religious radicalism and violent extremism in albania

246 Pages·2015·1.49 MB·English

ISBN 978 - 9928 - 4123 - 5 - 5
9 789928 412355

RELIGIOUS RADICALISM

AND VIOLENT EXTREMISM
IN ALBANIA
IDM, TIRANA 2015
This publication is prepared in the framework of the Project “Preventing religious
radicalism among youth” financially supported by the US Embassy in Tirana. The
opinions, findings, conclusions and recommendations expressed in the study are those
of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the US Department of State.
LEAD RESEARCHER AND HEAD OF THE EXPERT TEAM
GJERGJI VURMO
EXPERT TEAM
GJERGJI VURMO, Lead researcher and co-author
BESFORT LAMALLARI, Researcher and co-author
ALEKA PAPA, Researcher and contributing author
ELONA DHËMBO, Senior expert
RESEARCH ADVISORS AND COLLABORATORS
SOTIRAQ HRONI
ARBEN RAMKAJ
ARJAN DYRMISHI
SHEFQET SHYTI
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
Acronyms and Abbreviations 6
Glossary 7
9
1. EXECuTIVE SuMMARy
14
2. INTRODuCTION
16
3. METHODOLOgy
20
4. LITERATuRE REVIEw ON RELIgIOuS RADICALISM AND VE
4.1. Concepts of Radicalism and Violent Extremism 21
4.2. Radicalism as a Process 24
4.3. Fundamental Causes of Radicalization 26
4.4. Typology of Radical Groups 29
31
5. RESTORINg RELIgION AND COuNTERINg RADICALIzATION: ALBANIA’S
25 yEARS
5.1. Emergency Needs and Spontaneous Response to Unexpected 32
Challenges
5.2. Religious Radicalism in Albania: Settings of an Early Stage Phenomenon 33
5.3. Key Players’ Response to Religious Radicalization: Inactivity amid 35
Confusion?
38
6. ASSESSMENT OF ENABLINg FACTORS FOR RADICALIzATION AND KEy
DRIVERS OF VIOLENT EXTREMISM
6.1. Socio-Economic Drivers 44
6.1.1. Social Exclusion and Marginality 46
6.1.2. Social Networks and Group Dynamics 49
6.1.3. Societal Discrimination 53
6.1.4. Frustrated Expectations and Relative Deprivation 55
6.1.5. Unmet Social and Economic Needs 58
6.1.6. Greed or the Proliferation of Illegal Economic Activities 61
6.2. Political Drivers 64
6.2.1. Denial of Political Rights and Civil Liberties 66
6.2.2. Harsh Government Repression & Gross Violations of Human Rights 69
6.2.3. “Foreign Occupation” and “Political/Military Encroachment” Drivers 73
6.2.4. Endemic Corruption and Impunity for Well-Connected Elites 76
6.2.5. Poorly Governed or Ungoverned Areas 79
6.2.6. Intimidation or Coercion by VE Groups 82
6.2.7. Perception that the International System Is Fundamentally Unfair and 85
Hostile to Muslim Societies/Peoples
6.3. Cultural drivers 87
6.3.1. Perceptions of Islam under Siege 88
6.3.2. Broader Cultural Threats 92
6.3.3. “Proactive” Religious Agendas 93
6.4. Potential VE Drivers Specific for Albania 97
6.4.1. Tolerance of Illegal Religious Institutions 99
6.4.2. Disputed Authority of Albania’s Religious Institutions at Central Level 101
6.4.3. (Lack of ) Influence of Local Clerics 103
6.4.4. Level of Preparedness of Local Clerics 106
109
7. CONCLuSIONS
115
8. RECOMMENDATIONS
8.1. State Institutions 116
8.2. Religious Institutions 118
8.3. Civil Society 119
8.4. ‘Tension Monitoring” Programs and Multi-Disciplinary Teams 120
122
9. APPENDIXES
9.1. Islam Misinterpreted – How Religious Manipulation Works? 123
9.2. Demography and socio-economic profile of target areas 128
9.2.1. Municipality of Pogradec 129
9.2.2. Commune of Buçimas 132
9.2.3. Municipality of Librazhd 135
9.2.4. Commune of Qender 138
9.2.5. Municipality of Perrenjas 141
9.2.6. Municipality of Cerrik 144
9.2.7. Municipality of Bulqiza 147
9.2.8. Municipality of Kukes 150
9.2.9. A Comparative Overview 153
9.3. Detailed Survey Findings 160
214
PuBLIC SuRVEy quESTIONNAIRE
221
ENDNOTES
235
BIBLIOgRAPHy
ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS
AIC Albanian Islamic Community
ALL Albanian Lek
BIRN Balkan Investigative Reporting Network
DOS United States Department of State
EC European Commission
EU European Union
FFP Fund for Peace
FH Freedom House
GDP Gross Domestic Product
GRI Government Restriction Index
IDM Institute for Democracy and Mediation
IDRA Institute for Development and Research Alternatives
INSTAT Institute of Statistics
ISIS Islamic State of Syria & Iraq
LSMS Living Standards Measurement Survey
MES Ministry of Education and Sports
MOI Ministry of Interior
NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization
SCC State Committee on Cults
SP State Police
UNODC United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime
USA United States of America
USAID United States Agency for International Development
WB World Bank
WGI World Governance Indicators
GLOSSARY
Explanatory note: For some of the terms and concepts included in the Glossary there is
no broadly accepted definition or a uniform usage of terms, which often creates room
for misconceptions. For more details on this discourse please consult “Radicalization
Processes Leading to Acts of Terrorism”, a report of the European Commission (EC)
Expert Group on Violent Radicalization (2008).
BEKTASHISM Islamic Sufi order (tariqat) founded by Balim Sultan in
the 13th century. After the ban of all Sufi orders in Turkey
(1925) its headquarters moved to Albania.
GULENISM Transnational religious and social movement led by
Turkish Islamic scholar and preacher Fethullah Gülen, and
usually referred to as “Hizmet” (service).
HAJJ Pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca (Saudi Arabia) which
every adult Muslim must make at least once in his / her
lifetime. Hajj is one of the 5 duties incumbent on every
Muslim: shahādah (Muslim profession of faith); ṣalāt
(ritual prayer five times a day); zakāt (alms tax levied to
benefit the poor and the needy); and ṣawm (fasting during
the month of Ramadan).
HANAFI One of the four (Hanbali, Maliki and Shafi'i) Sunni schools
of Islamic law, founded by Abu Hanifa.
JIHAD Religious duty of Muslims – "striving in the way of God”
(Qur’an). Jihad is often used as “holy war” against
unbelievers to spread Islam.
MADRASA Islamic education institution
RADICALIZATION Process of developing extremist ideologies and beliefs.
Radicalization may be violent or non-violent.
RELIGIOUS Process of developing extremist religious views and beliefs.
RADICALIZATION
SALAFISM Movement within Islam that takes its name from the term
Salaf (predecessors/ancestors) with literalist, strict and
puritanical approaches to Islam
SUFISM The inner, mystical dimension of Islam; A practitioner of
such tradition of Islam is referred to as Sufi.
SUNNI MUSLIM Represent the largest branch of Islam (85-90% of world’s
Muslim population). The remaining part of the Muslim
populations (10-15%) is Shi’a Muslim
TAKFIRI / Takfirism is the tendency, manifested among some
TAKFIRISM Salafist-jihadist formations, to conflate the pronouncement
of one’s statements and actions as un-Islamic with the
accusation of apostasy. A takfiri's mission is to re-create
the Caliphate according to a literal interpretation of the
Qur'an. At the base of Takfirism (al-manha al-takfiri) is the
Arabic word takfir—pronouncing an action or an individual
un-Islamic—from the root “kafir”. Takfirism may be viewed
as the ultimate expression of unconstrained Islamism.
TERRORISM An intentional act which may seriously damage a country
or an international organization, committed with the aim
of seriously intimidating a population, unduly compelling a
Government or an international organization to perform or
abstain from performing any act, seriously destabilizing or
destroying fundamental political, constitutional, economic
or social structures by means of attacks upon a person’s
life, attacks upon the physical integrity of a person,
kidnapping, hostage-taking, seizure of aircraft or ships,
or the manufacture, possession or transport of weapons
or explosives. (EU Framework Decision on Combating
Terrorism: 2002)
UMMAH Community of Muslim believers
VIOLENT Process of taking radical (political, ideological or religious)
EXTREMISM views and putting them into violent action
VIOLENT The process of embracing opinions, views and ideas
RADICALISATION which could lead to acts of terrorism (EC:2005 “Terrorist
Recruitment: addressing the factors contributing to violent
radicalization”)
WAHHABI / A religious movement of Sunni Islam variously described as
WAHHABISM "orthodox", "ultraconservative", "austere", "fundamentalist",
or "puritanical”.