Europe seeks legal standards, willingness to fight against corruption, an educational system in accordance with the values that have made Europe what it is today. It does not ask for a certificate of baptism
By Rev. Gjergj Meta
For all the wrong reasons, these past few days, an idea has been going around: that Albania failed to get the European Union candidate for membership status due to the presence of Muslims in the country. This is a sinister theory. It has been articulated in public by a few politicians, but I also hear it outside the public discourse in conversations of smaller circles. Before we go into the analysis of this phenomenon, let me express my opinion on two crucial factors on why I believe Albania did not receive the EU candidate status.
The first has to do with the atavistic elements in the Albanian way of thinking left over by Communism that still continue to lead many Albanians’ mentality, whether common people or in leadership, previously and currently. The second has to do with the real group of people that must be billed for this failure – without a doubt – the Albanian political forces and their decisions – those yesterday in power and opposition – and vice versa. But it will be history that will evaluate this better than us – setting fame and shame for those involved.
As for the religious factor in the case of Albania’s membership in the European Union – it is a demagoguery based not only on weak arguments but also ones that are inflammatory and promote conflict. People using such argument see religious affiliations through Marxist lens or use labels like Christian and Muslim for pragmatic reasons jostling for positions in the Albanian administration, alleging an affiliation between EU membership and religion.
As for Europe, the history of religious conflict is nothing new. Anti-Semitism has wreaked havoc in the past. Was that not a religious conflict? Christians did not need to wait for the “darker-skinned” people to show up across the Gibraltar Straight for them to wage war. Christians have proven that we know how to fight among ourselves too נbetween Protestant and Catholic. Does this not continue to this day in Ireland? Were Catholics not seen as undesirable for three hundred years by their Anglican “brothers” in Britain? Is it not true than in today’s Greece Catholics do not enjoy equal rights with the Orthodox Christians? But for us in Albania, it appears always more expedient to avoid problems and make the responsibility fall on others.
Muslims do not hinder our EU integration. If Muslims have problems among themselves, just like Christians do, it is a different matter that they will resolve themselves and perhaps after many sacrifices, something seen now in many Muslim-majority countries in the Middle East and Africa – where a an extremist minority is dictating people’s lives.
The problem in Albania lays elsewhere נin the fact that Albanians are not willing to become part of the European tradition of culture of compromise – finding common ground on issues. We do not want to believe (or accept) that Europe as it is today begun through a handshake of two former enemies – France and Germany – following WWII. That’s when it was hardest and that’s when it occurred in the Europe to which we aspire today. But for us it would mean that opposing political camps would have shake hands, it would mean that those in blood feuds would come together, it would mean that there is civilized debate in the media and politics, etc. etc.
In Albanian minds, however, we are often still in a communist mindset – an all-or-nothing approach. This wrong approach comes with thoughts such as “the other must not exist” or “the integration of Albania should have only me as an author, but not my opponent.” How many times have we hurt Albania’s chances through the years, boycotted processes, and we continue to do so, because we do not want someone else to take credit. So when we lack this very basic European culture, why place the blame on the Muslims? That’s an expedient way to wash the hands with problems and shortcomings. It is to turn the issue of faith back and recreate the mentality of 1967, when communists banned all religious practice, under a camouflage of secularist modernity.
Europe seeks legal standards, willingness to fight against corruption, an educational system in accordance with the values that have made Europe what it is today. It does not ask for a certificate of baptism or to see whether you are circumcised or not. As such, we must wrap out sleeves and get to work, laboring together despite our differences.
To give lack of integration with Europe religious colors means to avoid the problems one has and to put the blame elsewhere. It means failing to rise to even medieval culture which saw the meeting of Christianity and pagan philosophy, just like it saw the meeting of Christianity with Islam, as it happened when St. Francis met the caliphs of Averroeu and Avicenna or when the Persian scholars of Islam brought back the knowledge of Aristotle forgotten for centuries in Europe. Let us not forget that Europe is not fully Christian anymore and in turn Albania is not entirely Muslim. If someone in Europe today (or Albania) acts against Muslims, tomorrow (and today) they will also act against Catholics and so on.
However, I would like to close by saying that if it is true that Europe does not accept us because there are Muslims in Albania, then I do not want to go to Europe. I prefer to spend my life with my dear friends with whom I grew up, and I have shared all that is good and endured all that is bad. I’d rather be with those who have been there for me and for whom I have been there, regardless of the fact that we might not share the same religion, rather than be together with the Dutch, German or French proclaiming the same religion as I. If Europe does not accept me together with my neighbor who goes to the mosque, I’d reject the offer, and move on with life.
The author is a senior Albanian Catholic priest. This article first appeared in the Catholic periodical Peregrinus.al. It has been translated unabridged from the original Albanian by Tirana Times.
