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THE MUSLIM FORUM OF ALBANIA

Press Release

18.12.2005

Re: Reaction on the religious connotations of the discourse of the last meeting of the Directing Council of the Socialist Party of Albania

On Saturday 18.12.2005, the Directing Council of the Socialist Party of Albania had a meeting. During this meeting, the Muslim Forum of Albania, noted that besides the ordinary developments, characteristic of such meetings, the discussions had some exaggerations that go contrary to the feelings of our society and the all-inclusive spirit that political actors, such as the Socialist Party of Albania claim to have.

During the speeches delivered, the Head of the Socialist Party and the Mayor of Tirana, Mr. Edi Rama ridiculed one of the most important icons of Islam and other religions in Albania, the deceased grand Mufti of Albania, Haxhi Hafiz Sabri Koçi. In one critical connotation he stated that the actual Prime Minister of Albania “speaks like Sabri Koçi”. We would like to remind Mr. Rama and the persons who are in charge of the Public Relations within his political party, that the negative comparisons that were given to such a distinguished national figure like Sabri Koçi is, were all out of place and null. The situation is aggravated even more, when the subject of the derision is deceased.

The Muslim Forum of Albania is concerned with the unnecessary religious overtones that the political discourse in Albania has, and its contribution to the artificial polarization and divisions of our society. In his speech Mr. Rama compared the war on corruption waged by the current Prime Minister to the “war waged by Haxhi Qamili on the infidels”. Apart from having a simplistic and conflicting version of history, we would like to remind the public opinion that the first victims of the war of Haxhi Qamil were the patriotic Imams of Tirana like Hafiz Ibrahim Dalliu and many more. But the insistence on criticizing political opponents on religious bases, damages, we believe, the persons who fall into this trap in the first place.

As a result, the Muslim Forum of Albania, which is a civil society organization that monitors the expressions of religious and racial intolerance, advises the Albanian political class and specifically the Socialist Party of Albania, to show an adequate care in avoiding the unnecessary religious overtones in its attacks against their political opponents.

The Muslim Forum of Albania
Tirana