[Jack_Sparrow]

Yea watch out world, Kosovo is here. The newest addition to your muslim family of nations.

Free beer was on offer in a street near the parliament in Pristina for thousands of revellers who braved bracing temperatures in the city.

[Jamroll]

I think we need to merge the two Kosova Independence threads.

[Jetmir]

Originally Posted by Ugur

I watched a very cynical and worrying TV program about Kosovo. The program showed that statues of the Catholic nun Mother Teressa, who is said to be an ethnic Albanian, are placed everywhere in Kosovo and the Albanians look to this woman as their national hero. Another person who is their hero and whose statues they put everywhere is Iskender Beg, who renounced Islam and converted to Christianity a few centuries ago and started a war against Muslims. All the Kosovans who were interviewed adore America. Even more worryingly, the Kosovan Albanian intellectuals who were interviewed openly remark that their Muslim identity is an annoying obstacle in their effort to become a western and European people. In sum, according to that TV program, the Americans and the Christian missionaries are changing Kosovo for the worse and they have lots of collaborators within Kosovo. Madad yaa Allah!

They were kissing posters of bush in the streets. They really really want to be european. they even kicked out two hijabis from university recently, they want to show the west that "see, we are just like you, we are not islamists". I dont think the missionaries are a threat though, they do a lot of events and build parks, but they are not changing Kosova. Most of albanians are very ignorant about their religion, have been since communism. After the war in 99 though, when they returned to their homes, there was a lot of dawah going on. and thousands of people started practicing islam and showing it. and they are growing fast alhamdulilah, especially the youth.

[Jetmir]

Originally Posted by Variable

Ugur, have you been listening to your government again?

... most of what he said is true.

[Variable]

Originally Posted by Jetmir

They were kissing posters of bush in the streets. They really really want to be european.

Yeh because, Europeans are Bush's biggest fans.

[Revert]

The thing is with the Balkan Muslims (generally speaking) is they were converted not out of piousness but out of convenience. It was eisier to be a Muslim in the Ottoman Balkans than be a Christian. Like i said this is a general statement as there were some great pious Balkan Muslims, Shaykh Al-Albani is one that comes to mind.

My mother in law told me stories of her father who used to spend lots of time in the masjid makinf Dhikr beads (we have a pair), her nephew is the local hoja.

Anywho, Kosovas independance is a good thing for the Kosovan people.

[MuslimZ]

Excuse me for being a little ignorant... but did America's involvement with the conflict have at least a little to do with putting Kosova on the path to independence? The majority of Kosovars I've spoken to have all said something along those lines; indicating they adore america not so much out of wanting to be european but out of (perhaps misplaced) gratitude. I'm not agreeing with this, necessarily, but it's not just from "biased amreekan media" that I've gotten this impression.

[Revert]

Originally Posted by MuslimZ

Excuse me for being a little ignorant... but did America's involvement with the conflict have at least a little to do with putting Kosova on the path to independence? The majority of Kosovars I've spoken to have all said something along those lines; indicating they adore america not so much out of wanting to be european but out of (perhaps misplaced) gratitude. I'm not agreeing with this, necessarily, but it's not just from "biased amreekan media" that I've gotten this impression.

Of course it did..its knida misguided ot think otherwise. PLus thats the feelign I get from the Albanians I know.

[Variable]

So is it KosovO or KosovA?

[MuslimZ]

Originally Posted by Revert

Of course it did..its knida misguided ot think otherwise. PLus thats the feelign I get from the Albanians I know.

Yeah, I didn't want people to be offended by saying, gasp, America actually did help a nation of muslims out.

That's why I think it's disappointing to see people instantly blame them for wanting to assimilate and assuming the worst of intentions.

Then again... it's not my place.

[MuslimZ]

In Albanian it's "Kosova" or "Kosove"

[Jetmir]

Originally Posted by Variable

Yeh because, Europeans are Bush's biggest fans.

thats not what i meant.

Originally Posted by Variable

So is it KosovO or KosovA?

kosovo is the serb way of saying Kosova. Kosova is the right way to say it. Kosove and Kosova are just grammatical differences. For example you would say "Im going to Kosove" or "Kosova is independent".

Originally Posted by MuslimZ

Excuse me for being a little ignorant... but did America's involvement with the conflict have at least a little to do with putting Kosova on the path to independence? The majority of Kosovars I've spoken to have all said something along those lines; indicating they adore america not so much out of wanting to be european but out of (perhaps misplaced) gratitude. I'm not agreeing with this, necessarily, but it's not just from "biased amreekan media" that I've gotten this impression.

Of course America and NATO had a lot to do with it, but that's not why I said they are "european wannabes". America didn't save Albania from anything and look at how they treated him when he visited Albania. When they were interviewing the people there this one guy said "He is like the king of the earth to me". I know my people and I know the things they do to suck up to the west. They try to run away from anything that the west would dislike. And they try to do as much as they can to be more european. Even when it comes to charitable organizations, last year when I was there, there was something like a concert, big stage right in the middle of the downtown you could say. And a big banner behind it with the name of some catholic youth organization. The audience was at least 90% muslim, if not more. I can guarantee you, they would never ever let a muslim organization organize something like that. And they don't even permit the buildings of new masajid in the cities where there is a need. They had trouble getting a permit to pave the road outside of a masjid (which the masjid was willing to pay for) so people could pray jummah outside as well because there was not enough room inside. They try to run away from anything Muslim so the west doesn't have a bad opinion about them, and doesn't use it against them wanting to enter the European union, just like turkey. And I remember what a relative of ours said when he found out we were practicing "Why would they need religion in the west". allahu mustaan

[Revert]

Originally Posted by Jetmir

Of course America and NATO had a lot to do with it, but that's not why I said they are "european wannabes". America didn't save Albania from anything and look at how they treated him when he visited Albania. When they were interviewing the people there this one guy said "He is like the king of the earth to me". I know my people and I know the things they do to suck up to the west. They try to run away from anything that the west would dislike. And they try to do as much as they can to be more european. Even when it comes to charitable organizations, last year when I was there, there was something like a concert, big stage right in the middle of the downtown you could say. And a big banner behind it with the name of some catholic youth organization. The audience was at least 90% muslim, if not more. I can guarantee you, they would never ever let a muslim organization organize something like that. And they don't even permit the buildings of new masajid in the cities where there is a need. They had trouble getting a permit to pave the road outside of a masjid (which the masjid was willing to pay for) so people could pray jummah outside as well because there was not enough room inside. They try to run away from anything Muslim so the west doesn't have a bad opinion about them, and doesn't use it against them wanting to enter the European union, just like turkey. And I remember what a relative of ours said when he found out we were practicing "Why would they need religion in the west". allahu mustaan

I think the thing with your people (no offense intended) is that by much of the West they are still seen as backward communists. Which is obviously not true, however its hard to escape your insecurities.

Albanians are great people., its a shame they have to run away from their Muslim identity. I also think a lot of it has to do with what I said in my previous posts.

[Aryan_]

Originally Posted by Revert

I think the thing with your people (no offense intended) is that by much of the West they are still seen as backward communists.

Actually we don't see them as communists anymore.

[Revert]

Originally Posted by Aryan_

Actually we don't see them as communists anymore.

Maybe not in the UK but I know a lot of Amreekans do.