Dominica - Kerk In Nood

ALBANIA
AREA
28,748 Km²
ALBANIA
Already in its Preamble, and then in detail in Articles 10 and 24, the 1998 Albanian
Constitution 1 decrees the right to religious freedom and also to equal treatment of
all religions by the State, which also acknowledges their juridical status. Cordial
relations between the various religious faiths have helped to create a generally
positive atmosphere in this country. There is no specific State religion; they are
all equal in the eyes of the civil authorities and there is no religious instruction
in the schools. The majority of Christian believers belong either to the Albanian
Autocephalous Orthodox Church or the Catholic Church. Religious groups do
not need to register, and the predominant religions (Orthodox, Catholics, Sunni
Muslims and the Bektashi Muslim community) enjoy many official privileges and
particular prestige due to their historical presence in the area. All religious groups
are permitted to open bank accounts, however, and to own land and buildings.
No significant institutional or legislative changes have been reported, nor have
there been significant episodes concerning the subject of freedom of religion
during the reporting period.
The imported conflicts
Cause for concern, however, is the activism of young imams trained in Turkey
and Saudi Arabia.
A more intolerant and rigorous version of Islam, different from that traditionally
practised in Albania, is spread by the creation of Islamic schools financed
from abroad.
Many tensions arose between the different Muslim communities, involving in
some cases even Christians 2 .
1 http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/untc/unpan013810.pdf
2 ACNNews, July 18 th 2012
RELIGIOUS ADHERENCE
POPULATION
3,194,972
REFUGEES
82
Muslims 61.9%
Christians 31.8%
Catholics 15.5% / Orthodox 15% / Protestants 1.3%
Agnostics / Atheists 6,3%
INTERNALLY DISPLACED
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