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THE MUSLIM FORUM OF ALBANIA

PRESS RELEASE

1-October-06

The Muslim Forum of Albania has followed with great concern from the written and electronic media of Albania, the organization of the so – called conference on religious tolerance in the Balkans, that the NGO “Millenium Club Center” headed by Mentor Nazarko organized in August 30th 2006 in Tirana.

In this conference, among others, Forum’s attention was attracted by the speech that Albania’s ex-president, Rexhep Mejdani held. In it he cited a report from the World Christian Encyclopedia of 2001, in which the Muslim population of Albania is shown to be 38.8 %, the Christian 35.4%, divided into 16.8% Catholics and 16.1% Orthodox.

This quotation, that made news in our press of October 1st, 2006, according to the Muslim Forum of Albania, helps to increase the religious tensions in Albania and does not help to foster the religious tolerance, as "Millenium Club Center" conference aimed. For the Muslim Forum of Albania, the quotation by an ex-president of our Republic of some unscientific publications of some fundamentalist Christian organizations, as the so-called World Christian Encyclopedia published by the World Evangelization Research Center is, helps to increase the religious tensions in the Balkans.

The people of Albania know much better that the foreign missionaries do about the percentage of Muslims and Christians of Albania. For this reason, the Muslim Forum of Albania condemns the attempts of the evangelist fundamentalist organizations like the World Evangelization Research Center, who want to destroy the religious balances in Albania. At the same time, we advise the ex-president of Albania, Mr. Rexhep Mejdani to do not use anymore such evil and unserious publications in his speeches. But it would be in the honor Mr. Mejdani that in other times, to quote the data provided by the State Department of USA or from prestigious encyclopedias such as the Italian De-Agostini encyclopedia are, instead of quoting the ‘encyclopedias’ of fundamentalist organizations.

The Muslim Forum of Albania
Tirana

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Note for Editors:

The Muslim Forum of Albania is an NGO, part of the Albanian Civil Society whose aim is the fight against racism, discrimination and Islamophobia. For having more information on us please visit: www.forumimusliman.org