Homophobia or hetero-phobia

Blerti Delija
At the ace of a crisis, manifested not only as political and institutional, but also as economical, the Albanian opinion find itself in another trouble. The "Klodi" question was just an excuse to return to human freedom, including the sexual freedom. The "taboo" theme even for many of the occidental countries, more advanced than Albania, is clearly discussed among Albanians, even in prestigious TV studios (besides the usual daily conversations), causing irritation and disgust. This is obvious in our reality which should find time not only to talk about the theme of homophobia, but also to be a leader amongst even many European countries. This is the only way to explain the direct intervention of two ambassadors, of the USA and Holland, in a TV studio, as well as the naming of Klodi by the American Secretary Hillary Clinton. What makes the situation tragic as well as comic is that the two gentlemen want to impose the Albanian opinion not only to avoid homosexual discrimination, but to take them as an example of courage to show what they are or what they feel in the name of human freedom and rights, even asking to privilege those individuals.
Their sexual preferences, though against nature and God's commandments, where all the main Albanian credos lay, shouldn't be expressed publicly while they're free to enjoy them in their bedrooms, or even in public places, if they want to use their privileges, now through a law already approved by the Albanian Parliament. Despite their sexual tendencies, people of this category are Albanian citizens too; otherwise they would enjoy no protection within our country. This is to explain that even nowadays more than 70% of married couples have difficulties kissing publicly. The Albanian society is now asked not only to make a step forward, but go forth in this direction, beyond many societies even more emancipated than ours. To say it clearly, should we approach Europe on the backside, as it is by its ass!
Until the half of the '70-s, at least, homosexuality was considered a pathologic disease, and in many studies was also considered as diffusing as epidemics. We know that human rights and freedom, even sexual, was known and defended by the UN and EU as well as many other occidental organisms. Until 1990 and after, homosexuality was prohibited by law in Albania, based more than in a law in the social morality inherited through years. This doesn't mean that there were no homosexuals in Albania, but they couldn't show themselves openly, or proudly. After 1990, Albania gave a great importance to be open wide, becoming for more than a decade the most important exporter of the "white flesh" toward occidental countries. While now, looking at the economical difficulties, it looks like becoming one of the most important exporters of homosexuals, so requested in certain countries of the European Union. We know that many countries have refused to give political asylum, economical asylum, or asylum for blood-feud, but they've never refused asylum for homosexuals. Instead of life or famine, the EU considers more important to save the back side of some individuals, which could at least be named as "against nature". Even if there's a few weeks since the Parliament approved a law against discrimination (privileging, among many categories, the homosexuals), it looks like this category will soon find itself privileged even to abuse. No wonder that poverty or the daily needs of the Albanians increase the number of homosexuals. To declare themselves as homosexuals, even if you're not such, you might enjoy public support from the well-known ambassadors in our country and the countries they represent. Not only that, but after months and years they might get the best places even in the State administration. Of course they will! They can try to dispute for a job and lose, but declare that they were discriminated as homosexuals! There is no method, until now, to prove is someone is homosexual or not, unless you see the act. We wish it would never happen, but no wonder if after some decades, considering the privileges they have, the number of professing homosexuals goes greater than the number of the heterosexuals or people with normal sexual preferences. Since the beginning, though few, homosexuals had important political and social positions, as many of them are ministers or prime ministers in occidental European countries. It might probably happen just like with the minorities, who might unexpectedly result in majority in front of the Albanian community.
Human freedom and rights are equal for all. None can forbid anyone to express its opinion, even against homosexuals. None can deny anyone the right to prejudge a homosexual, even to refuse to work at the same environment. None can forbid anyone to organize protests even against homosexuals. This does happen even in other European countries. There's a "pride parade" of homosexuals in many world capitals, as well as there are many counter-parades of the heterosexuals even to physical confrontation.
Today, when the traditional family, build on the commandments of nature and God, for many reasons is going thru an existentialist crisis, the focus is on homosexuals, which can never be compared to the values of the traditional family, especially in the most important aspect of humanity as it is the multiplication. Though millions of Euros and Dollars are given every year for homosexuals, they can never be enough to invent a method of multiplication among them, as God and nature has given between man and woman. Hypothetically, at least, in the name of respect for the sexual right of some individuals, people risk their biological continuity after some decades. For the reality's sake, many countries have approved the homosexual "marriage". But it is not imaginable, for the Albanian opinion at least, that an adopted child of such a "couple" might call "mother" a man or "father" a woman.
The Albanian society, frustrated by sequent crisis, is now demanded to turn to the back. Despite of how it will end, one thing is sure: you can hardly go ahead looking your back! We have learned this, just as we have learned that the words of the foreign ambassadors are incontestable "law" for all. If such attention is given to the "ass", Albanians are going through a very bad situation!

When the Canon is law

The ancient Canon of Lek Dukagjini, 600 years old, is the wild code of the daily life in Albania, especially in North, where it defeated the law with its authority. Hundreds were killed for revenge or conflicts, mostly in these last 20 years. In Shkodër there's an entire district called "Blood-feud District", in the place called "Livadhe", surprisingly visited often by ministers and authorities, who not only didn't solve anything, but even children are deprived by the right to learn and be educated in schools, play with friends and every thing else. The victims of the medieval revenge are mostly the innocent, for according to the Canon anyone of the family can be killed for revenge. One of the innocent victims is Besnik Met Rama, born on April 17, 1966 in Shkodër, actually living in Tiranë. According to the president of the Peace and Reconciliation Missionaries Association in Albania, Mustaf Daija, his life is in serious danger, though this citizen is innocent. The cause was a murder in 2001, for his cousin, Ismet Rama, had murdered Caf Agushi. According to Mr. Daija, the association he presides could reconcile hundreds of conflicts receiving congratulation even by the authorities, with the help of seminaries and Media intervention. Yet this is a very little part, considering all those families who swore that only blood pays blood, according to the Canon. This is the obstacle even in the case of the citizen Besnik Met Rama. Though many attempts were made, the family of Caf Agushi didn't agree at all to reconcile, putting the life of Besnik Rama and his family in serious danger. For them it's impossible to live their life in freedom as God has given them, for the gun of revenge threats them in the name of a Code. This is one of many cases when innocent life is in danger. This phenomenon was considered even by the American State Department and many other organisms, as the cause of the Albanian Euro-Atlantic integration.
The Editorial Office

Property conflicts, a concerning problem in Albania

Although 20 years have passed since the change of the political system in Albania, the questions about property are still open. During the 45 years of communist regime the property was given to people who had never had a property. There are hundreds of cases reported until now, presenting a problem still present in north Albania and beyond, what was often reported on the pages of "Shqipëria Etnike".
The property questions are faced more than often in the villages around Shkodra, where even after two decades the property wasn't given to the legal proprietor. This situation increased conflicts between families even in the municipality of Postribë. Domen is one of the villages of this municipality, where property conflicts are causing family tragedies. Skender Ruqi, inhabitant of this village, might be the one mostly damages by these conflicts, as he not only has to live closed-in, but he also has no news about the destiny of his older son, Behar Ruqi, not 17 years old yet. The conflict begun on February 23, 2009, when members of the family of the citizen K.L., inhabitants of Domen, tried to occupy e peace of ground, which was property of the family of Skender Ruqi. The same K.L. attempted to shoot on Skender Ruqi and his son, Behar. The last one could take the gun from his hands with agility. as the citizen K.L. found himself disarmed, as it often happens in these cases, considered this a shame evocating the laws of the Canon of Lek Dukagjini. He advised the family of Skender Ruqi to close-in, telling them that the first person in his list to be killed was their son, Behar Ruqi, who took his gun off his hands, for self-defense. The Police and the State, though knowing the case, like many others, doesn't react, considering them private questions between families. Found in continuous menace, Behar Ruqi had to leave his home and his country. He went out of his house, without telling anybody, while still menaced by the gun of his enemy, and escaped abroad. Even today the family knows nothing about where he lives. They don't even know either their son, Behar is alive or dead by the gun of the family of K.L., for the young is terrorized by the danger of revenge.
The beginning of property problems in Albania is the alienation of property by the communist system, as well as the Law 7501, which caused a real social chaos. In many cases this law has invented proprietors taking the property to real proprietors or even mixing the properties. All of these have caused a very hard situation of conflicts causing many families to live closed-in, as well as murders or even disappearance of many, as it is the case of Behar Ruqi from Domen of the municipality of Postribe in Shkodër.
Rifat Ymeri