Religious leaders from Shkoder: Orthodox, Catholics, and Muslims live in harmony; it is impossible to turn us against each other

The Albanian city of Shkoder, which once housed the Museum of Atheism, today prides itself on religious tolerance, and as symbols of unity in the center of this town, not far from each other, a mosque, a Catholic, and an Orthodox church were built.
The interlocutors of Kosovo Online, the religious leaders of three confessions in Shkoder, are proud of the city which, as they say, on November 4, 1990, was the first in Albania, after almost three decades since the country was officially declared atheist, the first to restore freedom of religion, restored or rebuilt the sanctuaries, and which still lives today in a religious harmony that they say is a gift from God.
That even in the "worst times of communism, there was religious cooperation," claims the deputy mufti of Skadar, effendi Arben Halluni.
"One of the imams, Hafiz Musa Derguti, was in prison together with, at the time, a well-known Catholic intellectual, Tom Lec. When Lec saw Imam Hafiz praying in the cell, he knelt next to him and said: 'Pray for us too!' Shkoder stands out for that virtue, which we consider our main value. We don't just have tolerance, we are on a higher level than that. We have harmony and love among members of all religions. It is based on our religious teachings. I take as an example our tradition such as the Quran. We are commanded to get along, to have social peace, and understanding, regardless of religion or ethnicity. Religious coexistence is God's gift and a miracle that God has done in this country," Halluni said.
He notes that tolerance played a big role in preserving the Albanian national identity. In support of this, he states that more than 20,000 people from Shkoder, Catholics, Muslims, and Orthodox, together celebrated the centenary of Albania's statehood in 2012, by placing a series of lighted candles and Albanian flags, connected from the bell tower of the Catholic church to the minaret of the mosque in the city center.
During communism in Albania and the ban on the profession of religion, it destroyed more than 2,169 religious buildings to the ground. Those that were declared cultural monuments were turned into military warehouses, catering facilities, gymnasiums, or warehouses. Many priests were prosecuted, deported to camps, or killed, Shkoder Archbishop Angelo Massafra says.
"The exact number of destroyed buildings has not been determined yet. There was always harmony here and the Catholics, together with the Orthodox and Muslims, contributed to the opening of the Lead Mosque, which was attended by almost 50,000 people," the Archbishop says.
He recalls the trial of Catholic priests, showing photos that symbolize the suffering they went through.
"The cross symbolizes their suffering, thirty-eight of them were killed, of which we know. The bishop was also sentenced to death, later it was changed to imprisonment. On the cross, there are images of the destruction of churches, and on the other side are images of resurrection, and restoration, November 4, 1990.
Through the well-organized propaganda system of the dictatorial state, including the media and newsreels, the state was committed to destroying religious institutions, burning holy books, and imprisoning and executing priests, Shkoder priest Nikola Petani tells Kosovo Online.
"Such a policy continued even later. There was a lot of influence where the malicious sought and provoked conflicts between churches and religious communities. That was in 1997 when there was a civil war in Shkoder. However, the example we are proud of was when clerics of different faiths got on a truck and went through Shkoder with a loudspeaker, telling the people not to succumb to provocations, that we are brothers, and that we have no problems with each other. The second time was in 1998 when dynamite was thrown into this church in an attempt to blow it up. They worked to bring conflict into the religious communities, but again that was impossible," Petani says.
Today, all religious denominations in Shkoder live harmoniously, celebrate Eid and Easter together, and participate in various activities. Proud that their city sends the most beautiful message of peace to the world.
"We are all brothers and thank God for peace, religious harmony, religious coexistence, brotherly love, and everything else," Nikola Petani concludes.
0 comments