Muslims, according to the 1929 statistics, made up the majority of the religiously observant in Albania, sharing the first place in number of religion adherents with the Orthodox Christians and followed by Roman Catholics. A Muslim is a believer in or follower of Islam. ... Eastern Orthodoxy (also called Greek Orthodoxy and Russian Orthodoxy) is a Christian tradition which represents the majority of Eastern Christianity. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ...

One Friday midday during 1992 , hundreds of devout Muslims crowded into the Ethem Bey mosque in downtown Tiranë for Albania's first legal Muslim prayer service in 24 years. Outside, some 1,000 onlookers listened in amazement as the long-forgotten call of the muezzin echoed through the city's streets. According to Sulejman Dashi , a Tiranë architect, some 400 mosques are scattered around Albania, as well as 360 other Muslim sites. One of the most important is located in the picturesque mountain town of Kruje, 20 kilometers (12½ miles) north of Tiranë. Muslims in Albania amount to an estimated at a minimum of 50% of the total population, followed in the second place in number of religion adherents with the Orthodox Christians and followed by Roman Catholics. Statistics as of 1929 estimated that 60% percent of Albanians were of Muslim affiliation (Sunni and Bektashi). However, decades of State Atheism which ended in 1991, caused a radical decline in religious practice in all traditions. The majority of Albanians in the 90's, up to 65% of the population, were nonreligious. A Muslim is a believer in or follower of Islam. ... average temperature and precipitations in Tirana Tirana (Albanian: Tiranë or Tirana) is the capital and largest city of Albania. ... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ... Categories: Albania geography stubs | Cities in Albania ... average temperature and precipitations in Tirana Tirana (Albanian: Tiranë or Tirana) is the capital and largest city of Albania. ... A Muslim is a believer in or follower of Islam. ... Eastern Orthodoxy (also called Greek Orthodoxy and Russian Orthodoxy) is a Christian tradition which represents the majority of Eastern Christianity. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ... Atheist redirects here. ... Religious is a term with both a technical definition and folk use. ... Irreligion, irreligiousness, or nonreligion is an umbrella term which, depending on context, may be understood as referring to atheism, agnosticism, deism, skepticism, freethought, secular humanism, general secularism, or heresy. ...

Islam in Albania before 1944

The eighteenth-century Et'hem Bey Mosque on Skanderbeg Square in Tirana

Since Albania has been part of the Ottoman Empire for almost five centuries the integration of Albanians into this empire went hand in hand with the gradual coercive conversions to Islam and the abdication of Paganism and Christianity. When Albania was declared an independent country in 1912, it emerged as the only Muslim-majority state in Europe. Sulejman Dashi, a Tiranë architect specializing in restoration of medieval structures, says the country's oldest mosque was built in 1380 in the town of Berat, around the time the Ottoman Empire began setting its sights on Albania. In Korçë, a town near the Greek border, one of Albania's oldest Muslim sites can be found: the mosque of Ilias Mirahori, constructed in 1494. In the North, the spread of Islam was slower as the Roman Catholic Church was strong and the mountainous terrain slowed the influx of Ottoman influences. In the South, however, Catholicism was not as strong and by the end of the seventeenth century the region had largely adopted the religion of the growing Albanian Muslim elite. The existence of a growing Albanian Muslim class of pashas and beys Such as Ali Pashë of Janina -. who played an increasingly important role in Ottoman political and economic life made adopting the religion of the Ottoman elite an increasingly attractive option for most Albanians. In 1923, the Albanian Muslim congress convened at Tirana decided to break with the Caliphate, establishing a new form of prayer (standing, instead of the traditional salah ritual), banishing polygamy and the mandatory use of veil (hijab) by women in public.[6] During the monarchy religious institutions of all confessions were put under state control.[citation needed] This trend was taken to extreme during the totalitarian regime, when religions, identified as imports foreign to Albanian culture, were banned altogether. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (733x693, 55 KB) Summary Ethem Bey Mosque lit up at night http://www. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (733x693, 55 KB) Summary Ethem Bey Mosque lit up at night http://www. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... The Ethem Bey mosque is located in the center of the Albanian capital Tirana. ... Nickname: Coordinates: , Country Albania Founded 1614 Elevation 295 ft (90 m) Population (2005 est)[1]  - City 585,756  - Metro 700,000 Tirana (Albanian: Tiranë or Tirana) is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Albania. ... Ottoman redirects here. ... For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ... Pagan and heathen redirect here. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Christianity is... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... average temperature and precipitations in Tirana Tirana (Albanian: Tiranë or Tirana) is the capital and largest city of Albania. ... The Masjid al-Haram in Mecca as it exists today A mosque is a place of worship for followers of the Islamic faith. ... Ottoman redirects here. ... Korçë (Albanian: Korçë or Korça, Greek: Κορυτσά Koritsá , Italian: Corizza, South Slavic: Корча, Korcha or Корче, Korče, Aromanian: Curceaua, Turkish: Görice) is a major city in south-eastern Albania, located at near the border with Greece. ... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ... The Masjid al-Haram in Mecca as it exists today A mosque is a place of worship for followers of the Islamic faith. ... For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ... Catholic Church redirects here. ... Ottoman redirects here. ... As a Christian ecclesiastical term, Catholic—from the Greek adjective , meaning general or universal[1]—is described in the Oxford English Dictionary as follows: ~Church, (originally) whole body of Christians; ~, belonging to or in accord with (a) this, (b) the church before separation into Greek or Eastern and Latin or... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ... Categories: Stub | Ottoman Empire | Titles ... Nickname: Coordinates: , Country Albania Founded 1614 Elevation 295 ft (90 m) Population (2005 est)[1]  - City 585,756  - Metro 700,000 Tirana (Albanian: Tiranë or Tirana) is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Albania. ... A caliphate (from the Arabic خلافة or khilāfah), is the Islamic form of government representing the political unity and leadership of the Muslim world. ... “Higab” redirects here. ...

^[1]

Distribution

The Muslims of Albania were divided into two main communities: those associated with Sunni Islam and those associated with the Bektashi, a mystic Dervish order that came to Albania through the Ottoman Janissaries. The order resembles Sufi mystic orders, but contains elements quite distinct from orthodox Islam. After the Bektashis were banned in Turkey in 1925 by Atatürk, the order moved its world centre to Tirana and the Albanian government subsequently recognized it as a body independent from Sunnism. Sunni Muslims were estimated to represent approximately 50% of the country's Muslim population before 1929, while Bektashi represented another 20%. Sunni Islam (Arabic سنّة) is the largest denomination of Islam. ... For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ... The Bektashism (Turkish: BektaÅŸilik) is an Islamic Sufi order (tariqat). ... For other uses, see Dervish (disambiguation). ... Sufism (Arabic تصوف taṣawwuf) is a system of esoteric philosophy commonly associated with Islam. ... Year 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881–November 10, 1938), Turkish army officer, revolutionary, and anti-imperialist statesman, was the founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey. ... Nickname: Coordinates: , Country Albania Founded 1614 Elevation 295 ft (90 m) Population (2005 est)[1]  - City 585,756  - Metro 700,000 Tirana (Albanian: Tiranë or Tirana) is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Albania. ... Sunni Islam (Arabic سنّة) is the largest denomination of Islam. ... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ... Year 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Sunni Muslims have historically lived in the cities of Albania, while Bektashi Shias mainly in remote areas whereas Orthodox Christians mainly in the south, and Roman Catholics in the north of the country. However, in the modern times this division is not strict, particularly in the case of many urban centers, which have mixed populations. Sunni Islam (Arabic سنّة) is the largest denomination of Islam. ... The Bektashism (Turkish: BektaÅŸilik) is an Islamic Sufi order (tariqat). ... Shiʻa Islam (Arabic شيعى follower; English has traditionally used Shiite) makes up the second largest sect of believers in Islam, constituting about 30%–35% of all Muslim. ... Eastern Orthodoxy (also called Greek Orthodoxy and Russian Orthodoxy) is a Christian tradition which represents the majority of Eastern Christianity. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ...

References

This article contains material from the Library of Congress Country Studies, which are United States government publications in the public domain. The Country Studies are works published by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress ( USA), freely available for use by researchers. ... The U.S. Constitution, adopted in 1789 by a constitutional convention, sets down the basic framework of American government in its seven articles. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...

(Clockwise from upper left) Time magazine covers from May 7, 1945; July 25, 1969; December 31, 1999; September 14, 2001; and April 21, 2003. ...

See also

• Religion in Albania
• Islam by country

The majority of Albanians today are either Atheists or Agnostics. ... Muslim percentage of population by country Distribution of Islam per country. ...

External links

This article or section may contain an excessive amount of external links. Please improve this article by incorporating them into the appropriate end section, or by converting them to inline citations (March 2008)

• Myftinia Shkodër, Mufti of Shkodra City
• Albanian-Islamic-Pages
• The Muslim Forum of Albania
• Feja Islame
• Harun Yahya Shqip Albanian
• Albanian Islam
• Albanian Institute of Islamic Thought & Civilization
• Zeri Islam
• Vizion Islame
• Newspaper "Drita Islame"
• Magazine "Familja"
• Medresej Shkoder
• Mesazhi world bullitine
• Burimi
• Gazeta Besa
• Ankebut
• Audionur Islame
• Forum Islamike Furom islamic
• The Bektashi Community
• [http://www.geocities.com/olsi.rm/islamofobia.htm Islamophobia in post–communist