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