Albania to Propose New Religious Restrictions as Churches Flourish

BMS World Mission, a Baptist mission group, recently gave a mission report regarding Albania. It has drawn particular concern over the new religious law which has aimed to impose tighter controls on religious activities and methods to deal with cults and minority religions.

The need of a new religious law was suggested by the Albanian Committee on Cults, which has related some recent suicides of several young Albanians with minority religious groups in the country. Chairman of the Albanian Committee on Cults, Ilir Kulla, is currently presenting a draft law on religion to the Government. Kulla believes that tightening the control on religious activities will help to protect citizens from falling into the trap of cults.

According to BMS World Mission, a revival of religion has been observed in Albania following the end of the 47 years of Communist rule in 1992. Albania was the only officially atheist country in the world from 1967 to 1990, and all forms of religion, including private prayer in the home and even owning religious items, were forbidden.

Graham Sansom, BMS worker in Vlora, Albania says, "Albania, like many former Soviet countries has experienced a sudden explosion of new religious movements coming in, after 50 years of no religion at all."

Nowadays Muslims, Orthodox and Roman Catholics co-exist alongside Albania's atheists. Religions are especially influential among the younger generation. However, the legacy of 50 years without religion is that many established denominations are as foreign to most Albanians as the average cult.

Three young girls in separate areas of Albania have committed suicide within weeks of each other and it was allegedly linked to some minority religious groups. Investigations into the relation between suicides (both recent and older cases) is ongoing, to determine if there are links between religious groups and Albanians taking their own lives. What constitutes a "link" is currently unclear.

"We believe the government is right to take the recent suicides seriously," says Sansom, "We are as committed as the government to giving young Albanians hope for the future."

While BMS World Mission called the Albanian concerns "understandable", it also worried that the new religious legislation is potentially damaging to the smaller Christian denominations such as Baptists in the country.

BMS Regional Secretary for Europe, Philip Halliday, says, "For just over ten years now there has been religious freedom in Albania, and right now the country is understandably wrestling with what that freedom should entail."

However, BMS "hopes that this would not be at the expense of groups such as Baptists and other legitimate small religious communities in Albania."

New religious laws are currently only in draft form and religious communities are being consulted with regards to the contents.