Albanian Muslims object to city's statue of Mother Teresa

The Scotsman ^ | March 30, 2006 | BENET KOLEKA

[MadIvan]

MUSLIMS in Albania's northern city of Shkoder are opposing plans to erect a statue to Mother Teresa, the ethnic Albanian Catholic nun in line for elevation to sainthood by the Vatican.

The dispute is unusual for Albania, where religion was banned for 27 years under the dictator Enver Hoxha, and "mixed" marriages are the norm.

Seventy per cent of the population are liberal Muslims, the rest are Christian Orthodox and Catholic. But Muslim groups in Shkoder rejected the local council plan for a statue, saying it "would offend the feelings of Muslims".

"We do not want this statue to be erected in a public place, because we see her as a religious figure," said Bashkim Bajraktari, Shkoder's mufti, a Muslim religious leader.

Several residents said they felt there was an underground effort to treat Shkoder as a Catholic town, ignoring its majority Muslim community.

Shkoder's Muslims recently protested against crosses being erected on prominent hilltops around the city.

[mark502inf]

Ha ha.

I know. Took the words right out of my mouth.

Did some lurking for the last several months; looks like you are still the master of the Balkans threads. I will soon be making another long trip--Afghanistan this time--and will probably revert to listening silence again. -Mark

[Jorge]

Build the statue. Let me slap their toothless primitive whining Muslim faces.

[patriot_wes]

saying it "would offend the feelings of Muslims".

BETTER WAKE UP WORLD!

[mark502inf]

Hey, Lion. I've been on the road some. There are Bosnians and Macedonians and Albanians fighting alongside the Americans against the Islamist terrorists. No Serbs, though. Maybe in their sorrow over losing their ally Saddam and their pre-occupation with their new trade agreements with Iran they forgot to join up with America in the war on terror. Or maybe W and Condi told Serbia to pound sand until they turned in or tried their own terrorists like Mladic and Karadzic. Or maybe it's all of the above.

[Hoplite]

Stanistan?

But that's so 2002!

Seriously, stay safe, and if someone offers you a GAZ jeep to use, punch them in the head, 'cause they don't like you.

[DTA]

>>>>>>Uh, weirdos like Mother Theresa?<<<<<

Hello, Mother Theresa was not born in Albania, she never lived in Albania.

>>>>>Or the Albanian government that has opened its training bases to our troops for their final exercises while enroute to war?>>>>>

Our troops or YOURS ?

[mark502inf]

Mother Theresa was not born in Albania, she never lived in Albania.

Argue with Mother Theresa. She says she was Albanian (see post 36). She spoke Albanian. The Albanians have named their main airport after her. The biggest Albanian charity is called The Mother Teresa Society. The fact that she was born in an Albanian populated area of the Ottoman Empire before Albanian gained its independence from Istanbul makes her no less Albanian.

Here's a nice photo of the statue of Mother Teresa located on Mother Theresa Boulevard in Pristina, Kosovo; its been up about four years now:

[DTA]

An Englishman born in Australia is not an American. A German born in Switzerland is not an Austrian. A Spaniard born in Tenerife is not a Mexican.

Yet, we have to accept that an Albanian born in Macedonia is Albania's national figure :-)

At least we do not have problem with the nationality of Osama Bin Laden who set shop in Albania.

[mark502inf]

Give it up DTA. Mother Teresa says she's Albanian. She speaks Albanian. The name she was born with (Bojaxhiu) is Albanian. According to Mother Teresa's brother, their father was murdered by Serbs because of his involvement in Albanian nationalist activities:

`The suffering of our family started when the Yugoslavs and Albanians were fighting for Kosova and the other provinces of Albania in which was the City of Skopje. Our father ... was very active in politics and the Albanian National question. He tried very hard to obtain the national rights of Albanians, with all his heart he tried to keep the Albanian territories in Yugoslavia together with Albania. When Yugoslavia took over the territories the family was persecuted and my father poisoned.'

[F-117A]

Well, he was an atheist who fought wars with Christian Slovenia...

And your "proof" for this is?

[DTA]

>>>>>>>>The suffering of our family started when the Yugoslavs and Albanians were fighting for Kosova and the other provinces of Albania in which was the City of Skopje. Our father ... was very active in politics and the Albanian National question. He tried very hard to obtain the national rights of Albanians, with all his heart he tried to keep the Albanian territories in Yugoslavia together with Albania. When Yugoslavia took over the territories the family was persecuted and my father poisoned.'<<<<<

This is historical nonsense. Yugoslavia (i.e. Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes) was created in 1919., after WWI. Present day Kosovo and Metohija and Makedonija were part of Serbia since the dissolution of the Ottoman rule in the Balkans (Balkan Wars). For historically challenged, Balkan wars were BEFORE WWI.

"When Yugoslavia took over the territories the family was persecuted and my father poisoned." is complete fabrication.

But having in mind Albanian propensity for blattant historical lies (e.g. Ilyrian origin, Alexander the Great being an Albanian and other fantastic tales) this is merely a glitch in the script :-)

There is a rabid Anti-Serb who can be consulted on Mother Theresa. He can not be accued of favorism. His name is Christopher Hitchens.

[mark502inf]

OK, as usual the Serbs did no wrong. Mother Teresa and her brother lied. Whatever.

[FormerLib]

I wonder if your beloved Muhammedans will tear down the statute to this kindly nun?

[Thumper1960]

The objection to Mother Theresa is a mystery. Mother Theresa accomplished more good in 5 seconds of her life than the accumulated "deeds" of Muslims throughout recorded history.

Perhaps, it is the fact that her deeds leave the vast majority of the rest of us wanting in our contributions in life.

[FormerLib]

The objection to Mother Theresa is a mystery.

I can think of several reasons the Muhammedans would object.

1. She was an avowed Christian.

2. She was not a Muhammedan.

3. Remember those statues of Buddha?

[FormerLib]

There are Bosnians and Macedonians and Albanians fighting alongside the Americans against the Islamist terrorists. No Serbs, though.

marky-boy, if you weren't falling all over yourself trying to make all Serbs look bad, you'd have realized that some of the Bosnians are Serbs! LOL! What a fool! That fact was posted here months ago.

[FormerLib]

Those pancakes ready yet, boy?

[Thumper1960]

Sounds like the objections a Demoncrat or CAIR sycophant would raise.

Come to think of it, she also wasn't a pedophile or a bloodthirsty, destruction crazed murderer. Unlike the fruit of the Islamic cult.

[montyspython]

So you got romped on, again, about historical accuracy. How embarrassing for you.

[montyspython]

"The Albanians are on the American side, Lion. Whose side are you on?"

Uh huh, how about side of fries with that whopper.