies a strategic location, historically and politically. At the southern entrance to the Adriatic, Albania was the steppingstone from which the Romans moved to the east. At the crossroads, many different people have passed through or maintained dominion, but the Albanian people have largely been able to maintain their unique culture identity. However, the strategic location of Albanian has not contributed a lot to the exposure of 4 Mark Grahame, (1988), “Material culture and Roman identity,” in Cultural Identity in the Roman Empire , edited by Ray Laurence and Joanne Berry London and New York: Routledge Press, p. 159. 5 Ibid., p. 159, passim p. 162. 6 The Council of Europe/ ERICarts, (2009), "Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe," 10th ed., accessed August 10, 2011. http://www.culturalpolicies.net/web/pprintclip.php 7 Dennis Hupchick and Harold Cox, (1996), A Concise Historical Atlas of Eastern Europe , New York: St. Martin's Press, p. 3. 8 This is expressed in the forward to Elez Biberaj's book: (1998), Albania in Transition: The Rocky Road to Democracy , Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, p. xi. ©International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) Journal Of Islam In Asia, Special ssue,o.1 March 2011 392 Fatmir Shehu its inspiring culture values as well as its splendid beauty; rather it has created for Albania a reputation for being mysterious, unknown and unapproachable. 9 Also, Albania has been comprehended by some people as "a little known, misunderstood land which sort of swirls through the mountain mists into a never-never-land of mystery and claims of blood feuds and the exotic, having, for strangers, all the reality of 'Brigadoon.' 10 ." 11 Over the past fifty years, Albania has been ruled by communist regime, which isolated it from the rest of the world in general and Europe in particular until the early 1990s when the authoritarian regime was replaced with Western democracy. However, the Western democracy introduced to Albania and Albanians has created a disorder in the Albanian culture. According to the Albanian history, the Albanian culture has been strong enough to preserve its origin and resist assimilation by other dominating cultures, like the Roman culture, Slavic culture, Ottoman culture, and Communist culture. Nevertheless, it could not resist the Western secular-capitalist culture, which within a period of twenty-one years has given it a different identity, which has made Albanians to feel strangers in their own country. Therefore, the revival of the Albanian culture is seen as a crucial starting point where Albania and its people will be able to get what they deserve the best.