By Sonja Methoxha
An interview with Dr. Ardian Muhaj
Prof. Dr. Ardian Muhaj is the newly appointed director of the Albanian Institute of the Islamic Thought and Civilization (AIITC). The institute was opened by visionary Dr. Ramiz Zekaj in 1996. The institute seeks to organize academic activities that study and display the islamic culture, civilization, art, tradition and customs in Albanians.
“There is only one thought, and that is the human thought. Religion, culture, tradition, customs, they all contribute in creating the human civilization,” said Muhaj.
He agreed that the one major thing that unites people is civilization. Regardless of our religions or ideologies, we all still consume products of this civilization. But the Islamic heritage and tradition had to be rebuild from ground zero.
According to Muhaj, thanks to the vision of Dr. Zekaj, the Institute has proved itself exemplary and successful, with a stability in pursuing its mission.
It all started at zero level due to the radical ideology implemented during the 50-year-long communist regime of Enver Hoxha, as he sought to eradicate a great deal of national heritage which ended up almost being lost. These doesn’t amount only to religious traditions and intellectualism, but also to architectural sights from centuries.
With traces of sadness in his speech, Muhaj talks in disappointment of how a group of people gave themselves the rights to judge hundreds of years of accumulated tradition. Hundreds of generations in centuries, their contribution, they gave themselves the right to put history the seat of the accused, and then it was wiped.
“Egocentrism and presentism, the idea that we can judge in the name of the following generations, to undo what others have done with vigor, this is one of the greatest damages done to civilization,” said the historian, stressing on the irreparable damages done to the our national heritage by the cruel regime.
Churches, mosques, serays, buildings, bazaars, all destroyed. He draws a comparison with the Romans with Cartagena, who, after invading it destroyed it, but also with all previously invaded civilizations by the conquerors. Following suit, so did communists destroy the bazaar of Shkodra (an example), which then was the biggest bazaar in the Balkans.
“Ideology doesn’t want beauty,’’ pointed Muhaj.
This was especially sad, because as the professor explained, this bazaar wasn’t built by Ottomans or muslims, but by the merchants themselves. Up to 90 percent of the conducts and trade were made with Trieste and other European countries, so this bazaar carried a heft significance in itself and its activities.
These losses could never be salvaged, thus, an aim of the Institute would be to create a portrayal, an attempt to bring the best of those periods to our attention, but with slight focus on the Islamic civilization. This would be in terms of its values and contribution to the functioning of the society in general.
The staff of the Institute comprises of doctors, professors and academics of various disciplines, both from Albania and Kosovo, but also Macedonia too. This has brought a reliability, but also accounting that the approach to this subject matter has been quite academic and scholarly. Their researches are both announced through activities, such as conferences or symposiums, but also published in their academic journal, Univers. The articles published in the scholarly magazine are from the staff, but also from contributors. A bigger incentive is given to young PhD students who wish to publish their articles or parts of their dissertations.
There are various annual awards given to the authors and their works. For instance the Best Book of the Year Award, for the corresponding year; the Best Creative Work for young ages, and the Best Painting concerning the annual leitmotif announced by the Institute. For 2018, Dr. Muhaj proudly said that there was a high submission, and the winner for the Best Painting was former Albanian president Rexhep Meidani with a picture of nationalist times, for Best Book 2018 was a professor from Kosovo, and for creative pieces there were various incredible pieces, as Muhaj admitted.
This whole process of awarding is in terms of appreciation of the works, attracting young scholars and motivating them to work, but also keeping alive the “flame of knowledge,” as he claimed.
There is also an activity called “Popuj dhe Kultura” (people and culture), which is a periodical activity developed under a certain thematic, for instance from concerning Arberesh, to Muslims in Europe; the cognition of Albanians in Arab countries, which are called Arnaut, as in Slavic countries they are called Arbanas, or in Greece Arvanitas, etc.. After some activities and travels of the professor Ramizi in Calabria, the final activity brought to attention was “The Contribution of Muslims in Europe, understanding is progress.”
Topics like these always arise some sort of interest and academic attention. However, Muhaj said it is important to notice how will these topics be approached and presented, what you will present to the public, and its overall contribution. These sort of activities allow the advance of knowledge and serve as contacts with people through the ideas and the discontinuation of geography. The Institute is profiled towards the pan-Albanian Islamic culture and civilization.
Due to its mission and activity this Institute has managed to work. Its uniqueness, academic activities, and approaches to ideas has proved more successful than other Institutions which followed similar missions, but which failed due to the in-exploitation of expanses. He draws an example with the Albanian Academy of Sciences which is going through difficulties in its practices and existence, in terms of funds, academic staff and research activities.
Dr. Muhaj tells how the examples of private institutes such as AIITC, or AIIS (Albanian Institute of International Studies), with their independent functioning and research, show how necessary these academies are for society and how there should be more added. That is because these academies and institutes add to the overall societal knowledge, and knowledge, as Dr. Muhaj agrees, should be increased and not lessened. If knowledge is lessened, then the society will remain behind.
He has specialized in Economic History for the pre-industrial period, more precisely for Europe of 14th and 15th centuries. He did his research in London, while being registered at the University of Lisbona. He finished both his Masters and PhD there.
The main topic of research Dr. Muhaj focused on was the effects of war in economy. His arguments were that war and conflict harm the economy. A decade-long scientific research to prove that every time a nation goes through war, they always return to ground zero. He focused on the French-English wars during the 14th and 15th centuries where he showed that these extended conflicts led also to an extended societal crisis.
Muhaj studied and constructed a map that showed the confictual and non-conflictual areas of 15th century Europe. Through the research and map studies he concluded that in conflictual areas crisis prevailed, whereas in peaceful areas, there was economic development. He draws the example of Portugal, then the most peaceful country in the world, started a development of nautical trade, and the economic map started shifting through maritime. Thus as Portugal and Spain started having flourishing economy, they submitted to travels and explorations, and gave the world new continents.
Following a sense, Muhaj said that the heritage is a treasure that one generation leaves to its descending generation. We don’t know whether that treasure is beautiful or not, and we can’t definitely play judge. It is not important, we could only appreciate it. It may not look beautiful to us, but it may enlight a sense of aesthetics to following generations.
“That is not our patent, it is the patent of the descending generations. It is not our duty to judge and destroy according to our tastes, but preserve and create something based on out taste and inherit it to others,’’ admitted Muhaj, with an apparent ire towards towards the heritage demolitions that the former communist regime costed the Albanian culture.
He stressed on the judgement. He appears to have a deep dislike in judgement as a vice of the human nature which leads to destruction and separation. He wished people didn’t judge, as not others, neither the heritage, but instead he points to enjoyment and appreciation. An example he makes regarding future generations, was that someone would enjoy the tall, bleak towers and urban chaos, whereas someone would like to enjoy churches, mosques, and bazaars. Our duty is to provide all these to our children.
These losses and destructions come due to the radicalization. The previous generation was quite radicalized as it managed to adopt the cultural heritage as its own, and thought it had a right to in deciding upon the fate of this legacy, but also to judge the history. This radical ideology didn’t only have this flaw that it destroyed history and culture, but a more grave one: it restricts innovation and constricts the worldview.
This has led to a deterioration of the Albanian archeological sites. Dr. Muhaj said that Albania is the only country with the least archeological sites in the world. This was induced by this very “Ottoman-looking inheritance eradication policy” that the previous regime used. From the perspective of an historical economy, the professor said that the older civilizations were wise in the sense of economical construction: they would built on already existing foundations. Like all the European roads are built on trails made by the Romans.
That is, a bridge built in Ottoman era, was most probably built on foundations of a previous medieval bridge, which was built on foundations of a Byzantine bridge, that might lead all back to Illyrian heritage. But, because of the radicalization, we have those proofs and treasure lost, as the bridge is now destroyed.
He draws a parallel with what is happening to the Academy of Sciences today. He says that the Academy has its own issues, but shouldn’t be closed, as it holds an Albanian academic inheritance that add up to our overall knowledge as a nation. Guided by the past, it is not wise to destroy this institute and build something new in its ruins, but a reformation with updated policies and plan would be more effective.
The problem of the cultural heritage is linked to the economic development. The not-so industrialized countries, not only Albania, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean countries of Eastern Europe, but also those belonging to the Western Europe, like Italy, Spain, or Portugal, Malta, they live with those ruins.
“That is because people of more industrialised countries come precisely to watch those ruins, that together with the sea, the sun, they create this magical cocktail that attracts them,” said Muhaj.
Our few archeological sites have been attracting tourists throughout the years, but not as much as it would if we would have preserved our three millennia-old heritage, since the Illyrians, which were sadly destroyed. If it wouldn’t be enough, even today we still have unexploited treasures, such as the navy. Dr. Muhaj said how Albania doesn’t have private or public cruising, but even more concerning that we don’t have a Marine. This would both generate profits, but also allow a development to culture and heritage. Adding to that there is a lot of underwater remains that could be used as a nautical museum, but that is still left unexplored and unexploited.
The historian said there is a far larger contribution of the Albanian influence to the development of the world. Through some research he found traces of Albanians up to China, and not just Europe. However, all this information perhaps cannot be known, as there are both not many historical resources, and perhaps not many human resources to dig into those existing historical data. This arises both from nonexistent data in Albania or destruction of those historical facts.
Muhaj said that this is an underestimation of the self. A nation which has destroyed its own cultural heritage. If the religious communities aren’t up to their right position is due to this depreciation.
This link to religiosity has influenced some of its radicalization. Since the previous regime had destroyed most cult properties, such as churches and mosques, in order for them to be rebuilt, the religious institutions started receiving funds from outside. This of course, made the outside influence inevitable. A number of religious entities have suffered due to these fundings. However, we personally didn’t possess neither the economic means nor the cultural heritage to keep ourselves independent.
In order to rebuild the religious traditions in Albania, these foreign sources that provided funding for the rebuilding of the cult monuments, also sent some body support, such as clerics (be it Islamic or Catholic). However, this caused conflicts, perhaps not much in terms of ideology, than in the first barrier being language, as Muhaj agreed. Since these clerics didn’t understand Albania, it was really difficult for them to understand the Albanian customs, the worldview, and details of living. Thus, they sometimes did more harm than helped, because they didn’t understand.
The religious tolerance were natural characteristics of Albanians throughout centuries. We had an instinctual co-existence among the various religions and ethnicities. These long back to the inherited customs of hospitality and neighbourly conducts. This could be noticed both by the good relations among neighbours, glorified in a family level, but in more visible view, three religious cult monuments sharing the same foundations. For example in Berat, the Mosque and the Churches are only less than 50 meters apart.
But, throughout the years there is a phenomenon that has happened with Albanias, that we have started pretending this is not where we belong. There is this desire and overestimation of everything European, American, foreign in general.
“I call these allocentric societies; societies which are fascinated and admire anything external, they view it as something wonderful,” explained Muhaj.
However, we have forgotten our own potentials. He tells Nastradin’ anecdote, that “center of the world is where I am at.” Muhaj said that wherever one is, he can always find the treasure where he stands.
This has also added to this massive emigration of Albanian citizens. However, Muhaj seemed concerned, that as everyone is induced by this allocentric trend, the first generation to leave, is a lost generation. There are these people that sacrifice everything, sell all they have so they can go to this “better place” induced by this illusion that everything non-Albanian is better. This has a negative effect, as those people are still going to lead a tough life trying to immerse themselves in that community, but also has negative effects on the country they live.
In Albania there has been a increase of village contraction and demographic aging. This is a feature of developed countries due to better living conditions, in Albania it has aroused as youth is leaving. However, what is noticed in this trend, is that a great deal of youth is leaving without even trying to “hunt the treasure,” as Dr. Muhaj said. Another feature is an emergent leave, not with full status emigrants, but as refugees or illegal aliens, which also adds up to that ‘burnt generation’ notion.
This has led to the draining of the societal bank. Billions of euros are destroyed in dysfunctional projects due to the knowledge and informational limitations. For instance the bunkers, which are turned into art pieces, which Dr. Muhaj equates it with absurdity. He calls it an adoration of stupidity which is leading to furthering this tendency for eradication.
“This is both a disaster and anti-humanism,” admitted the professor in resentment.
Dr. Muhaj agrees that this is all linked with the returning of the multiculturalism, in respect to multi-religiousness, with the acknowledging of the risk of the ideological radicalization. Any sort of ideology, taste, anything, has a value when used rationally. The moment when one tries to adopt everything, that is when it becomes damaging. Our multiculturalism and religious tolerance has impressed Europe and the world. We also have an ethnic and language tolerance, however, we who had these characteristics in our society, said Dr. Muhaj, are the ones who are losing, whereas Europe is the one appropriating these features and rejoicing its positive effects.
Back to the neighbourly cult, a very significant characteristic of the Albanian society, which is being lost. The past regime left a scar in the Albanian mentality which led to neighbours against one another, and this vivid uniformization of tastes. Suddenly people that wear and think differently are seen as committing something bad, which on the contrary, that is something that should be appraised. This magic that we used to own, is now being lost, because we have this elites who are inspired by the mono-cultural civilizations of the west and not from the local people’s wisdom.
This lack of coordination of the government has also led to the poverty of the society. However, these Academic Institutions with the right governmental support could do something positive in the betterment of the local Albanian civilization and its intellectualism. Yet, what Dr. Muhaj also urges, is a civil engagement towards these scholarly institutions and their activities, so we can have a fuller participation in the intellectual evolution of the 21st century, which he calls the most peaceful century.
