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To: dennisw
Albanians are essentially Mohammedans.

From the State Dept Religious Freedom Report on Albania:

The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respects this right in practice. The generally amicable relationship among the religions in society contributed to religious freedom.

Section I. Religious Demography

The majority of citizens are secular in orientation after decades of rigidly enforced atheism under the Communist regime, which ended in 1990. Despite such secularism, most citizens traditionally associate themselves with a religious group. Citizens of Muslim background make up the largest traditional religious group (estimated at 65 to 70 percent of the population) and are divided into two communities: those associated with a moderate form of Sunni Islam and those associated with the Bektashi school (a particularly liberal form of Shi'a Sufism). In 1925 …the country became the world center of Bektashism…Bektashis are concentrated mainly in the central and southern regions and are estimated to represent approximately one quarter of the country's Muslim population.

The Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania (referred to as Orthodox) and the Roman Catholic Church are the other large denominations. An estimated 20 to 30 percent of the population belong to communities that are traditionally Albanian Orthodox, and 10 percent are associated with Roman Catholicism.

... estimates are that 30 to 40 percent of the population practice a religion.

Foreign religious representatives, including Muslim clerics, Christian and Baha'i missionaries, members of Jehovah's Witnesses, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), and many others freely carry out religious activities. ... there are 28 different Muslim societies and groups active in the country ...[and] 42 Christian societies representing more than 100 different organizations and 2,500 to 3,000 Christian and Baha'i missionaries. The largest foreign missionary groups are American, British, Italian, Greek, and Arab.

75 posted on 12/11/2004 12:57:59 PM PST by mark502inf
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To: mark502inf
Albanians are essentially Mohammedans.

I was just at the CIA fact book on Albania. http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/al.html

Muslim 70%, Albanian Orthodox 20%, Roman Catholic 10%
note: percentages are estimates; there are no available current statistics on religious affiliation; all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited; in November 1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice

79 posted on 12/11/2004 1:05:24 PM PST by dennisw (Help put the "Ch" back in Chanukah)
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To: mark502inf
Same BS, different day.

Zzz.

82 posted on 12/11/2004 1:21:31 PM PST by Hoplite
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