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Statistics as of 1930 estimated that 65 to 70 percent of Albanians were of Muslim affiliation ('' - Muslims in Europe: Country guide: Albania US Department of State - International Religious Freedom Report 2006 - en 2005 - [http://www.membres.lycos.fr/instantanesdalbanie/image/dossierdepresse.pdf Zuckerman, Phil. "Atheism: Contemporary Rates and Patterns ", chapter in The Cambridge Companion to Atheism, ed. by Michael Martin, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK (2005) Rosemary (ed). Larousse Dictionary of Beliefs & Religions (Larousse: 1994); pg. 581-584. Table: "Population Distribution of Major Beliefs" [http://www.adherents.com/Na/Na_472.html Like other religions, Islam has seen some limited revival since the official ban on all religious practice was lifted, more than 50 Mosques were opened in Shkoder (a city of approximately 90,000people).http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0704170802apr18,1,7622827.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed ISLAM IN ALBANIA BEFORE 1944 Et'hem Bey Mosque on Skanderbeg Square in Tirana ]] Since Albania has been part of the Ottoman Empire for almost five centuries the integration of Albanians into this empire went hand in hand with the gradual spread of Islam and the destruction of Paganism and Christianity . When Albania was declared an independent country in 1912 , it emerged as the only Muslim state in Europe (excluding the Ottoman Empire). In the North, the spread of Islam was slower as the Roman Catholic Church was strong and the mountainous terrain slowed the influx of Ottoman influences. In the South, however, Catholicism was not as strong and by the end of the seventeenth century the region had largely adopted the religion of the growing Albanian Muslim elite. The existence of a growing Albanian Muslim class of Pasha s and Beys who played an increasingly important role in Ottoman political and economic life made adopting the religion of the Ottoman elite an increasingly attractive option for most Albanians. In 1923 , the Albanian Muslim congress convened at Tirana decided to break with the Caliphate . During the monarchy religious institutions of all confessions were put under state control. This trend was taken to extreme during the totalitarian regime, when religions, identified as imports foreign to Albanian culture, were banned altogether. DISTRIBUTION The Muslims of Albania were divided into two main communities: those associated with Sunni Islam and those associated with the Bektashi , a mystic Dervish order that came to Albania through the Ottoman Janissaries. The order resembles Sufi mystic orders, but contains elements quite distinct from orthodox Islam. After the Bektashis were banned in Turkey in 1925 by Atatürk , the order moved its world centre to Tirana and the Albanian government subsequently recognized it as a body independent from Sunnism . Sunni Muslims were estimated to represent approximately 50% of the country's Muslim population before 1939 , while Bektashi represented another 20%. Sunni Muslims have historically lived in the cities of Albania, while Bektashi Shias mainly in remote areas whereas Orthodox Christians mainly in the south, and Roman Catholics in the north of the country. However, in the modern times this division is not strict, particularly in the case of many urban centers, which have mixed populations. REFERENCES SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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