The ‘forbidden fruit’: Islam and politics of identity in Kosovo and Macedonia

Abstract

This paper depicts the interplay of religion and politics, as well as of external and internal actors among Albanian communities in Kosovo and Macedonia. It argues that Islam has never been allowed into the political space, despite occasional attempts to politicise it and utilise it for political and nationalist expediency. This relative absence of Islam from the political sphere is due to a specific social and political context, as well as to a specific historical experience. However, one can depict a higher presence of Islam among Albanians in Macedonia, for reasons related to their position as a minority within an Orthodox majority country that is undergoing a process of reaffirmation of religion as an essential pillar of an emerging Macedonian national identity.

Educational (de)segregation in North Macedonia: The intersection of policies, schools, and individuals

“…North Macedonia has not formed a singular national myth from which to build a common national identity. Rather, political and religious leaders use ethnicity and religion to divide people, widening the gap between ethnic groups and cementing categories of “us” against “them” (Krasniqi, 2011). An example is religion, which became synonymous with ethnic identity as the Macedonian political elite attempted to make North Macedonia a country for Orthodox Macedonians, unifying Muslim Albanians’ ethnic and religious concerns into a singular cause (see Babuna, 2000; Krasniqi, 2011).…”

“…Rather, political and religious leaders use ethnicity and religion to divide people, widening the gap between ethnic groups and cementing categories of “us” against “them” (Krasniqi, 2011). An example is religion, which became synonymous with ethnic identity as the Macedonian political elite attempted to make North Macedonia a country for Orthodox Macedonians, unifying Muslim Albanians’ ethnic and religious concerns into a singular cause (see Babuna, 2000; Krasniqi, 2011). While religion is now viewed as an important identity marker, this divide was politically constructed—historically, language and ethnicity divided Macedonians and Albanians (Krasniqi, 2011).…”

“…An example is religion, which became synonymous with ethnic identity as the Macedonian political elite attempted to make North Macedonia a country for Orthodox Macedonians, unifying Muslim Albanians’ ethnic and religious concerns into a singular cause (see Babuna, 2000; Krasniqi, 2011). While religion is now viewed as an important identity marker, this divide was politically constructed—historically, language and ethnicity divided Macedonians and Albanians (Krasniqi, 2011). However, religious symbols can be powerful markers of outward identity that classify an individual as a part of their ethnic group (Grant, 1997).…”

“…While religion now plays a role in segregation, increased visibility of religious markers is a result of unifying ethnic and religious identity, which was originally propagated in an effort to consolidate Macedonian power by differentiating Albanians and marginalizing them (Krasniqi, 2011). Once Albanian religious identity became synonymous with ethnic identity, these religious symbols-headscarves, beards, mosques-became, for many, outward symbols of Albanian identity.…”

The role of Islam in Indonesia's contemporary foreign policy

“…As the second largest multilateral organisation after the UN, the OIC is deemed important for Kosovo to expand and enhance its international standing (MFA-KS, 2014). Since 1996, the OIC Secretariat has supported Despite being a secular country and having a Western political orientation (Krasniqi, 2011), Kosovo seems unable to override its demographic structure which is around 90%…”