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A Northern Albanian intellectual and poet, Pashko Vasa ( 1825 - 1892 ), made the trenchant remark, later co-opted by the Totalitarian state, that "''Churches and mosques you shall not heed / The religion of Albanians is Albanism''" ( Gheg Albanian : "''Mos shikoni kisha e xhamia / Feja e shqyptarit âsht shqyptaria''"). HISTORY Antiquity The two main Illyrian cults were the Cult of the Sun and the Cult of the Snake .Aleksandar Stipčević - Iliri: povijest, život, kultura, Zagreb, Školska knjiga, 1989Mark Tirta, "Mitologjia ndër shqiptarë", Akademia e Shkencave e Shqipërisë, Tirana, 2004 The main festivals were the seasonal summer and winter festivals during the solstices and the spring and autumn festivals during the equinoxes. An organic system of assigning human personifications to natural phenomena was culturally developed and remnants of these still appear in everyday Albanian folklore and tradition. Middle Ages The original culture continued until the Roman and Byzantine Empires crowned Christianity as official religion of the regime, thus suffusing Paganism , until both were later overshadowed by Islam , which kept the scepter of the major religion during the period of Ottoman Turkish rule from the 15th Century until year 1912 . Eastern Orthodox Christianity , Roman Catholicism and Paganism kept being practiced in a lower scale. During the 20th century the Monarchy and later the Totalitarian State followed a systematic Dereligionization of the nation and the national culture. Monarchy Religious institutions of all confessions were put under state control. In 1923 , following the government program, the Albanian Muslim congress convened at Tirana decided to break with the Caliphate . In 1929 the Albanian Orthodox Church was declared autocephalous. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,881789,00.html A year later, in 1930, the first official religious census was carried out. 70% of the population was grouped as Muslim, 20% Christian Orthodox and 10% as Catholic. Totalitarian regime The trend was taken to extreme during the totalitarian regime, when religions, identified as imports foreign to Albanian culture, were banned altogether. This policy was mainly applied and felt within the borders of the present Albanian state, thus producing a Nonreligious majority in the population. The Agrarian Reform Law of August 1945 nationalized most property of religious institutions, including the estates of monasteries, orders, and dioceses. By May 1967 , religious institutions had relinquished all 2,169 churches, mosques, cloisters, and shrines, many of which were converted into Cultural Center s for young people. Many Muslim imams and Orthodox priests renounced their "parasitic" past. More than 200 clerics of various faiths were imprisoned, others were forced to seek work in either Industry or Agriculture . As the literary monthly "Nëndori" reported the event, the youth had thus "''created the first Atheist nation in the world.''" From year 1967 to the end of the Totalitarian Regime , religious practices were banned and the country was proclaimed officially Atheist , marking an event that happened for the first time in world history. Albanians born during the regime were never taught religion, so they grew up to become either Atheists or Agnostics . Old non-institutional in the city of Elbasan , which is a national holiday. CURRENT STATUS OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM Constitution The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respects this right in practice. According to the 1998 Constitution, there is no Official Religion and all religions are equal; however, the predominant religious communities (Bektashi, Sunni Muslim, Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christians) enjoy a greater degree of official recognition (e.g., national holidays) and social status based on their historical presence in the country. All registered religious groups have the right to hold bank accounts and to own property and buildings. No restriction is imposed on families regarding the way they raise their children with respect to religious practices. The generally amicable relationship among religions in society contributed to religious freedom. According to official figures, there are 14 religious schools in the country, with approximately 2,600 total students. The Ministry of Education has the right to approve the curricula of religious schools to ensure their compliance with national education standards, and the State Committee on Cults oversees implementation. There are also 68 vocational training centers administered by religious communities. Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free practice of religion. The government is Secular and the Ministry of Education asserts that public schools in the country are Secular and that the law prohibits ideological and religious Indoctrination . Religion is not taught in Public Schools . Foreign missionaries Foreign religious missionaries who have come to Albania since 1991 include Catholics , Evangelicals and Mormons who come mainly from the USA , Muslims from Arab Countries and Turkey , Bahá'ís , Jehovah's Witnesses , Hindus , and many others freely carry out religious activities. According to the State Committee on Cults, as of 2002 there were 31 Christian Societies representing more than 45 different organizations, about 17 different Islamic Societies and Groups and 500 to 600 other Christian and Bahá'í missionaries. The largest foreign missionary groups were American , British , Italian , Arab and Greek . Incidents While there is no law restricting the demonstration of religious affiliation in public schools, there have been instances when students were not allowed to do so in practice. In December 2003 , a male Muslim student was prohibited from having his Diploma photograph taken because he had a beard. The student was eventually permitted to graduate through the intervention of the Office of the People's Advocate (a government institution tasked with investigating citizens' charges of human rights violations and protecting their fundamental freedoms). In 2002 , some Bektashi communities outside of Tirana experienced intimidation, vandalism, and threats of violence. Subsequently, the Albanian authorities discovered those responsible (non-Albanian citizens) and expelled them for immigration violations. There were no new reports of vandalism during the period covered by this report. Bektashi leaders believe that foreign religious influences seeking to undermine the country's efforts to maintain religious tolerance and freedom were at the root of these incidents. Other religious leaders have expressed similar concerns about the potentially divisive role played by non-citizen religious extremists. {Link without Title} The General Secretary of the Islamic Community of Albania, Sali Tivari, was shot and killed at the Community's headquarters in January 2003 . The General Prosecutor 's Office returned the case to the authorities for further investigation and it has remained unsolved by the end of the period covered by this report. {Link without Title} In October 2003 , police arrested Kastriot Myftari, author of the book "Albanian National Islamism" on charges of inciting Religious Hatred against Islam. The book contained the author's opinions on Islam and how the religion has impacted Albanian life. According to the Prosecutor 's office, several statements in the book demeaned Islam. The prosecutor had asked the Court for 6 months Imprisonment for the author. In June, the court acquitted Myftari of all charges. {Link without Title} During year 2004 representatives of the Orthodox Church expressed concerns that churches, crosses, and other buildings were targets of Vandalism . {Link without Title} In November that accused the president of insulting Islam. {Link without Title} REFERENCES SEE ALSO
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