Albania praised for religious tolerance

TIRANA, Sep. 13 – The United States Department of State produced Wednesday the 2010 International Religious Freedom Report which covers Albania. It says that Albania’s constitution and other laws and policies protect religious freedom and, in practice, the government generally enforced these protections. The government generally respected religious freedom in law and in practice. There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom by the government during the reporting period. There were no reports of societal abuses or discrimination based on religious affiliation, belief, or practice. It reports that there is no reliable data available on religious participation or membership as the last official census including such data was conducted in 1939. It continues saying that the majority of citizens do not actively practice a faith. The four traditional religious groups are Muslim (Sunni), Bektashi (a form of Shia Sufism), Orthodox Christian, and Roman Catholic. In addition, there are numerous Protestant denominations and other religious groups, including the Bahai Faith, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). The State Committee on Cults reported more than 230 religious groups, organizations, foundations, and educational institutions operating in the country.