Religious Agendas Threaten Albanian Identity

Kosovo’s 'return to Christianity' narrative threatens Albanian unity, framing Islam as foreign while risking fractures in a nation defined by religious coexistence.

The recent New York Times reportage¹ on the so-called "Movement of Return" in Kosovo treads on precarious ground, touching not only on religion but on the very essence of Albanian identity. As an Albanian with Muslim, Christian, and Jewish heritage, I cannot accept the implications of this narrative, which risks undermining the unity that has defined our people for centuries. It frames religious conversion as a pathway to reclaiming a pre-Islamic identity and Kosovo’s place in Europe, but in doing so, it threatens to fracture the delicate balance that holds our nation together.

For centuries, Albanians have maintained a unique relationship with religion. Unlike other Balkan nations, where religious affiliation became the cornerstone of identity, Albanians prioritised their shared language, culture, and ancestry over divisive dogmas. Pashko Vasa, a 19th-century Albanian nationalist, captured this ethos when he famously declared², "The religion of Albanians is Albanianism." This sentiment…