Interfaith Dialogue in Albania as a Model of Interreligious Harmony

Genti Kruja

doi:10.29333/ejecs/377

Authors

Genti Kruja Beder College University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/377

Keywords:

Albania, dialogue, interfaith co-existence, interreligious harmony, tolerance.

Abstract

Over many centuries, Albanians have been mostly followers of Islam, Catholicism, and Eastern Orthodoxy. There are also other smaller religious communities, including Muslim Bektashi, Protestantism, and Judaism. Christianity and Islam, have coexisted in Albania for centuries. Tolerance is a characteristic of Albanian people, which is probably related to their geopolitical position. Being at the intersection of East and West, Albanians were influenced by both. The lands of Albanians were the meeting and division point of the two greatest empires of the Middle Ages, the Roman and the Byzantine Empires. Experiencing many vicissitudes, this peaceful co-existence, as a national value of a small nation, has continued for centuries and is still ongoing. However, a communist government lasting from 1944 to 1991 imposed a severe prohibition of the practice of religion. The interreligious cooperation during the reopening of the first church and mosque in 1990 was an expression of tolerance despite even though the communist regime was still in power. This paper presents some essential historical facts as well as a sociological approach of the interfaith understanding among Albanians.

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Author Biography

Genti Kruja, Beder College University

Genti Kruja received a Bachelor’s degree in sociology at Istanbul University, Turkey, and a Master’s degree in sociology as well as a PhD degree in philosophy at Tirana University, Albania. During his Master’s and PhD studies, he researched interfaith and intercultural dialogue. He has worked as Director of Culture and Inter-Religious Dialogue at Albania’s Muslim Community (2010-2016) and since 2012 he is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Zani i Naltë. Dr. Kruja is also the Secretary General of the Albania Inter-Religious Council and he is Head of the Islamic Science Department and lecturer in Bedër University in Tirana, Albania. He is the author of “Albanians Facing Interreligious Challenges.”

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