Exclusive interview with Imam Wahbi Sulaiman Gawuchi

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH IMAM WAHBI SULAIMAN GAWUCHI

Exclusive interview with Imam Wahbi Sulaiman Gawuchi (Vehbi Sulejman Gavoçi), great Muslim scholar from Shkodra city, Albania. Imam Wahbi Sulaiman Gawuchi is not the only Albanian Muslim scholar in the Muslim world, but there are other renown scholars such as: Sheikh Albani, Sheikh Abdul Kadr Arnaout, Sheikh Nuh, the grandfather of Sheikh Shuaib Arnaout who is still alive, etc.

Imam Wahbi Sulaiman Gawochi and Ermal Bega, Damascus 2004

Let us return to our interviewee, Sheikh Wahbi Sulaiman Gawuchi.

Dear Hajj Wahbi Sulaiman Gawuchi, you left Albania at a young age and came to Damascus (Syria); could you tell us when you and your family came here?

Bismilahir-rahmani-rahim, all praise is to Allah, Lord of the worlds, Who is One and without partners, His peace and blessings be upon His messenger Muhammad and upon all those who follow his path.

My name is Wahbi Sulaiman Gawuchi (in Alb. Vehbi Sulejman Gavoçi). We came from Albania to Syria in 1937. My father left Albania with his family and his brother and came to Syria.

What were the reasons that pushed you to come to Syria?

The main reason was that at the time King Zog undertook certain reforms that had nothing to do with Islam. He forced women to remove the face veil, equalized brother and sister in inheritance, and ordered administration workers to wear hats. Some other things he enacted against religion forced my father to leave Albania and come to Syria, or said differently, the place where Allah's last prophets emigrated.

Where did you first live in Damascus?

When we first came to Damascus we lived in the Huk-ul Saraya neighborhood, then we moved to the Diwaniya neighborhood, which is also known as the neighborhood of the Albanians. There, with the grace of God, our father built us a house, and then he also built a mosque, which is called Arnaout Mosque. In that mosque he was the imam, he studied there, and all the early Albanians who lived there learned about their religion from my father.

How did the Arabs welcome you as Albanians?

They welcomed us with the best welcome. The Albanians here can be separated into two groups: the first group are the Albanians from Kosova, who came here during the Balkan wars, when they were being killed, tortured, and expelled by the Serbs. The majority of them went to Turkey and some came to Syria. When they came here, the government proposed a piece of land called Shbele for them, a village, so they could work there. But they preferred to remain in the city, not knowing the land and the language. We came from Albania in 1937, like I mentioned earlier. Haji Nuh and the father or Shuaib Al-Arnaout, Muharram, came before us, in 1926, also from Shkodra. We are the second group to come from Shkodra to Syria. The Arabs welcomed us well and helped us when we needed help.

What is the approximate number of the Albanians who came to Syria?

I can't give an exact number on the Albanians here, because I lived outside of Syria for about 20 years. However, I believe that they are more than 10.000 people.

What was your occupation here in Damascus?

When I came to Syria in 1937 I got to know a relative of mine called Hasan Smaya and my father asked me if I wanted to go to school with him. I accepted. Then I went to Egypt where I stayed for 10 years. There I studied Arabic and Islam and I earned two college degrees, one in a secular field and one in Shariah law. I was always occupied with learning and writing books, from 1937 until now. I still read and write articles, essays and books, like young men do. I was occupied only with studying and teaching and never with politics, and during 1948-1980 I taught in Syria. Then I went to Medina and stayed for a few years. Then I went to the UAE where I stayed for 14 years. In the year 2000 I returned to Syria, my country, to live here for as long as I have left.

When did you finish your studies?

I finished my studies in Cairo in 1947.

What activities did you undertake regarding the Albanians when you returned from Egypt?

When we returned from Egypt we thought about gathering all Albanians who lived in Syria. For this reason we formed a non-profit organization, but that didn't last for more than 3 years. I was the secretary general of this organization. I gave interviews in different newspapers; and also one time when they came and spoke bad things about Ahmad Zogu (King of Albanians) that he is sold out and that we are sold out too. We tried to stay close and help out compatriots. But some people with Albanian origin do not have the same feelings as we do, they were born and remained in Syria, until the government closed that organization and we remained separated, each in his country.

Do you ever think about returning to Albania with your family?

I have been to Albania each year but I don't think that I will return there for good, because our families and work are here, and it would be very difficult. Emigration to this country is thewab, and here we are close to our fathers, may they rest in peace, who left Albania to preserve their faith.

What is your greeting for your compatriots in Albania?

When I first went to Kosova, they welcomed me very well and I felt obligated to write a book in Albanian called "How and Why?" to thank them. The love for my country is in my blood, it's in my life; I was born there, my relatives, friends, and brothers are there. I always think about Albania, but now that I am old it is difficult for me to return. If God would make me a young man again, I would return.

Interviewed by: Ermal BEGA

Damascus, Syria 2004

Translated from Albanian to English by:

Armir TARAJ

Albanians in the Arab World (review)

Ermal BEGA*

ALBANIANS IN THE ARAB WORLD

(Review)

Ermal Bega

Dr. Muhammad M. Arnaout, an Albanian originated from the city of Peć (Peja) in Kosova, is one of the most famous writers in Albanian lands an the Arab world.

He was born in Damascus in 1952; his father was from Peja city and his mother was from a village called Vrellë, also from Peja. Furthermore, he is the nephew of the well-known Albanian Muslim scholar from the village of Vrella in Peja, Sheikh Abdulkadr al-Arnaout.

Dr. Muhammad M. Arnaout finished his elementary and high school years of study in Damascus. Moreover, he persuid his higher education in Prishtina University, which was a way to go back at his parents native land. He finished his undergraduate studies with very high excelence results and has deffence two PHD topics, one on the faculty of philology for Albanian language and literature in 1981, the other one in the faculty of phiilosophy, department of history in 1986. During his period of study in Prishtina, he  also studied and has written in Albanian and Arabic language. Whereas, he has written many articles on the newspapers and magazines of that time. His articles were generally about the Albanian links with the Orient, specifically with the Arab world. Also, he is author and co-author of more than 40 books and encyclopedia, in Albanian and Arabic. He was professor of Arabic language at the department of Orientalism in the faculty of philology in Prishtina. Instantly, he is a professor of history and the Director of the Institute of Political Studies in Amman, Jordan.

One of the most important books written by him, which has to do with the Albanian relationship with the Arab world, is the one that we will discuss in this article, the book titled: “Albanians in the Arab World”, which is published on 1990 in Prishtina, and published from the publication house “Rilindja”.

The author in this book, as he mentioned in the foreword of the book, discuss about the presence of Albanians in the Arab world during 18th and 19th century, and the beginning of the 20th century. But the author is not stopped on this periods of time only, he has touched in passing the presence of Albanians even during the 16th and 17th century, because this period of time is related with the presence of Albanians in the Arab world during the 18th and 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.

The data of this book are prepared by exploiting different sources, where most of them are presented for the first time in Albanian language. The author, besides his primary research has exploited even a wide literature in different languages. Also, for the author was needed, and this was the most important thing to complete this work, that he did a lot of research in many Arab countries during the decade 1974-1984. For the collection and elaboration of the sources he focused in various countries, such as in Syria (1974-1975), in Algeria (1976), in Lebanon (1976), in Egypt (1978), in Kuwait (1981), in Tunisia (1983) etc.

In the first chapter of the book, titled: “The Albanian-Arab relations via history”, the author gives a general review on how the relationship between Albanians and Arabs has started. In the very beginning he explain that between Albanians and Arabs exist a well-off tradition about the origin of the Albanians from the Arab world, respectively from Syria. Based on this tradition, which by the time it develops more, we find information  in written form of that time. Thus, such information are showed primary in an Arabic story titled: "Tuarih Tuhaf", where it is explained in details that Albanians have Arab origin.[1] Later on, these elements devolve to Ottoman sources. Furthermore, at Ottoman old chronicles which are published from the famous Turkologian Franz Babinger about Albanians, it says that: ”Some of them were from Yemen, and some others from Sa’id", in Egypt.[2]

These information are presented more in details on 15th century, at the travelogue of the famous Ottoman traveler  Evliya Çelebi. At the part of this work of Evliya Çelebi which talks about Albanian regions, we find a chapter with the title: “On the foundation and the origin of Albanian people.” According to this version, Albanian origin is from the Arab tribe of Kuraish, which lived in Makkah, this tribe belong to Prophet Muhammad s.a.s. In that time, they had a chief, Jabal ul-Hama. This chief, with no intention, pull out an eye of a generous Arab. This man went to khalif Umar Ibn al-Khattab (634-644) to complain about this. According to Islamic law “an eye for an eye”, Khalif Umar ordered that chief Jabal to be punished by pulling out his own eye. In the other hand, chief Jabal was so scared and in that night he took three thousands people of his tribe and went to Antiohi at the King Harkil.

The truth is that the version of Evliya Çelebi is developed based on historical episodes, but there are some flaggings. Thus, this story is about the chief of Ghassan tribe, not that of the Kuraish, Jabla Ibn Al Ayham, and no Jabal ul-Hama. The Ghassan tribe, with origin from Yemen, set in north of Arabia, respectively, at the south of Syria, in the beginning of new era, and on the 4th century accepted Christianity. From the chiefs or the kings of this tribe, which are well-known in Arab sources, we know only the last five kings, among them Harith Ibn Jablan (about 529-569), whom the Byzantine Emperor, Justinian, named as the king of all Arabs tribes with the title Patriarch. The last chief or king of this tribe was Jabla Ibn al-Ayham, who became a Muslim. During his stay in Makkah while performing Hajj, in the time of Khalif Umar Ibn al-Khattab (634-644), a random beduin trample on his gown, for that reason the chief Jabla slapped him. The beduin went to complain at Khalif Umar, which based on Islamic Law, asked the beduin to slap back the chief Jabla. But because of his prestige, the chief Jabla together with some of his people during that night went from Makkah to Byzantium, and he never returned back again.[3]

From the second half of the first chapter till the end, the author tells us about the strong relations between Albanians and Arabs during the rule of Ottoman Empire in the Arab countries.

Later on, the author (begining from the second chapter) show us important information and arguments that he had achieved through his studies, such  as the arrival of Albanians in Arab Countries (know as Arnaouts), about their life, their involvement on political, cultural, religious, and social life of this society. He begins with Syria, which is his birthplace, to continue with Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt, Sudan, Libya, and Algeria. He talks about diverse Albanian personalities, whom let important footmarks in this places, which still are still obvious in this countries. He talks as well about the Albanian personalities which were involved in politics, army, Islamic knowledge, literature, nationalism and so on. A special chapter he dedicated to the Albanian dynasty of Egypt, who began with Mehmet Ali Pasha, which is known as the founder of the modern Egypt and it continues with his nephews, a dynasty which ruled for more than a century.

This important work of this Albanian author, which lives and works in Syria and Jordan, is only a "short" start about the life, works and relations of Albanians with the Arab world. We hope that this work will be a "start" for further studies from our researches/scholars of this field, which is very important for our national issues and those of cultural-religious.

Translated from Albanian by R.T.

Published in “PERLA” journal, Year IX,  2004, No. 4 (35), p. 147-150, Tirana-Albania

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* Ermal Bega is the Executive Director of Albanian Center for Oriental Studies (ACFOS-Albania), Tirana, Albania.

[1] Kaleshi, Hasan; An Oriental legend on the origin of Albanians, "Flaka e Vllaznimit", Skopje, 2th of April, 1956, p. 11.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

رحلة إلى أرض الأجداد

أرمال بيغا

(Tirana-Albania)

رحلة إلى أرض الأجداد

Ermal Bega

لقد نشأ في بيئة عربية، محاطاً بالتقاليد العربية. وعرف عن خلفيته الألبانية بسبب إسمه الذي أشار الى ذلك بالأضافة لسماعه ذلك من والديه،

ولكنه لم يفكر قط أنه سيخطو يوماً على أرض أجداده. لم يتمكن من  معرفة المكان الدقيق لأصله من والديه ولا من أقاربه، ولكن هذا لم يمنعه من الرغبة في السفر إلى أي من الأراضي الألبانية إذا أمكن. كانت هذه كلمات عامر أرناؤوط، ألبانياً من لبنان، الذي يعيش في ألمانيا مع أسرته منذ عشر سنوات.

هذه العائلة الألبانية المميزة قامت بزيارة ألبانيا بين تواريخ 12 و 15 تموز 2010. عامر بمرافقة زوجته، ناديا أرناؤوط، وأطفالهما الثلاثة، محمد، يوسف وسارة، هبطوا لأول مرة في ألبانيا.

بعد إستقبالنا لأسرة الأرناؤوط في شكودرا، التي قدموا إليها بالسيارة من ألمانيا، قمنا بمرافقتهم إلى تيرانا، وعلى الطريق كنا نصف لهم الأماكن التي نراها ليتكون لديهم فكرة عامة عن المناطق التي يرونها. عندما وصلنا إلى تيرانا، إستقروا في أحد الفنادق، وذلك المساء ذهبنا جميعاً لتناول العشاء وشرب القهوة.

في اليوم التالي، ذهبنا في الصباح الباكر لمرافقتهم من الفندق. كنا قد خططنا أنه خلال اليوم الأول من إقامتهم الممتدة لثلاثة أيام، سنقوم بزيارة البلدة القديمة في كروجا، حيث زرنا البازار القديم والمسجد في وسط المدينة (البازار، المسجد والقناة جميعها قد بنيت أثناء الحضارة الإسلامية في عهد الإمبراطورية العثمانية التي تركت آثاراً كثيرة في كروجا والمدن الألبانية الأخرى). ثم سافرنا إلى ديوريس حيث تناولنا  طعام الغداء والقهوة على شاطئ البحر. هناك شاهدنا مسجد ديوريس الكبير في وسط المدينة، على قمة تلة صغيرة. ومن المثير للإهتمام أن نلاحظ أنه في عهد الدولة العثمانية، وفي فترة الحضارة الإسلامية عموماً، كان لكل مدينة مسجد كبير وسوق في وسط المدينة، جنباً إلى جنب مع المؤسسات الحكومية الأخرى الموجودة هناك، والشيء نفسه حدث في ألبانيا كذلك.

بعد قضاء وقت طويل على الشاطئ في ديوريس الذي أمضيناه في محادثات مثيرة للإهتمام، توجهنا لتيرانا قبل  المغرب. لقد توجهنا إلى المسجد في وسط  إتهيم باي، حيث صلّينا صلاة المغرب. ثم قمنا بعد ذلك بمرافقة ضيوفنا الى الفندق لكي يأخذوا قسطاً من الراحة، وإلتقينا بعدها لتناول العشاء. بعد العشاء ذهبنا لشرب القهوة في أحد المقاهي اللطيفة على جبل  داجتي، ليتاح لضيوفنا الإستمتاع بالطبيعة الهادئة الجميلة لمساء تيرانا. في وقت متأخر من المساء، عدنا إلى المنزل للراحة لكي نلتقي مجدداً في الصباح التالي.

لقد إلتقينا الثامنة صباحاً، وقررنا الذهاب لتناول وجبة الإفطار في مكان للوجبات السريعة التي يملكها صديق سوري، حيث إستمتعنا بتناول الشاورما السورية الشهيرة. وأثناء تناول الإفطار ناقشنا فكرة الذهاب لزيارة كوسوفا، ولكن شعرنا أن الرحلة قد تكون متعبة وتعيقنا، نظراً لقصر فترة رحلتهم، فقررنا عدم الذهاب، وقضينا باقي اليوم نتجوّل في تيرانا لرؤية الأشياء عن كثب. وخلال محادثاتنا فقد ناقشنا أصل عائلة الأرناؤوط في المشرق، وحياتهم هناك وفي ألبانيا.

في صباح اليوم التالي كان على عائلة أرناؤوط الإستعداد لمغادرة تيرانا وألبانيا وسفر مسافة طويلة  إلى بيروت، لبنان، حيث ينتظرهم أقاربهم.

الآن أصبح لديهم شيئاً يقولونه لأقاربهم عن ألبانيا والألبان، وذلك لأنها تجربة قد "لمست" باليد. وقد أعربوا عن حقيقة زيارتهم لألبانيا أنها كانت أكثر اللحظات سعادة خلال رحلتهم الطويلة جداً.

في لحظة المغادرة، أعربوا عن رغبتهم في زيارة أخرى خلال عطلة الصيف في السنة التالية، زيارة أخرى لألبانيا لفترة أطول، لنتمكن من الذهاب لزيارة الأراضي الألبانية في كوسوفا ومقدونيا.

لقد كانت أول زيارة لألبانيا خطوة كبيرة وهامة جداً ليتمكن كثير من الأرناؤوطيين (الألبان) الذين يعيشون في الشرق من زيارتنا.

أرمال بيغا

تمّ ترجمته من اللغة الألبانية الى الإنكليزية من خلال أرمير تاراج

تمّ ترجمته من اللغة الإنكليزية الى العربية من خلال فريق - (Dana Arnaout (Paradetect

المصدر: ACFOS-Albania

English:

http://www.paradetect.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=383:a-journey-to-the-land-of-the-ancestors&catid=3:newsflash&Itemid=12&lang=en

The Arnaouts - The un (known), yet famous Albanians

Ermal BEGA*

THE ARNAOUTS

~ THE (UN) KNOWN, YET FAMOUS ALBANIANS** ~

Ermal Bega

Many of us have heard about the Arnaouts, or the Albanians who have lived in the Orient for many centuries. However, very few of us are well-informed about them, their lives and traditions, their social influence in the places where they live, their contributions to those places etc.

The term Arnaout was used for the first time during the Ottoman Empire, where Albanians were known as Arnaouts, and Albania as Arnautluk.

There exist different theories on the origin of the word أرناؤوط (Arnaout), but to go into this subject requires a whole separate article.

The use of the term Arnaout to reference the Albanian origin of a certain people living in Oriental countries increased during the weakening and then collapse of the Ottoman Empire, where with nationalism entering the scene, the different nations within this empire started forming their own states based on ethnical or religious affiliations. At this time, the Albanian Muslims who were living in these Oriental countries and who were not included in the newly formed Albanian nation-state, started appropriating the term Arnaout to indicate their Albanian origin.

It is interesting to note that, besides the Albanian Muslims (who made up the majority of the Albanian population), this name was also used by the Albanian Christians, many of them Catholics, to indicate their Albanian origin. For example, besides the Muslims of Albanian origin who are found in great numbers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Egypt, Sudan, Yemen, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia etc., we can still find entire Christian families of Albanian origin, especially in Lebanon, where their history begins with the appointment of Albanian Catholic Vaso Pasha by the Ottomans as the governor of Lebanon, where he took with him several Albanian Catholic families who decided to live in Lebanon and who, to this day, proudly carry the last name Arnaout as an indication of their Albanian origin. According to the latest researchs, we have found several Albanian Orthodox families that live in Ukraine and carry the name Arnaout.

While the majority of the Arnaouts who live in the Orient carry the last name Arnaout to distinguish themselves as part of the Albanian nation, many other families in different Arab countries and in Turkey carry other last names, many of which are names of places or names of well-known families in Albania. Here we can note the Albani family in Jordan, from which the famous Muslim scholar Nasiruddin Albani (from Shkodra) came forth, the other famous Albanian Muslim scholar Wahbi Sulaiman Gavoçi (also from Shkodra), etc. Among the families whose last name indicates their place of origin is the large Shkodra family in Lebanon.

Among the most well-known Arnaouts (Albanians) in the oriental world we can mention: Muslim scholars Abdulkadr Arnaout and Shuaib Arnaout, the famous writers Ma’ruf Arnaout and Dr. Abdulatif Arnaout, the famous writer and historian Dr. Muhammad Mufaku (Arnaout), the poet and writer Aisha Arnaout, the famous Muslim scholar Nasiruddin Albani, the pioneer in the opening of schools for the lay people of Lebanon Nadim Arnaout, the famous actor from Damascus Yasin Arnaout, the writer and teacher Shawkat Gavoçi etc. In addition, the majority of Albanians who live in the Orient are well educated, most of whom have finished higher education and carry high positions in the societies where they live.

In this context, considering the importance and the great role that Albanians have played and continue to play in the Oriental countries, the editorial board of the cultural-scientific magazine for Oriental Studies “URA” (the Bridge) has decided to dedicate this exclusive issue to them, the Arnaouts.

Translated from Albanian: Armir TARAJ

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* Ermal Bega is the Executive Director of the Albanian Center for Oriental Studies, Tirana, Albania.

** This article is taken from the introduction of issue nr. 5 of “URA” magazine, which is published in Tirana - Exclusive issue for the Arnaouts (Albanian) who live in the Orient. The title has been chosen by the author of the article.

The Albanians (Arnaouts) of Syria

THE ALBANIANS (ARNAOUTS) OF SYRIA

Interview with Ermal Bega, Executive Director of ACFOS-Albania

(Albanian Center for Oriental Studies)

Full interview (published in some Albanian websites with reduction)

Ermal Bega

Question 1: What’s your name, where do you live, and what do you do?

Answer 1: My name is Ermal Bega from Tirana, and I am the Executive Director of ACFOS-Albania and the editor-in-chief of the scientific and cultural magazine for oriental studies “URA”, published by ACFOS.

Question 2: How long have you lived in Syria and where (what was your occupation there)?

Answer 2: I was in Syria twice within a year and I lived there for about one year all together, October 2003 - October 2004. I lived in Damascus, but I had the opportunity to visit a great part of Syria. During my stay there I was attending an Arabic language course, since I had studied for oriental studies and this language was one of my requirements, but at the same time I obtained a certificate of the Italian language from a private course there, using my evening time after my Arabic studies. I also visited many places, people, cultural institutions, castles, monuments, bazaars, mosques, old and new neighborhoods of Damascus and Syria, where every place you visited had much history and livelihood.

Question 3: What impression do you have from life over there? How about the Syrian people?

Answer 3: The time I spent in Damascus and Syria is the best time of my life, the happiest year of my life so far. The place itself, with a very long history (let’s not forget to mention that Damascus is known as the oldest city in the world), with a mix of historical influences, with a wonderful and peaceful mix of religions, ethnicities, cultures, and languages, gave me the impression that I was living among many civilizations in one place. A city blessed by Allah, Lord of the worlds, and prophet Muhammad a.s..

I can say the same words about the Syrian people. I was lucky, also because of my curiosity and desire to see many places and meet many people, to make many friends in Damascus and Syria. To this day I still remember almost every person I met there and with many of them I keep in touch. I had and still have a deep respect and longing for the inhabitants of Syria, especially the friends I met most often, be they Arabs, Kurds, Albanians (Arnaouts) etc.

Question 4: Did you get a chance to meet many Albanians there? How about the old generation Albanians (Arnaouts)? Is there a proper Albanian community in Syria?

Answer 4: For the Albanians of Syria, who are known as Arnaouts, a name many use as a family name, I can proudly say that I am one of the only Albanians from Tirana and Albania that have contributed the most in the last times to promote them and to make them known in different ways, through interviews, conversations, articles etc.

When I was living there, I had the occasion to meet many of the old Albanian personalities that live in Damascus. Here I can mention the great Albanian Muslim scholar Abdulkadr Arnaout, on whose life and works our center published a book in 2009. Then I met Imam Wahbi Sulaiman Gavoçi, whom I interviewed in 2004, then Dr. Abdulatif Arnaout, Dr. Muhammad Mufaku-Arnaout, Shawkat (Shefqet) Gavoçi (who was the first teacher of the Albanian language for Albanians there) etc.

In Damascus there used to be a well developed community of Albanians. From what prof. Shawkat (Shefqet) Gavoçi told me, the Albanians of Damascus and Syria used to be closer to one another, be it physically as neighbors, and also in the preservation of Albanian tradition, culture, and language.

In Damascus there are distinct neighborhoods of Albanians (Arnaouts) which exist since the beginning of the 20^th century. Here I can mention the Diwaniya neighborhood, which has been known as the Albanian Neighborhood since early on, where you can find the Arnaout Mosque, built by Sulaiman Gavoci from Shkodra. The Albanians there have become well integrated with the local population and have been well received. They have also done well in representing themselves in different areas of society, such as culture, religion, literature, economics, politics, the military etc., where many Albanian names have achieved the very top of success.

A small street in one of the old neighborhoods of Damascus, Rukn ad-din, bears the name of an Albanian who lived and died there, Haitham al-Arnaout.

It is a sad truth that the Albanian government has not contributed anything for the Albanians there either in the cultural or national aspect. There are very few writings about the Albanians who live in generally in the Orient, from Turkey to Tunisia, and especially Syria (or the Sham region.)

We should mention that the magazine for cultural-scientific oriental studies “Ura” in Tirana, dedicated its 5^th issue in 2010 exclusively to these Albanians, the Arnaouts.

The Albanians can be found in considerable numbers in the largest cities of Syria such as Damascus, Aleppo, Hama, Homs, Suwayda, Lattakia etc.

Meanwhile, from the newer Albanians in Damascus I have known a large number of them from different regions of Albania, as well as Kosova and Macedonia, who, like me, were there to attend studies.

Question 5: What do you think about the present situation in Syria? Do you think that the Asad regime will fall? How long can this crisis go on?

Answer 5: I am very troubled by the present situation in Syria. I think that the people of Syria has suffered a great deal after the colonization of the beginning of the 20^th century, with the brutal communist dictatorship, supported mainly by Russia, to oppress a large mass of people of different religion, ethnicity, or political views, for the sole purpose to preserve the political and military power of its leaders.

I am following the latest developments with anger and longing, with tears in my eyes and pain in my heart.

The Asad family regime, taken over unjustly from the beginning, with initial support from France, as the former colonial power of Syria (from which they have almost entirely copied and installed the political and education system), is ruling Syria for a very long time of about 40 years.

During my stay in Syria in 2004, I was very reserved in speaking out because it was a socialist country and you couldn’t speak everything you were thinking. I met old Arabs and Albanians who told me about the difficulties they were going thru, especially in the political aspect. There were people who felt discriminated by the government because they didn’t accept the ruling elite, and some of them would speak openly and angrily against the regime.

Syria, from the time Hafiz al-Asad took power and throughout his rule, has waged a brutal campaign against the ruling party’s adversaries, and I believe that many Syrian people, not just now that the “Arab spring” is passing thru, but throughout this rule have suffered in many ways, and now their suffering is visible for the entire world.

Such a regime that oppresses its own people for religious, political, or ethnic reasons is not acceptable for a place like Syria with such an ancient culture and civilization. Unfortunately, if this regime continues to stay in power, but which I feel will collapse soon, Syria could suffer great losses. I believe that this crisis, if we can call it thus, will come to an end very soon, and I believe that with God’s help, a people that believes in its strength and ability will triumph, and I hope that a new and better generation will lead Syria with justice.

Syria really deserves to be in peace with its people and other nations in the Middle East, as well as the world.

Question 6: In the Western media we often hear that the Alawi and Christian minorities in Syria fear a coming to power of the Sunni majority because then minorities might be persecuted. Do you think that such a fear is justifiable?

Answer 6: Wherever Muslims ruled throughout history, we can say that based on historical facts and arguments they always brought peace. From this aspect Christian minorities in Syria and elsewhere in the Islamic world have always lived in peace with the Islamic state.

The Alawi minority (which has the power in Syria), with some support from Iran, I think fears the coming to power of a Sunni-based government, which is the majority of the people. I personally believe that the majority should always rule over the minority, because this way the minority will also be at peace. Here I’ll draw a parallel with Albania, where even though the majority of the population is Sunni Muslim, the rulers are mostly from the Christian minority. I am not against the minorities participating in government, but only if they are able to provide justice for the majority of the population, which I don’t think is the case neither in Syria nor in Albania.

Meanwhile, as far as the Christians of Syria, they are about 23% of the population. I don’t think their fear is justifiable because history tells us otherwise, that the rights of all minorities have always been respected, and their persecution for religious reasons is not allowed in Islam.

I can also add that this type of fear that is being propagated in some Western media has existed even before, since the fall of the Ottoman Caliphate, but it never became reality.

Question 7: Do you think that between Albania and a democratic Syria in the future there could be greater economical, cultural, and diplomatic relations?

Answer 7: In Albania, since 2009, there is a Syrian consulate, which reports to the Syrian embassy in Athens, and Albania is covered by an honorary consul, the Syrian-Albanian businessman Yahia Farwati. In fact I would say that not only between Albania and a democratic Syria, but I believe that bilateral economical, cultural, and diplomatic relations should have existed for a long time now. Syria has a huge cultural treasure which should be “used”. I have seen very few interested Albanians when it comes to Syria, while I have met Syrians who are very interested in Albania and the possible relations between the two nations.

I think that the Albanian government should consider the opening of a consulate in Damascus, which can serve as a bridge for different relations with the entire region of the Middle East. This would be a particularly good occasion for the Albanians who live in Syria, Jordan, Palestine, and Lebanon, to establish stronger relations with Albania. But I think that the appointed Albanian representative to Syria should be someone who knows the country and the region well, in order to contribute the most to the relations between our two countries.

Interviewed and translated from Albanian by: Armir TARAJ

March 2012