TIRANA, Sept. 12 – Muslims in Albania celebrated Eid al-Adha, known locally as Kurban Bajram and the Feast of Sacrifice, which commemorates the willingness of the Prophet Ibrahim, the Biblical Abraham, to sacrifice his son before God.
Pouring rain did not stop Muslim believers to celebrate this important Islamic holiday as they joined a group prayer session at the Deshmoret e Kombit Boulevard. The prayers were followed by a series of gatherings with extended families and loved ones.
The President, Parliament Speaker and Tirana City Mayor as well as other state officials, congratulated Albania’s Muslim community with the celebration Monday morning.
“Kurban Bajram inspires us to be closer to each other and help each other in the spirit of faith in God. We are celebrating Kurban Bajram following the proclamation of Mother Teresa as a Saint and this is a great example of how we should be generous, take care and respect people in the framework of religious harmony in our country,” said President Bujar Nishani. “This is celebration of peace, support, hope and kindness overcoming evil.”
About two thirds of Albania’s population is Muslim. During the celebrations of these religious holidays, Muslim believers have mostly held gatherings and prayed at the boulevard considering that none of the mosques in the capital and hold a significant number of worshipers who want to cast a prayer in these religious celebrations.
The existing historic Ethem Bey Mosque can hold up to only 60 people at the same time to worship.
In order to address the needs of Muslim community, Turkey has pledged financial support for the construction of the Namazgjah Mosque next to the parliament building in Tirana.
The mosque is being constructed on a 10,000-square-meter parcel of land and it will be one of the largest in Balkans. Its construction is being supported by Turkey’s Diyanet Foundation (TDV).
