Kosovo Independence and Albanians

To begin this blog, I must say that I have a mild happiness and enthusiasm for the Albanians who live in Kosovo, now that their parliament has unilaterally declared independent statehood.

First let me address the ignorants and the Islamophobes and bigots out there like Michael Savage and Robert Spencer.

-- Albanians are secular Muslims. They are not radicals like in many other Muslim countries. They, like the Bosnians, the Lebanese, the Syrians, the Tunisians, and the Turks enjoy a secular brand of Islam. Women have more rights and more latitude in Albanian culture than in other Muslim cultures. They have a large young population who travel outside Albania and Kosovo to become educated with graduate degrees.

-- The War in Kosovo was not Muslim Albanians vs Christian Serbs. Nothing could be further from the truth. As Stephen Schwartz so eloquently pointed out in his response article in Front Page Magazine in March of 2005, Albanians are predominantly Muslim but they do have a significant Christian minority among them as well, who are no less fervent in their national pride than their Muslim compatriots. There were Catholic and Eastern Orthodox leaders of the K.L.A. (Kosovo Liberation Army) just like there were Muslim leaders of the militia. The group was not arranged among religious lines, nor were there Muslim radicals or Al-Qaeda types going to Kosovo to help their Albanian brethren.

-- Albania and the Albanian people protected the Albanian Jewish community during World War II and the Holocaust. They refused to hand over Jews to Nazis or pro-Nazi regimes during the 30s and 40s.

NOW, having said all that, I think that this can be a good thing or it can be a very bad thing. The rights, respect and dignity of the Serb minority NEEDS to be maintained. That means no more Serbs living in predominantly-Albanian areas having to live behind barbed-wire fences. And no more rocket and grenade attacks at Serb areas. Serbs must be allowed to be equal citizens under the law with rights equal to Albanians, and they MUST have representation in government.
Furthermore, if the remote north of Kosovo, which is predominantly Serb, wishes to secede from Kosovo, they should have the right to a plebescite that is internationally monitored and where they can peacefully join up with Serbia. I do not think, however, that that is in their best interest. I think an independent Kosovo is a good thing if it does not become "Albania Jr." By that I mean it becomes another Albanian state and eventually joins on to Albania. And lastly, Serb refugees from the '98-'99 war must be allowed right of return.

If this new republic abides by these guidelines, then I think an independent Kosovo can be a good thing, especially considering that it currently is a democratic, pro-American, predominantly-Muslim country with a secular tradition, and it can be a good example to other Muslim countries.