Islam in Albania

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The eighteenth-century Et'hem Bey Mosque on Skanderbeg Square in Tirana
The eighteenth-century Et'hem Bey Mosque on Skanderbeg Square in Tirana

In the north, the spread of Islam was slower as the Roman Catholic Church was strong and the mountainous terrain slowed the influx of Ottoman influences. In the South, however, Catholicism was not as strong and by the end of the seventeenth century the region had largely adopted the religion of the growing Albanian Muslim elite. The existence of a growing Albanian Muslim class of pashas and beys, such as Ali Pashë of Janina. who played an increasingly important role in Ottoman political and economic life made adopting the religion of the Ottoman elite an increasingly attractive option for most Albanians.

Albania became independent of the Ottoman Empire in 1912. In 1923, the Albanian Muslim congress convened at Tiranë decided to break with the Caliphate, establishing a new form of prayer (standing, instead of the traditional salah ritual), banishing polygamy and the mandatory use of veil (hijab) by women in public.[6] During the monarchy (1928-1939) religious institutions of all confessions were put under state control.[citation needed] This trend was taken to extreme during the totalitarian regime, when religions, identified as imports foreign to Albanian culture, were banned altogether.


[1]

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[edit] Distribution

The Muslims of Albania were divided into two main communities: those associated with Sunni Islam and those associated with the Bektashi, a mystic Dervish order that came to Albania through the Ottoman Janissaries. The order resembles Sufi mystic orders, but contains elements quite distinct from orthodox Islam. After the Bektashis were banned in Turkey in 1925 by Atatürk, the order moved its world centre to Tirana and the Albanian government subsequently recognized it as a body independent from Sunnism. Sunni Muslims were estimated to represent approximately 50% of the country's Muslim population before 1929, while Bektashi represented another 20%.

Sunni Muslims have historically lived in the cities of Albania, while Bektashi Shias mainly in remote areas whereas Orthodox Christians mainly in the south, and Roman Catholics in the north of the country. However, in the modern times this division is not strict, particularly in the case of many urban centers, which have mixed populations.

[edit] References

This article contains material from the Library of Congress Country Studies, which are United States government publications in the public domain.

  1. ^ A note about Albania published in Time magazine in April 14, 1923

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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