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.
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| 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
