TIRANA, Dec. 16 – Albania needs better instruments to fight the growth of religious extremism, including taking the proper institutional and social-economic measures to protect the most vulnerable communities in which such extremism can find fertile ground, according to a study published this week by the Albanian Institute for International Studies with the support of the Open Society Foundation.
The study, on the emergence of religious radicalism and extremism in Albania, was made public at the latest AIIS-organized forum to discuss an area of growing concern with experts, the media and the public.
Dr. Enri Hide presented the results of the study on radicalism and extremism in Albania, providing a thorough analysis of how this global phenomenon has manifested itself locally in Albania.
The study looked at how ideological, socio-economic and other factors contribute to radicalism through interviews and research work.
Assessing the risk of religious extremism on a national security level is particularly important and the state and society must be ready to deal with this issue in a proactive manner, the study’s authors suggest.
They add the purpose of the study is to generate recommendations for policy-makers and non-governmental actors.
The report analyses the problem on a global and regional context, by putting Albania on the map as one of the estimated 80 countries of origin for people who have traveled to join the ranks of the so-called Islamic State in Syria and Iraq and other terrorist group.
Official reports by international intelligence agencies put the number of Albanian citizens who have joined the ISIS group and others in Syria at about 140-150, whereas the digits double when it comes to Kosovo citizens, according to the Ministry of Interior of Kosovo.
A geographical distribution is also made available through the study, where the most problematic areas in terms of fertile ground for recruitment were in Pogradec, Elbasan, where the departures have come from poor rural areas.
The study tries to answer why these people would leave behind Albania’s traditional religious harmony and general disinterest toward religion to join violent Jihadis.
The report notes factors include the socio-economic and educational gap between the communities of origin and most of the country as well as foreign influences starting in the 1990s. High unemployment rate and the overall distrust on the rule of law are also concerns.
A few of those interviewed even put the blame on the Muslim Community, the state-recognized Muslim organization, which they say has failed to keep under its systematic review all of the country’s mosques, thus being unable to control the attempts to establish extremist groups within its community.
After treating religious radicalism as an “import” for so long, Ermir Gjinishi, former vice-director of the Albanian Muslim Community, addressed the issue of the indigenous factor, given the fact that some Albanians have now established a different religious doctrine, discourse, radical views and it is from these groups that the radicals have recruited, he added.
Ilir Dizdari, the head of the official Committee on Religions, said at the forum that out of 727 mosques, there are currently 200 that don’t meet all of the AMC requirements, varying from not having the proper building ownership papers to operating as freelancers without ties to the AMC.
Two imams from these freelance mosques were arrested last year accused of recruiting Albanians to join the fight in Syria. They and other are currently undergoing trial.
Experts noted that unless better de-radicalizing instruments are put in place, extremism could further grow within vulnerable circles, mostly through social media and Internet.
Albania’s image is undoubtedly threatened by the security challenges radicalism is imposing and its negative effects will directly influence foreign investments in Albania, as well as tourism, according to the study.
Another concerning issue is the fact that organized crime entities can operate through radical entities, thus abusing and criminalizing religion.
As a conclusion, developing a thorough strategic plan would be the first step towards identifying and intervening against violent extremism, participation in combats and assuring rehabilitation upon return, according to those attending the forum.
This was the latest study in a series on the matter by the Albanian Institute for International Studies, a leading think tank that has researched and rang alarm bells on this matter years earlier.
For context, radical Islam is largely an alien concept in Albania, one of the least religiously devout countries in the world, according to several polls. The country’s Muslim, Christian and nonreligious populations live in full harmony with each-other.
About 57 percent of Albanians declared themselves to be Suni Muslims in the 2011 census. However, less than 10 percent of the Muslim population went to a place of worship during the past year, according to poll numbers. That puts the practicing Muslim population at most at about 160,000 or about 6 percent of the country’s 2.8 million residents. Only a tiny fraction of that number of practicing Muslims holds radical views, according to experts.
