Strengthening Religious Tolerance for a Secure Civil Society in Albania and the Southern Balkans (Nato Series for Peace and Security)

157 Pages·2007·1 MB·English

by  J. Pettifer

STRENGTHENING RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE FOR A
SECURE CIVIL SOCIETY IN ALBANIA AND
THE SOUTHERN BALKANS
NATO Science for Peace and Security Series
This Series presents the results of scientific meetings supported under the NATO Programme:
Science for Peace and Security (SPS).
The NATO SPS Programme supports meetings in the following Key Priority areas: (1) Defence
Against Terrorism; (2) Countering other Threats to Security and (3) NATO, Partner and
Mediterranean Dialogue Country Priorities. The types of meeting supported are generally
“Advanced Study Institutes” and “Advanced Research Workshops”. The NATO SPS Series
collects together the results of these meetings. The meetings are co-organized by scientists from
NATO countries and scientists from NATO’s “Partner” or “Mediterranean Dialogue” countries.
The observations and recommendations made at the meetings, as well as the contents of the
volumes in the Series, reflect those of participants and contributors only; they should not
necessarily be regarded as reflecting NATO views or policy.
Advanced Study Institutes (ASI) are high-level tutorial courses to convey the latest
developments in a subject to an advanced-level audience.
Advanced Research Workshops (ARW) are expert meetings where an intense but informal
exchange of views at the frontiers of a subject aims at identifying directions for future action.
Following a transformation of the programme in 2006 the Series has been re-named and re-
organised. Recent volumes on topics not related to security, which result from meetings
supported under the programme earlier, may be found in the NATO Science Series.
The Series is published by IOS Press, Amsterdam, and Springer Science and Business Media,
Dordrecht, in conjunction with the NATO Public Diplomacy Division.
Sub-Series
A. Chemistry and Biology Springer Science and Business Media
B. Physics and Biophysics Springer Science and Business Media
C. Environmental Security Springer Science and Business Media
D. Information and Communication Security IOS Press
E. Human and Societal Dynamics IOS Press
http://www.nato.int/science
http://www.springer.com
http://www.iospress.nl
Sub-Series E: Human and Societal Dynamics – Vol. 27 ISSN 1874-6276
Strengthening Religious Tolerance
for a Secure Civil Society in Albania
and the Southern Balkans
Edited by
James Pettifer
Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, Swindon, UK
and
Mentor Nazarko
University of Tirana, Albania
Amsterdam • Berlin • Oxford • Tokyo • Washington, DC
Published in cooperation with NATO Public Diplomacy Division
Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Strengthening and Promoting
Religious Co-Existence and Tolerance for a More Secure Civil Society in the Balkans and
Beyond
Tirana, Albania
29 September – 1 October 2006
© 2007 IOS Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without prior written permission from the publisher.
ISBN 978-1-58603-779-6
Library of Congress Control Number: 2007932806
Publisher
IOS Press
Nieuwe Hemweg 6B
1013 BG Amsterdam
Netherlands
fax: [phone]
e-mail: [email protected]
Distributor in the UK and Ireland Distributor in the USA and Canada
Gazelle Books Services Ltd. IOS Press, Inc.
White Cross Mills 4502 Rachael Manor Drive
Hightown Fairfax, VA 22032
Lancaster LA1 4XS USA
United Kingdom fax: [phone]
fax: [phone] e-mail: [email protected]
e-mail: [email protected]
LEGAL NOTICE
The publisher is not responsible for the use which might be made of the following information.
PRINTED IN THE NETHERLANDS
Strengthening Religious Tolerance for a Secure Civil Society in Albania and the Southern Balkans v
J. Pettifer and M. Nazarko (Eds.)
IOS Press, 2007
© 2007 IOS Press. All rights reserved.
Preface
The NATO Advanced Research workshop “Strengthening and Promoting religious
tolerance and co-existence in the Balkans and beyond” that was held in Tirana Albania
in September, October 2006, brought together researchers and academics, politicians
and theologians from different parts of the Balkans and the world at large. The lively
and constructive debate brought a number of new key elements and ideas to the table.
Albania and its intereligious relationships and experiences were presented as positive
examples of religious co-existence. These and other positive experiences were com-
pared and discussed in relation to other developments in the region and the world.
It was a privilege of the Millenium Club Center and myself personally as its Ex-
ecutive Director to have been part of this amazing group of people and discussion.
I wanted to give a big heartfelt thank you to all the participants and contributors to the
workshop. Without your participation, your insight, and contribution, the workshop
would not have been the success it was. I hope that this publication will bring through
the fundamental issues and topics discussed at the workshop. Due to the editorial and
publishers restrictions, we could not fit all the presentations in the book. Nevertheless,
I am convinced that the presentations given at the workshop in Tirana, and this book,
will further encourage discussion and debate on what has become one of the most sen-
sitive issues of our time.
Mentor Nazarko
Executive Director, Millenium Club Center
Co-Director, NATO Science for Peace Project
Advanced Research Workshop
This page intentionally left blank
vii
Introduction
It has long been a commonplace of Balkan Studies and historical writing about the
Balkans to state that religion is often a major factor in conflicts. Some contemporary
authors have seen it as the decisive factor, either in the framework of American theorist
Samuel Huntington within the wider ‘Clash of Civilisations’ that is taking place all
over the world, or in more localised terms, where the bloody debacle of the wars of the
1990’s in ex-Yugoslavia was analysed as a conflict between Roman Catholic Croatia
and Orthodox Serbia, or the Bosnian war in terms of re-emerging Islam. In that context,
the longstanding reputation of Albania and Albanians for tolerance in religious matters
is important, and deserves scholarly study and debate. In the period of the emergence
of Albania from the chaos and turmoil of the 1989–1992 period and the end of the
one-party state, the main priority for Albanians was the reestablishment of religion in
Albania after the years of enforced atheism under the Hoxha regieme. In the main this
process went very well, and peacefully, with a massive and successful programme of
church and mosque construction taking place, with funding from many outside spon-
sors. By about 1996 this process had been more or less completed as far as making
available again religious buildings in all communities for the main confessions. In the
world in general, Albania is often seen as a majority ‘Moslem’ community, but there
are powerful and growing Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christian congregations, and
also new Evangelical churches, and non-Christian religious sects. A sizeable part of the
population remains secular, and has not much defined religious identity or practice.
Albania, and the southern Balkans in general, is open to strong evangelical influences
from both Christian and Moslem neighbours and outside powers. Debate about the na-
ture of the Albanian identity has recently come to incorporate more and more discus-
sion about religion, as witnessed by the vigorous 2006 exchanges between prominent
Albanian authors Ismail Kadare and Rexhep Qosja on the subject. The conference that
was held in the National Historical Museum conference hall in Tirana in September
2006 sought to illuminate the background to this emerging and complex religious cul-
ture in Albania and also subjects of importance in neighbouring nations that are rele-
vant, such as the Muslim minority in northern Greece, and the position of religion in
Montenegro. It includes papers by a number of prominent local scholars, and invited
foreign experts on Albania and its history. This volume seeks to make available to a
wider audience the most important contributions to the conference, and papers submit-
ted to the editors by those scholars unable to attend.
James Pettifer
This page intentionally left blank
ix
Message from Senator Giulio Andreotti,
70th, 61st and 58th Prime Minister of Italy
September 26, 2006
To the Millennium Club Center of
TIRANA
I deeply regret having to cancel my participation in the workshop entitled “Strengthen-
ing and promoting religious tolerance and co-existence for a more secure civil society
in the Balkan and beyond”, especially since today, more than ever, the world needs that
all religions bearing different colors, build common ways towards peace and accep-
tance for all.
The meeting that His Holy Highness Benedetto XVI initiated with all the Islamic Am-
bassadors accredited to the Vatican, offers a strong foundation for debate and discus-
sion.
With my best regards, praying to Mother Theresa to help us
Yours Truly,
Giulio Andreotti