Albania: On Religious Freedom
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Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1998 09:11:05 +0300 (EET DST)
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Subject: Albania: On Religious Freedom
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Greek Helsinki Monitor <[email protected]>
Albania: On Religious Freedom
HUMAN RIGHTS WITHOUT FRONTIERS
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B-1000 Brussels
Tel. 32 2 2198880 - Fax: 32 2 2190285
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INFORMATION AND PRESS SERVICE
Section "Religious Intolerance and Discrimination"
15 September 1998
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ALBANIA
MINORITY RELIGIONS FACE AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE
BRUSSELS (Compass) -- Albania's latest efforts to prepare a new
constitution and a subsequent law governing religious activity could
severely affect minority religious communities, including many
Protestant groups.
Vasil Kureta, an adviser under the direct authority of the Prime
Minister's Cabinet, has been appointed to oversee religious matters,
bypassing the State Secretariat of Religions. Kureta, like the
Secretariat, makes a clear distinction between "communities" and
"sects," which could create problems for smaller religious groups. "We
do not want sects to thwart traditional religions," he said, "and I am
personally opposed to their registration in courts because they can no
longer be monitored and their membership cannot be checked any more."
Rajwantee Lakshman-Lepain, a French historian living in Tirana, told
Compass, "Kureta's initial project was to set up a Committee on
Religions before the new constitution was to be voted by the
parliament. He consulted the leaders of the Catholic, Orthodox, Muslim
and Bektashi communities and of some sects ... who approved of the
initiative. However, he was told to wait for the constitution."
The Committee on Religions is meant to replace the State Secretariat
of Religions, which according to Kureta "has dealt with everything and
nothing and the members of which mixed up their state function with
the interests of their religion. It had no status and it went beyond
its competencies."
The State Secretariat consists of three representatives from the three
dominant religions in the country: Sunni Islam, the Orthodox Church
and the Catholic Church. The representative of the Muslim community
governs the Secretariat. He makes the final decisions on issues
concerning religions not connected with Orthodoxy or Catholicism.
Hence, the authority of this Muslim official has spread over the other
Christian communities, including Evangelical Christians.
"It is obvious that the Albanian government is influenced by the
majority religions of Islam, Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism
and is pushing to introduce the registering of religions, so as to
exercise governmental control over religious activity and especially
to eliminate 'undesirable' sects and cults," Lakshman-Lepain told
Compass.
Dr. J.W. Montgomery of the London-based European Center for Law and
Justice, said "Registration can readily violate the separation of
church and state, which the constitution clearly wishes to endorse,
and therefore it should not be instituted. But if registration cannot
be prevented, a religion should not be denied registration on the
basis of its doctrine; only proven criminal or antisocial activity
should be taken into consideration."
Kureta told Lakshman-Lepain that when the constitution is approved,
the Committee would prepare a law on religion in consultation with
official religious communities, some "guest sects" and all the others
who will want to take part in the preparatory work. Each group will
have the right to send two representatives, a lawyer and a believer,
to the working group.
The Albanian Evangelical Alliance (AEA) has been allowed to
participate in the constitutional preparatory process in a minor role.
"We can take part in the meetings and make suggestions to the
secretary of the commission," a spokesman said, "But only its members
can discuss them. We have made proposals about the article that deals
with the right to choose and to change one's beliefs and with the
relationships between state and church."
Source : Compass Direct, July 1998
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Greek Helsinki Monitor &
Minority Rights Group - Greece
P.O. Box 51393
GR-14510 Kifisia
Greece
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Fax +30-1-807.57.67
e-mail: [email protected]
http://www.greekhelsinki.gr
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