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Belgrade does not recognize Kosovo's independence and encouraged Serbs to participate in the parliamentary ballot, despite objections from the United Nations. Serbian churches have expressed concerns that they will face even less protection in Kosovo than before independence, when several Christian institutions were attacked despite the presence of thousands of NATO-led peacekeepers. The attacks has been blamed on revenge seeking mobs of Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority, which was oppressed under late Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic. Serb troops were forced to leave Kosovo in 1999 following 78 days of NATO bombardments. Minority Serbs and Serbia have also been angered over the United Nation Tribunal's acquittal in March of ex-Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, a rebel leader who was cleared of all charges of killing Serbs during the 1998-99 Kosovo war. NEW PROSECUTOR The new chief UN prosecutor of the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal, Serge Brammertz, has said his office may appeal the acquittal. Despite concerns, Kosovo's current Prime Minister Hashim Thaci has said it is time to look towards the future. He said the constitution, adopted last month by Kosovo's leaders, which guarantees the rights of minorities and is proof of Kosovo's commitment to treat all its citizens equally. "This constitution is a document that guarantees freedom," Thaci said during the signing ceremony. "This constitution creates equal opportunities for all of Kosovo's citizens." He said that protection of minorities should satisfy many of Kosovo's Serbs in the region, which is 90 percent ethnic Albanian. Yet not everyone is pleased with the constitution. A team of predominantly Christian and conservative legal and human rights experts arrived in Pristina from the United States and Europe last month to meet with top government officials and religious leaders to discuss the constitution. "MORAL VALUES" They are especially concerned about what they view as the lack of morals of the constitution. The group said the draft constitution could be misinterpreted to promote special rights for "sexual orientation" leading to same-sex "marriage" and "remove any ability of Kosovo to determine its own moral values relating to sexual behavior." They also criticized "a claim of a right to abortion" and said the constitution could "violate the rights of conscience of Kosovar professionals, and limit speech, media, assembly, and association, preventing any public expression of unpopular viewpoints - the viewpoints that most need constitutional protection."
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Comments
| jane |
Tuesday, 13 May 2008 (06:04) |
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| This article implies that orthodox churches have been attacked almost constantly up to this year. This is absolutely not the case. Approximately 30 churches were attacked in March 2004. This was condemned by the large majority of Albanian society, not condoned. Since then, there have been no incidents and the damages have been repaired. Albanians have a long history of caring for the churches in Kosova - which is precisely why they have survived for so many centuries. Many in fact have ancestors who were orthodox before converting to islam under the Ottoman regime. There are also Albanian christians in Kosova. It is wrong to portray Kosova as a religious conflict - it is about politics and politics alone. |
| manny |
Tuesday, 13 May 2008 (14:24) |
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| dont lie 130 something churches was destroyed and a lot of graves were vandalized so keep your albanian propoganda to yourself 30 churches were destroyed at march 2004 by albanians and also there are 98 % muslim albanians in kosovo and 2 christians they arenot orthodox they are chatolic
and for caring dont lie albanians never cared for the churches if you did why the hell would you burn them |
| Zane |
Tuesday, 27 May 2008 (19:19) |
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| Jane, the serb churches torched by the Albanians still lie in ruin, the only repairs done to date have been done by the determained serbs themselves so don't lie ok! . The Albanians want a Kosovo that is pure albanian so ethnic cleansing is still going on. The only thing to end this nightmare is partition. |
| Jerry |
Saturday, 28 June 2008 (04:47) |
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| This is a serious request asking Jane to help me find Albanian Christians. Can you or anyone else that reads this help me to make contact with Albania Christians in Kosovo whether they be Catholic or Protestants. My email is djerilo@yahoo.com.
I visited a church in Kosovo back 20 years ago that was Protestant and mainly Serbs. There was only one or two Albanians that fellowshiped there. I lot contact with that church and believe it to have been closed. So, Jane, if you know of a Albanian Christian group in Kosovo I would like to make contact with them. |
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