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Four Religions, One language, One Nation
Indivisible |
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Four
Religions, One language, One Nation Indivisible |
The religious leaders from the Albanian Roman
Catholic Church, Islamic Community, Orthodox
Church and Bektashi Community signed an historic
“Statement of Shared Moral Commitment” on March
18, 2005.
These religious leaders of Albania, whose
communities endured great suffering during the
Cold War, jointly acknowledged their diverse faith
traditions, affirmed their shared moral values,
and committed themselves to work together to
promote a vibrant civil society in Albania. They
also called upon the relevant national authorities
to protect religious freedom.
Four Religions, One language, One Nation
Indivisible
During the signing ceremony moderated by Religions
for Peace and attended by leading national figures
and representatives of many foreign embassies, the
Statement was presented by the religious leaders
to the Albanian peoples. The religious leaders
pledged to work together on the development of
civil society and the growth of religious freedom.
During the ceremony, The Prime Minister of
Albania, H. E. Fatos Nano, declared his support
for the multi-religious initiative, stating that
“these religious leaders are far more important
(to Albania) than any political officer.”
The event marked an important step in a year long
process facilitated by Religions for Peace
designed to support the leadership of the heads of
the Albanian religious communities. Religions for
Peace has worked to facilitate the formation of
action-oriented multi-religious councils
throughout Southeast Europe. In November 2004, the
European Council of Religions for Peace convened a
major meeting in Brussels of Southeast European
religious leaders around the topic of religious
harmony in the region.
Special Report 3
INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM REPORT ON Kosova
source: Excerpted from The International Religious
Freedom Report for 2005
November 8, 2005
Kosova continued to be administered under the
civil authority of the U.N. Interim Administrative
Mission in Kosova (UNMIK), pursuant to U.N.
Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1244. This
resolution called for "substantial autonomy and
meaningful self-administration" for the persons of
Kosova "within the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia." UNMIK and its chief administrator,
the Special Representative of the Secretary
General (SRSG), established a civil administration
in 1999, following the conclusion of the NATO
military campaign that forced the withdrawal of
Yugoslav and Serbian forces from Kosova. Since
that time, the SRSG and UNMIK, with the assistance
of the international community, have worked with
local leaders to build the institutions and
expertise necessary for self-government under
UNSCR 1244. UNSCR 1244 also formed an
international peacekeeping force in Kosova (KFOR)
mandated to deter hostilities and establish secure
conditions.
The UNMIK-promulgated Constitutional Framework
provides for freedom of religion, as does UNMIK
Regulation 1999/24 on applicable law in Kosova;
UNMIK and the provisional institutions of
self-government (PISG) generally respected this
right in practice. Respect for religious freedom
increased somewhat during the period covered by
this report. However, most of the tensions between
Kosova's Albanians and Serb populations were
largely rooted in ethnic, rather than religious,
bias. Catholic institutions were not targets.
Attacks on Orthodox religious sites significantly
decreased after the March 2004 riots.
The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom
issues with UNMIK, the PISG, and religious
representatives in Kosova as part of its overall
policy of promoting human rights. The U.S.
Government also supports UNMIK and KFOR in their
security and protection arrangements for churches
and patrimonial sites. In December 2004, the SRSG
and KFOR commander signed a memorandum of
understanding (MOU) which specifies response
mechanisms and cooperation between the KPS and
KFOR to maintain order. Contingency plans for riot
control have been revised, and now include
operational presence in municipalities and
permanent contact among local police, UNMIK,
communities, village leaders and local
authorities.
In January 2005, under a new community policing
initiative, UNMIK police began phased deployment
of 350 international police officers to 30
locations in the region--sites for potential
return of a displaced Serb population and those
inhabited by Serbs.
Section I. Religious Demography
Kosova has an area of approximately 4,211 square
miles and its population is approximately 2
million. Islam is the predominant faith, professed
by most of the majority ethnic Albanian
population, the Bosniak, Gorani, and Turkish
communities, and some in the Roma/Ashkali/Egyptian
community, although religion is not a significant
factor in public life. Religious rhetoric is
largely absent from public discourse, mosque
attendance is low, and public displays of
conservative Islamic dress and culture are
minimal. The Kosova Serb population, of
whomapproximately 100,000 reside in Kosova and
225,000 in Serbia and Montenegro, is largely
Serbian Orthodox. Approximately 3 percent of
ethnic Albanians are Roman Catholic. Protestants
make up less than one percent of the population
and have small populations in most of Kosova's
cities. Approximately 40 persons from two families
in Prizren have some Jewish roots, but there are
no synagogues or Jewish institutions.
Foreign clergy actively practice and proselytize.
There are Muslim, Orthodox, Catholic, and
Protestant missionaries active in Kosova. There
are approximately 69 faith-based or religious
organizations registered with UNMIK which list
their goals as the provision of humanitarian
assistance or faith-based outreach.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
During the period covered by this report, Kosova
political leaders--government and political party
officials--have increasingly called for tolerance.
During the end of August and the beginning of
September 2004, then-Prime Minister Bajram Rexhepi
and SRSG Soren Jessen-Petersen visited
Serb-inhabited areas in the municipalities of
Gjilan/Gnijlane, Novoberde/Novo Brdo, Prizren,
Mitrovice/Mitrovica, and Peje/Pec, appealing to
Kosova-Serbs to return. On February 27, 2005,
former Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj addressed a
letter to Kosova citizens calling upon them to
respect the rule of law and exercise tolerance,
stating: "The Albanian majority has a special
obligation towards the Serb community. They should
be able to move freely in Kosova." During an April
2005 visit to Montenegro, Minister for Local
Government Administration along with Minister for
Returns and Communities Slavisha Petkovic,
Minister of Local Government Administration Lutfi
Haziri, appealed to all of Kosova's displaced to
return home.
Forced Religious Conversion
There were no reports of forced religious
conversion, including of minor U.S. citizens who
had been abducted or illegally removed from the
United States, or of the government authorities'
refusal to allow such citizens to be returned to
the United States.
Abuses by Terrorist Organizations
There were no reported abuses targeted at specific
religions by terrorist organizations during the
period covered by this report.
Kosova conflict is not a religious issue
Europe Report N°105
This report seeks to describe the current position
of the three major religious communities in Kosova.
In part, it aims to clarify misconceptions about
the involvement of religion in the Kosova
conflict. It also proposes some areas where
religion might serve as a means to encourage
reconciliation among the peoples of Kosova.
Three religions – Islam, Orthodoxy, and
Catholicism, have long coexisted in Kosova. A
large majority of Kosova Albanians consider
themselves, at least nominally, to be Muslim. A
minority, about 60,000, are Catholic. Most Kosova
Serbs, even those who are not active religious
believers, consider Orthodoxy to be an important
component of their national identity.
Nevertheless, despite this essential division of
religious activities along ethnic lines, it cannot
be said that religion per se was an important
contributing factor in the conflict between Serbs
and Albanians.
Kosova Albanians do not define their national
identity through religion, but through language
and have a relatively relaxed approach towards the
observance of the forms of the Islamic religion.
Neither Islamic leaders nor Islamic theology
played a significant role in either the eight-year
campaign of non-violent resistance to the Serb
occupation regime or the armed resistance of
1998-99. Islamic political and social
fundamentalism, as that term is understood with
respect to the Middle East, has very little
resonance in Kosova.
The image of Kosova Serbs and their monasteries,
usually portrayed as suffering harassment and
persecution by the Albanian majority population,
formed a part of the nationalist propaganda that
Milosevic and his supporters used to manipulate
popular emotions. The Serbian Orthodox Church,
however, was always divided over Milosevic. It
initially supported him in large part to end what
it saw as the victimisation of the Serb nation
under Communism and to reverse the decline of the
Serb presence in Kosova. But Milosevic’s Communist
career made the Church uneasy, as did his use of
violence. By the early 1990s, Patriarch Pavle was
publicly criticising Milosevic although some other
members of the Orthodox hierarchy continued to
support him. After the 1999 war, Bishop Artemije,
the head of the Orthodox Church in Kosova, assumed
the leadership of those Serbs willing to work with
the International community there.
The Serbian and Albanian religious communities
have been more willing to talk to each other than
other sectors of Kosova society. As early as March
1999, before the NATO-led intervention,
representatives appointed by the leaders of the
three main religious communities in Kosova
(Islamic, Orthodox and Roman Catholic) held a
joint meeting in Pristina that was convened by the
World Conference on Religion and Peace (WCRP) to
facilitate dialogue. The representatives expressed
opposition to the misuse of religion for political
reasons on all sides and called on all parties not
to use religious symbols to promote violence or
intolerance. They also expressed their
determination to maintain direct contacts between
the religious communities and to build channels of
communication. An informal level of dialogue has
continued on a regular basis between some members
of the three main religious communities. These
interfaith meetings still contain some risks for
the participants, but they can be useful for
facilitating a better climate of tolerance and
understanding between the ethnic communities and
might appropriately be the focus of greater
international community support. |
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