{"id":118554,"date":"2025-06-10T10:27:57","date_gmt":"2025-06-10T08:27:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/?p=118554"},"modified":"2025-06-12T16:12:17","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T14:12:17","slug":"hierarchies-of-remembrance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/hierarchies-of-remembrance\/","title":{"rendered":"Hierarchies of remembrance"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"118554\" class=\"elementor elementor-118554\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b15f566 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"b15f566\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div 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lang=\"sr\">B\/C\/S<\/span><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\n\t\t<\/li>\n\n\t<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-daea773 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"daea773\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-a478fc8\" data-id=\"a478fc8\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-86c01ff elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"86c01ff\" data-element_type=\"widget\" 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https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Muslims-in-ALbania-Feature-Image-326x183.jpg 326w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-3c6218b elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"3c6218b\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-background-overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-c239e7b\" data-id=\"c239e7b\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-03fe9df elementor-align-center elementor-mobile-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"03fe9df\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-xs\" href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/longform\" target=\"_blank\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Longform<\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b9b0b8f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"b9b0b8f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Hierarchies of remembrance<\/h1>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b20a501 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"b20a501\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Uncovering the lives of Muslim Albanians in the US.\n<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-92c7e93 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"92c7e93\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">By <a href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/author\/shankaremani\/\" target=\"_blank\">Shan Karemani<\/a> \u2014 10\/6\/2025<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b72df50 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"b72df50\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-17270bf\" data-id=\"17270bf\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-253fd30 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"253fd30\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Post-9\/11 America was a hostile place to grow up Muslim. Islam was seen as a threat, and anyone who looked vaguely Muslim could be targeted. I remember learning about <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/religion-crime-arizona-mesa-1308ab5e7e511e6071cea76c20144147\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Sikh man murdered in Arizona four days after the attacks<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. He wasn\u2019t Muslim, but was perceived that way. His turban, beard and brown skin were enough. His killing was a reminder that in the eyes of many, religion and race collapsed into one. Even <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/the-desperate-desire-to-be-european\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Muslims who could pass as white, like Albanians<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, were never <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/newyork\/news\/staten-island-anti-muslim-threat\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">fully protected<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That was the climate my parents raised us in. Bringing up two Albanian Muslim boys in a country where Islam was treated as public enemy number one, they faced a constant dilemma: whether to raise us as unapologetically Muslim or to protect us by encouraging us to keep that part of ourselves hidden. As Kosovar Albanians born and raised in the U.S., we could often pass as white, that is, until people found out we were Muslim. That\u2019s when we were <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dukeupress.edu\/white-enclosures\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">pushed outside the boundaries of whiteness<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, albeit with new solidarities opening up.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some Albanian Muslim families I knew responded to this Islamophobia by raising their children as Catholics or without religion, hoping it would ease their integration. But the tradeoff was dislocation. Many of those children grew up detached from the Albanian language, culture and history. This isn\u2019t to claim that non-Muslim Albanians are any less Albanian, but in my case, holding on to Islam became a way of holding on to my Albanianness.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That personal connection sparked a deeper interest in my roots, which led me to explore the history of Albanians in the U.S. Over time, I noticed that the narratives I came across mainly focused on figures whose religious identities did not reflect my own.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The stories centered on people like Fan Noli, a renowned author, bishop and politician, who founded the Albanian Orthodox Church in the U.S., or Faik Konica, a writer, publicist and diplomat, who also held <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/gazeta-shqip.com\/lajme\/2014\/09\/11\/myslimanet-shqiptare-ne-anen-e-gabuar-te-historise\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">strong anti-religious views<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-f0de660 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"f0de660\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-5140957\" data-id=\"5140957\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-51d853d elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"51d853d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2560\" height=\"1892\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Konica-dhe-Noli-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-118495\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Konica-dhe-Noli-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Konica-dhe-Noli-300x222.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Konica-dhe-Noli-1024x757.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Konica-dhe-Noli-768x568.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Konica-dhe-Noli-1536x1135.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Konica-dhe-Noli-2048x1514.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Konica-dhe-Noli-326x241.jpg 326w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Faik Konica and Fan Noli were prominent Albanian-American figures instrumental in promoting Albanian nationhood in the early 20th\u202fcentury. Photo: via CC.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-0bccb07 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"0bccb07\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-abbf106\" data-id=\"abbf106\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f08193 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3f08193\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Noli and Konica were important national figures, of course, but they represented a very particular slice of the Albanian American experience: Christian or secular. Of course, their prominence is also due to their role in Albanian state-building. Both were active in the early 20th century, a period when Albanian statehood was being constructed \u2014 Konica advocated for Albania at the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/rti.rtsh.al\/article\/faik-konica-the-intellectual-of-european-dimensions\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1913 Conference of London<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and Noli petitioned U.S. President Woodrow Wilson in <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.albanianhistory.net\/1918_Noli\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1918 to support Albania\u2019s sovereignty<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5b93733 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"5b93733\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-8b85be5\" data-id=\"8b85be5\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-05ce57a elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"05ce57a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2560\" height=\"1892\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Delegacioni-ne-Londer-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-118483\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Delegacioni-ne-Londer-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Delegacioni-ne-Londer-300x222.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Delegacioni-ne-Londer-1024x757.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Delegacioni-ne-Londer-768x568.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Delegacioni-ne-Londer-1536x1135.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Delegacioni-ne-Londer-2048x1514.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Delegacioni-ne-Londer-326x241.jpg 326w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Albanian statehood was formally addressed for the first time by European powers at the 1912-1913 Conference of London following the Balkan Wars. Photo: via CC.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-f793f41 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"f793f41\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-0b5015d\" data-id=\"0b5015d\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a4cdceb elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a4cdceb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Their political work in the U.S. was inseparable from the broader struggle for Albanian independence. But in this piece, I am thinking of them through the lens of Albanian American history, where Christian and secular figures dominate the narrative. Additionall<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">y, my research focuses on figures from the first two main waves of Albanian migration to the U.S.; Albanians coming predominantly from Albania, from the late 1800s through 1960.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-94a5bc7 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"94a5bc7\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-6f1d24f\" data-id=\"6f1d24f\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9227a6f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"9227a6f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Albanian migration to the US<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-023d494 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"023d494\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Albanian migration to the U.S. occurred in five major waves: <br> <br>\n\n- Late 1800s to 1939, primarily male laborers from Albania. <br><br>\n- 1945 to 1960, mainly anti-communist political exiles from Albania.<br><br>\n- 1960s to early 1980s, from Albanian communities in Yugoslavia. <br><br>\n- Early 1990s, those fleeing Albania\u2019s post-communist upheaval. <br><br>\n- Late 1990s, tens of thousands of Kosovar Albanian refugees. <\/p>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-17ae028\" data-id=\"17ae028\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e27a540 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e27a540\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Within the broader narrative of Albanian American history, the Muslim Albanian experience tends to occupy a more marginal space.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&nbsp;<\/span>For instance, Noli\u2019s founding of the Albanian Orthodox Church in Boston in the early 1900s is widely celebrated, but the Albanian mosque in Maine, established around the same time, formed by an immigrant community, is largely forgotten or unknown.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What about <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/pin\/403072235370579470\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Imam Vehbi Ismaili<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, who also immigrated to the U.S. to serve the Albanian community, decades later? What about Muharrem Nadji, Salih Myftiu, Isa Hoxha and Baba Rexhepi? Some, like Nadji, are effectively absent from Albanian historiography, while others remain largely unrecognized. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-60d283a elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"60d283a\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d836d9d\" data-id=\"d836d9d\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6926dda elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"6926dda\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1784\" height=\"1916\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Vehbi-Ismajli-1-scaled-1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-118559\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Vehbi-Ismajli-1-scaled-1.jpg 1784w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Vehbi-Ismajli-1-scaled-1-279x300.jpg 279w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Vehbi-Ismajli-1-scaled-1-953x1024.jpg 953w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Vehbi-Ismajli-1-scaled-1-768x825.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Vehbi-Ismajli-1-scaled-1-1430x1536.jpg 1430w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Vehbi-Ismajli-1-scaled-1-326x350.jpg 326w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1784px) 100vw, 1784px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Imam Vehbi Ismaili led the Muslim Albanian community in the U.S. through decades of religious, cultural, and national advocacy. Photo: via CC.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-9372e20 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"9372e20\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-0141b85\" data-id=\"0141b85\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1ebde31 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1ebde31\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u200b\u200bTo better understand this absence, I turned to the lives of those who, for far too long, have been overlooked: Muslim Albanians in the U.S. whose stories have seldom been acknowledged.<\/span><\/p><p><b>The forgotten Albanian <\/b><b>mosque<\/b><b> in Biddeford\u00a0<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From October 2024 to January 2025, PBS, a public broadcaster in the U.S., released a documentary series titled \u201cAmerican Muslims: A History R<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">evealed.\u201d Each of the series\u2019 six episodes focused on a specific aspect of the history of Muslims in the U.S. One episode, titled \u201cIs This One of America\u2019s First Mosques?\u201d <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=BpeZAm7rKHY&amp;list=PLzkQfVIJun2LOI-FeVydE9Z7BsYwahJO6&amp;index=6\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">highlights a mosque built in 1929 in North Dakota by Syrian immigrants<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-3e4901c elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"3e4901c\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-afbafaa\" data-id=\"afbafaa\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1d9b091 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"1d9b091\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2560\" height=\"1784\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Pepper-Mills-Mosque-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-118501\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Pepper-Mills-Mosque-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Pepper-Mills-Mosque-300x209.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Pepper-Mills-Mosque-1024x714.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Pepper-Mills-Mosque-768x535.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Pepper-Mills-Mosque-1536x1070.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Pepper-Mills-Mosque-2048x1427.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Pepper-Mills-Mosque-326x227.jpg 326w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Albanian textile workers in Biddeford, Maine, established a mosque in 1915, likely using a room in the Pepperell Counting House, which still stands today. Photo: via CC.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-74a250d elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"74a250d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-87fdeca elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"87fdeca\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">In 1915, a group of Albanian immigrants in Maine established one of the earliest known mosques in the U.S. formed entirely by an immigrant community. <\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-63244d8 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"63244d8\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-fb39ef1\" data-id=\"fb39ef1\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b7db8a5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b7db8a5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the documentary makes clear that this was one of the earliest mosques in the U.S., I was curious to find out more, so I started digging into the history myself. What I found surprised me: In 1915, a group of Albanian immigrants in Maine also established one of the earliest<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mainehistory\/posts\/did-you-know-that-the-first-mosque-on-record-in-the-united-states-was-establishe\/811721687660118\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> known mosques in the U.S. formed entirely by an immigrant community<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. An earlier mosque had been established in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1_7u4CVfF_yjgNxpj4r5ueBF8y0KLyH1A\/view\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">New York City in 1912 by the Ottoman government<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, but was connected to a diplomatic mission, unlike the one established a few years later in Maine.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the late 19th century, the Pepperell Mills Company in Biddeford, Maine began <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mainememory.net\/sitebuilder\/site\/2623\/slideshow\/1622\/display?format=list&amp;prev_object_id=4227&amp;prev_object=page\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">recruiting Albanian workers, most likely from Albania, to fill skilled positions in textile dyeing and design<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, due to t<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">heir familiarity with fabric production<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Many arrived alone, leaving their families behind. Like many immigrant laborers of the time, these men arrived with limited financial resources and earned low wages in the mills.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because many of these Albanian workers were Muslim, they often prayed together. Eventually, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mcarthur.pastperfectonline.com\/photo\/6A56A978-3AB5-4D4F-A816-062026274059?fbclid=IwY2xjawI-c2BleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHcJZQqo5a37V522zMf1wxZ8NsWjkfvPll7CVPKyH-_gfrINPJZaSJOJmDA_aem_SiUJPAIpwtN3KrbjU7011w#gallery-4\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">on April 5, 1915<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, they established the National Muhammadan Religious Society of America<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This signified the formation of one of the earliest U.S. mosques by an immigrant community, in this case, Muslim Albanians. The mosque no longer operates, and its exact location is unknown.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hwpi.harvard.edu\/pluralismarchive\/woodlawn-cemetery-muslim-burial-ground\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Charles Butler from the Biddeford Historical Society<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> strongly believes that it was in the Pepperell Counting House on Main Street in Biddeford. The building, part of the mill complex where the workers lived and worked, had a spacious meeting room on the second floor. Given the workers\u2019 close ties to the mill and its surrounding facilities, Butler argues that this room would have been a practical and fitting space for the Muslim community to gather for prayer, much like other religious groups that used it over the years.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Pepperell Counting House still exists at the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/place\/1+York+St,+Biddeford,+ME+04005,+USA\/@43.4933021,-70.4551482,3a,75y,6.85h,90.55t\/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s74tlgA68VDQD7uiHqPpU8w!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D-0.5539585056285432%26panoid%3D74tlgA68VDQD7uiHqPpU8w%26yaw%3D6.852255117054991!7i16384!8i8192!4m15!1m8!3m7!1s0x4cb2a4f8e65cc317:0x6e65771927996a4!2s1+York+St,+Biddeford,+ME+04005,+USA!3b1!8m2!3d43.4935328!4d-70.4550639!16s%2Fg%2F11c88fbzpy!3m5!1s0x4cb2a4f8e65cc317:0x6e65771927996a4!8m2!3d43.4935328!4d-70.4550639!16s%2Fg%2F11c88fbzpy?entry=ttu&amp;g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDMyNS4xIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">intersection of Main St. and York St<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. in Biddeford. I was curious to see what the building looks like today, and came across a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9dDQ-6gqvHs\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">video tour showcasing the building as a commercial space for lease<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Toward the end, the guide reveals a spacious room on the second floor, the area likely used as a mosque by Muslim Albanians over a century ago.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mainememory.net\/record\/148587\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maine Memory Network<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, I found an image of the all-Albanian commission of the National Muhammadan Religious Society of America. The photograph features the organization\u2019s six founders, one of whom is <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/biddefordhistory.com\/topic-index\/names3\/k\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mustafa Fuat Kapshtica<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, who left Albania for the U.S. in 1913. According to the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mcarthur.pastperfectonline.com\/byperson?keyword=Kasem%2C%20Henry\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">McArthur Library records<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, he was born in 1891 near Kapshtica and died in 1982 after changing his name to Henry Kasem and moving to New York.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-63b66a4 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"63b66a4\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-fc92bad\" data-id=\"fc92bad\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9b029c0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"9b029c0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2560\" height=\"1784\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Komisioni-i-shoqates-Muhamediane-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-118492\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Komisioni-i-shoqates-Muhamediane-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Komisioni-i-shoqates-Muhamediane-300x209.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Komisioni-i-shoqates-Muhamediane-1024x714.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Komisioni-i-shoqates-Muhamediane-768x535.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Komisioni-i-shoqates-Muhamediane-1536x1070.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Komisioni-i-shoqates-Muhamediane-2048x1427.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Komisioni-i-shoqates-Muhamediane-326x227.jpg 326w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">April\u202f5,\u202f1915, marks the formal establishment of the National Muhammadan Religious Society of America, one of the first mosques founded by an immigrant Muslim community. Photo: via CC.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-0f2f00d elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"0f2f00d\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-f51334b\" data-id=\"f51334b\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d3b43c5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d3b43c5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The deadly 1918-19 influenza pandemic took the lives of many of Biddeford\u2019s residents. According to Harvard University\u2019s Pluralism Project, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hwpi.harvard.edu\/pluralismarchive\/woodlawn-cemetery-muslim-burial-ground\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the local Muslim community secured a section of Woodlawn Cemetery<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> so its members could be buried together, with tombstones facing Mecca. Some are engraved with the crescent and star, while <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.findagrave.com\/memorial\/63598449\/edhem-nexhip\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">others, like that of Edhem Nexhip<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (1896-1918), read \u201cAlbanian Muhamedan\u201d and \u201cRofte Atdheu\u201d [long live the homeland].\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><b>The Albanian Muslims of Waterbury, Connecticut<\/b><\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/messageinternational.org\/early-american-mosques\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another mosque <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">founded by an immigrant community in the U.S. is believed to have been established in 1919 in Waterbury, Connecticu<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">t<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, also by Albanians. According to Raechel Guest, now director of the Silas Bronson Library in Waterbury, the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/waterburythoughts.blogspot.com\/2017\/01\/early-muslim-immigrants-in-waterbury.html#:~:text=Waterbury%20had%20one%20of%20the,be%20established%20in%20this%20country.\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Albanian Mohammedan Religious Society was formed in the city prior to 1916<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Its <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/books.google.com\/books?id=wcfuW1OlYD8C&amp;dq=waterbury%20%22moslem%22&amp;pg=PA253#v=onepage&amp;q=waterbury%20%22moslem%22&amp;f=false\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mission was to explain the religions teachings of<\/span> <\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201clove, brotherhood, peace, love for fatherland, progress and righteousness in full agreement,\u201d as defined by its constitution. It also aimed to print religious and educational books in Albanian, open schools, found mosques, send lecturers to the Albanian communities and help its members as much as possible.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1d_5dQiZA5ys_jCgC_Hc2mrG8HgDwIckS\/view?usp=sharing\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">imam in Waterbury during this period was Mehmet Tosun<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, who <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/books.google.com\/books?id=K0LMZqtRpCcC&amp;lpg=PA367&amp;ots=t51z5uXVGZ&amp;dq=waterbury%20imam%20tosun&amp;pg=PA367#v=onepage&amp;q=waterbury%20imam%20tosun&amp;f=false\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">scholar Frances Trix describes<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as a &#8220;personally designated and informally educated leader<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.&#8221; Originally from Albania, Tosun arrived in the U.S. during World War I and registered for the draft. After the war, he returned to Albania for a short time before coming back to the U.S. with his wife, Barije, and their two sons.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-d290965 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"d290965\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-a4475cb\" data-id=\"a4475cb\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e8ba913 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"e8ba913\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1892\" height=\"2270\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Mehmet-Tosun-scaled-1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-118562\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Mehmet-Tosun-scaled-1.jpg 1892w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Mehmet-Tosun-scaled-1-250x300.jpg 250w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Mehmet-Tosun-scaled-1-853x1024.jpg 853w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Mehmet-Tosun-scaled-1-768x921.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Mehmet-Tosun-scaled-1-1280x1536.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Mehmet-Tosun-scaled-1-1707x2048.jpg 1707w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Mehmet-Tosun-scaled-1-326x391.jpg 326w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1892px) 100vw, 1892px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">The 1926 naturalization certificate for Mehmet Tosun captures an early Waterbury imam who helped lead one of Connecticut\u2019s first Muslim communities. Photo: via CC.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-a30e453\" data-id=\"a30e453\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8f6a112 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"8f6a112\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a8a667b elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"a8a667b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">This fascinating anecdote serves as a surprising footnote to the legacy of an Albanian imam who, after building one of the earliest Muslim communities in the U.S., also helped nourish generations of local families and even a Hollywood icon from a quiet farm.<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-3cb84d8 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"3cb84d8\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-a7c7cd9\" data-id=\"a7c7cd9\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8251763 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"8251763\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Tosun family went on to establish <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/web.tapr.org\/~wa1lou\/whs\/news201009.html\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Willow Brook Dairy, a milk distribution farm based in Wolcott, Connecticut<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. They delivered milk door to door throughout Wolcott and nearby towns and also supplied local schools as part of the lunch program.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?q=sylvia+tosun&amp;oq=syl&amp;gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqDggBEEUYJxg7GIAEGIoFMggIABBFGCcYOzIOCAEQRRgnGDsYgAQYigUyCggCEC4YsQMYgAQyDwgDEC4YFBiHAhixAxiABDIGCAQQRRhAMgYIBRBFGDkyBggGEEUYPDIGCAcQRRg90gEIMTQ5NWowajmoAgCwAgE&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sylvia Tosun, a musician who is also Mehmet Tosun\u2019s granddaughter<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, her grandfather was more than just a religious leader. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/musicaldiscoveries.com\/reviews\/stosun.htm\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She describes him as a Dervish and spiritual healer who traveled throughout the Middle East<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, attracting people who sought both healing and spiritual guidance.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She also recounted how the family\u2019s dairy business intersected with unexpected corners of American life. Among the many households they delivered milk to was the home of the famous actress Marilyn Monroe in Roxbury, Connecticut, during her marriage to playwright Arthur Miller. This fascinating anecdote serves as a surprising footnote to the legacy of an Albanian imam who, after building one of the earliest Muslim communities in the U.S., also helped nourish generations of local families and even a Hollywood icon from a quiet farm.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today, Waterbury is home to two Albanian mosques: the Hasan Prishtina Albanian American Cultural and Islamic Center and the Albanian American Muslim Community.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><b>Muharrem Nadji\u2019s impact on global Islam<\/b><\/p><p>On July 22, 1891, another notable yet almost entirely unknown Muslim Albanian, Muharrem Nadji, came into the world. I hadn\u2019t encountered his name until I began researching Muslim Albanians in the U.S., but his story deserves recognition.<\/p><p>*<\/p><p>Nadji was born in the village of Revani, which is now part of Greece and known as Dipotamia, but was once populated by Albanian Muslims. He left Albania in 1914, after Greece had occupied parts of the country.\u00a0He first went to Argentina, before immigrating to the U.S. in 1917, eventually settling in the small town of Mansfield, Ohio.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0c33a2a elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"0c33a2a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1107\" height=\"771\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Nadj.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-118617\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Nadj.jpg 1107w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Nadj-300x209.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Nadj-1024x713.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Nadj-768x535.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Nadj-326x227.jpg 326w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1107px) 100vw, 1107px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">There is little information available about Muharrem Nadji, making it difficult to paint a full picture of his life. Photo: via CC.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4b4f887 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4b4f887\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"letter-spacing: -0.1px;\">There is little information available about Nadji, making it difficult to paint a full picture of his life. However, I found several references to him in the archives of the Mansfield News-Journal. An article from June 8, 1954, titled \u201cHe Wants People to \u2018Know\u2019 Mohammad,\u201d includes a photograph of him at home, reading the Quran. The feature story was later <\/span><a style=\"background-color: #ffffff; letter-spacing: -0.1px;\" href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/19QPTmKUow5-Mz4DJEwE5qBVrZoMhI_t3\/view?usp=sharing\" target=\"_blank\">reprinted in The *Light, an international Muslim magazine published in Pakistan<\/a><span style=\"letter-spacing: -0.1px;\">, leading to a flood of letters to Nadji from readers around the world, expressing admiration and curiosity about his mission.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-3a6e2c9 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"3a6e2c9\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-ffa5b06\" data-id=\"ffa5b06\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d140da2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"d140da2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2560\" height=\"1784\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Press-Clippings-001-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-118468\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Press-Clippings-001-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Press-Clippings-001-300x209.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Press-Clippings-001-1024x714.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Press-Clippings-001-768x535.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Press-Clippings-001-1536x1070.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Press-Clippings-001-2048x1427.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Press-Clippings-001-326x227.jpg 326w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">A newspaper clipping describes Muharrem Nadji\u2019s self-funded mission to teach Americans about Islam and the Prophet Muhammad. Photo: via CC.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-06246e2 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"06246e2\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-8a73052\" data-id=\"8a73052\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f5dd76f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f5dd76f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the article, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1OSDpDjsQaDAavhcGmgHbaohUvUODV4Kj\/view?usp=sharing\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nadji founded the Islamic Center of America in 1927<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and operated it at his own expense, using most of his modest income as a steelworker to support it. He dedicated his limited wealth to placing full-page advertisements in the Mansfield News-Journal, where he shared various Islamic texts. He did so seeking to correct American misconceptions about Islam and Muslims. The article quotes him saying, \u201cI have read many college textbooks about the Koran and the teachings of Mohammad. They contain many errors.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The article explains that when Nadji first moved to Mansfield, he was \u201cseriously considering returning to his native land.\u201d However, around this time, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1Ogrm2xQjgWcbicnKlMD8C6qR02ia88R9\/view?usp=sharing\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">he claimed to have had a vision of the Prophet Muhammad<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, reminding him that Muslims \u201chave never attempted to teach in America\u201d and that he was needed there. This vision convinced him to stay, and he spent the rest of his life working to spread knowledge about Islam.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He also did not shy away from responding publicly to Islamophobic national media misrepresentations. In 1946, Life magazine published a photo essay titled \u201cMoslem Prayers,\u201d which <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/11G_ETySy0re6Wap5-mB7wjUyzjU6XLq9\/view?usp=sharing\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">perpetuated Orientalist tropes about the status of women in Isl<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">am<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-e1441d0 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"e1441d0\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-6394d02\" data-id=\"6394d02\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6c0eadd elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"6c0eadd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2560\" height=\"1784\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Press-Clippings-002-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-118471\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Press-Clippings-002-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Press-Clippings-002-300x209.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Press-Clippings-002-1024x714.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Press-Clippings-002-768x535.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Press-Clippings-002-1536x1070.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Press-Clippings-002-2048x1427.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Press-Clippings-002-326x227.jpg 326w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">A Mansfield Journal article details how Muharrem Nadji used his own earnings to fund full-page Islamic teachings aimed at correcting misconceptions. Photo: via CC.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4123802 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4123802\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-7d84b93\" data-id=\"7d84b93\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-248d0e3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"248d0e3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In response, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1WPg9EoVXqB90lH5v2jHJr2mKYxEBVkp6\/view?usp=sharing\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nadji challenged Life\u2019s narrative<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 not to deny gender inequalities in Muslim societies, but to expose the selective framing. He emphasized that practices such as veiling and gender segregation were not exclusive to Islam, and questioned Life\u2019s claim that there were only 209 million Muslims globally, citing data showing 603 million.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the mid-1950s, Nadji became the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/wokingmuslim.org\/research\/conv-2019-bowen-speech.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">official representative of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in the U.S, which promoted what it saw as Islam\u2019s universal message against racism and sectarianism. Given its strong emphasis on anti-racism, the movement resonated with African American communities in the early 20th century.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6d01141 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"6d01141\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-be24598 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"be24598\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Given how widely Nadji\u2019s writings circulated in early Black Muslim communities, it's intriguing to think that figures like Malcolm X \u2014 a revolutionary Black Muslim leader who challenged white supremacy, colonialism and capitalism \u2014 may have encountered Nadji\u2019s ideas.<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-a6deab1 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"a6deab1\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-e24e53a\" data-id=\"e24e53a\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-30b1a4e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"30b1a4e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While reading Patrick Bowen\u2019s \u201cA History of Conversion to Islam in the United States,\u201d I came across a fascinating detail about <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/ahmadiyyafactcheckblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/731977990-A-History-of-Conversion-to-Islam-in-the-United-States-White-American-Muslims-Before-1975-by-Patrick-D-Bowen.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nadji\u2019s influence on early African American Muslim communities<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. In the early 1940s, as the U.S. entered World War II, the FBI investigated African American Muslim groups over suspicions of draft evasion and anti-American sentiment. Among those targeted were Black Sunni leaders like Muhammad Ezaldeen and Sheikh Nasir Ahmad, as well as the Black Muslim organization Moslems of America (MOA).\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During its investigations, the FBI found that Nadji\u2019s books and pamphlets were widely read among these communities, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/13D-_Oq5Nfpr0kgsaxpSJpCBaqy5rDMji\/view\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">with at least one of his works reportedly used at every MOA meeting<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Given how widely Nadji\u2019s writings circulated in early Black Muslim communities, it&#8217;s intriguing to think that figures like Malcolm X \u2014 a revolutionary Black Muslim leader who challenged white supremacy, colonialism and capitalism \u2014 may have encountered Nadji\u2019s ideas.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wokingmuslim.org\/work\/islamic-review\/index.htm#56\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe Islamic Review\u201d archives<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, I managed to get a hold of the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wokingmuslim.org\/work\/islamic-review\/1961\/jan61.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">January 1961 issue<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which includes an obituary for Nadji, who passed away at the age of 68 on July 5, 1960, after a heart attack. The funeral service was conducted by Imam Vehbi Ismaili, the religious leader of Muslim Albanians in the U.S. During the service, Ismaili shared several noteworthy stories about Nadji, allowing us to paint a fuller picture of his life.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-193dfd7 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"193dfd7\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-8792393\" data-id=\"8792393\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f12cf8d elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"f12cf8d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2560\" height=\"1784\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Islamic-Review-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-118489\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Islamic-Review-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Islamic-Review-300x209.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Islamic-Review-1024x714.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Islamic-Review-768x535.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Islamic-Review-1536x1070.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Islamic-Review-2048x1427.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Islamic-Review-326x227.jpg 326w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">The January 1961 issue of The Islamic Review includes Imam Vehbi Ismaili\u2019s obituary honoring Muharrem Nadji\u2019s impact on Islam. Photo: via CC.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-e9ec4a3 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"e9ec4a3\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-61879cd\" data-id=\"61879cd\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0d12230 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0d12230\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ismaili emphasized how Nadji spent the majority of his earnings on publishing and distributing <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1oA6TAHdytHRLRBJHJ-GsarlIOp8CQ-sg\/view?usp=sharing\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">free Islamic literature<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which helped make knowledge about Islam accessible to people around the world. His dedication to the religion was so deep that, as Ismaili noted, \u201cthe amount of work that was done for Islam by Nadji alone has not been equaled by any other organization.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nadji\u2019s influence went far beyond Ohio. His name was known across continents, with many people believing he was part of a large religious institution or supported by a wealthy benefactor. Ismaili, who visited Nadji\u2019s home just hours before the funeral, went through his mail and found a letter from a man in the Philippines requesting $1,000 from Nadji to build a mosque in his village.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Nigeria, the Muslim Students Society of Ilobu Branch expressed deep gratitude for the literature Nadji sent them, describing his work as \u201cthought-provoking and knowledge-giving.\u201d In a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1-dEDQ9--8kwMVbfyD3UhGipAqkuu0-qC\/view?usp=sharing\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">letter dated May 23, 1960<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, just weeks before Nadji\u2019s passing, the society&#8217;s secretary, Hamid Oyeniyi, wrote to acknowledge receipt of his materials and to encourage him to continue his mission. \u201cMay Allah in His infinite majesty guard and help you the more,\u201d the letter concluded.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ismaili commented to those in attendance at the funeral: \u201cYou see, I was not alone in thinking that there was behind Nadji\u2019s many undertakings a great religious organization, or the helpful contributions of a friendly millionaire,\u201d highlighting how people assumed Nadji had significant resources at his disposal, when in reality, he was just a humble, working-class Muslim operating as a one-man organization.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ismaili concluded his speech with a final detail. He explained that Nadji knew that his end was near. On Nadji\u2019s table, he found a piece of paper dated June 29, 1960, just a week before Nadji\u2019s death. He read it aloud: \u201cIn the name of God the Beneficent, the Merciful. God is Guardian of those who believe. The promise of God is at hand. Obey your God and do good deeds if you wish to succeed. Your end is close, it will come swiftly, mercifully, with no troubles. God, with His Majesty, will be generous to you.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over 200 people attended his funeral, many of whom were non-Muslims. Ismaili noted that, at the service, \u201call cried like children for the loss of their dear friend.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nadji<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is buried in the Mansfield Cemetery in Richland County, Ohio. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.findagrave.com\/memorial\/186949960\/muharrem-nadji\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">His tombstone features the Shahada<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, \u201cThere is but one God, Muhammad is the messenger of God,\u201d in both English and Arabic. To my surprise, the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.findagrave.com\/memorial\/186949960\/muharrem-nadji#view-photo=217716733\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Find a Grave website features a photo of Nadji<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, along with an image of his tombstone. This is the only clear picture of him that I was able to find.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><b>Imam Vehbi Ismaili as a leader of Muslim Albanians<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ismaili is a better known Muslim Albanian figure than Nadji, with information about his life more readily available online and in published sources. I first came across his name while reading \u201cShqiptar\u00ebt e Amerik\u00ebs\u201d [Albanians of America] (2003) by Vehbi Bajrami, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/books.google.com\/books\/about\/Shqiptar%C3%ABt_e_Amerik%C3%ABs.html?id=C7X6ygAACAAJ\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the source for much of the information that follows<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4c832c2 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4c832c2\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-dc5fd58\" data-id=\"dc5fd58\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-688763f elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"688763f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2560\" height=\"1784\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Vehbi-Ismajli-with-Fan-Noli-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-118477\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Vehbi-Ismajli-with-Fan-Noli-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Vehbi-Ismajli-with-Fan-Noli-300x209.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Vehbi-Ismajli-with-Fan-Noli-1024x714.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Vehbi-Ismajli-with-Fan-Noli-768x535.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Vehbi-Ismajli-with-Fan-Noli-1536x1070.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Vehbi-Ismajli-with-Fan-Noli-2048x1427.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Vehbi-Ismajli-with-Fan-Noli-326x227.jpg 326w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Fan Noli, Imam Vehbi Ismaili, and Baba Rexhepi appear together in this rare 1959 photo capturing the religious and communal diversity of the Albanian-American diaspora. (From the left: Christo Thanas, Imam Vehbi Ismaili, Fan Noli, Baba Rexhepi, and Anthony Athanas.) Photo: via CC.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-c84116e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"c84116e\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-ce35d56\" data-id=\"ce35d56\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b57cbd6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b57cbd6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ismaili was born in Shkod\u00ebr in 1919. He studied at madrasas in Kruje and Tirana before moving to Cairo in 1937 to attend Al-Azhar University. At one point, he contemplated returning to Albania, but after the fascist occupation and the rise of the communist regime, his father wrote him a heartfelt letter urging him to stay away. According to Bajrami, the letter read: \u201cAs much as I wish to have you near me \u2014 no one else wishes it more \u2014 but I advise you not to make the mistake of returning to the homeland, for you would be throwing yourself into the fire.\u201d Taking his father\u2019s advice to heart, Ismaili remained in Egypt and continued his studies.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 1949, Ismaili received a letter from the Albanian-American Muslim Association in Detroit, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/revistakuvendi.org\/?p=5417\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">established in 1917 as a branch of the Muslim society founded by Albanian immigrants in Biddeford<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, inviting him to become their religious leader. At first, he hesitated, but with encouragement from friends who believed he could do more for his faith and his nation in the U.S., he eventually agreed. That April, he made the journey to Detroit, where a growing community of Muslim Albanians from Albania waited to welcome him.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ismaili\u2019s arrival was met with criticism from Boston\u2019s leading Albanian newspapers, Dielli and Liria, which had initially supported Enver Hoxha\u2019s totalitarian communist regime, but within a few years became critical of it. According to Bajrami, these papers, under the anti-theistic stance of the Albanian government, resorted to character assassination by labeling Ismaili as an agent of King Zog \u2014 portraying the imam as an enemy of the nation. At the time, King Zog, Albania\u2019s former monarch who had ruled with authoritarian powers and aligned with Fascist Italy before fleeing into exile, was vilified by Hoxha\u2019s communist regime as a symbol of betrayal.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unfazed,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Ismaili set out to serve the Albanian community. He initially secured rooms at Detroit\u2019s International Institute for Islamic services and Albanian language classes. But his goal was a permanent mosque, and he traveled across the U.S. and Canada to raise the necessary funds.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Much of the financial support came from Albanians themselves. The Albanian Muslim Women\u2019s Association in Detroit donated $1,400, which would be around $16,000 today. Orthodox Albanians also played an important role in supporting the effort.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During this time, internal divisions within the Albanian Orthodox community were stirring. In 1950, an Albanian envoy of the Greek Patriarchate, Bishop Mark Lipa, arrived in the U.S. and attempted to place Albanian Orthodox churches under Greek ecclesiastical authority.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.koha.net\/en\/kulture\/ditari-i-panjohur-i-qerim-panaritit-per-fan-nolin\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the diary of Qerim Panariti<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, then editor-in-chief of Dielli, Lipa\u2019s arrival caused deep divisions within Boston\u2019s Albanian community and was viewed as a direct challenge to Noli and the independence of the Albanian Orthodox Church. Ismaili stood firmly in solidarity with Noli, defending the national character of Albanian religious institutions against foreign interference.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-312d0f1 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"312d0f1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b3067d0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"b3067d0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Ismaili's work to establish a mosque in Detroit, as well as Noli's defense of Albanian religious independence, highlighted a broader interreligious effort to strengthen Albanian identity in the U.S.<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-11e7287 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"11e7287\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-2834994\" data-id=\"2834994\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-31f8488 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"31f8488\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eventually, on June 6, 1951, the Albanian Muslim Mosque opened its doors to the public. As the community continued to grow, the building could no longer meet the needs of its members. In 1962, it was sold, and the money was used to purchase land for a new and larger mosque. With the help of the broader Albanian community, including a donation of $500 from Noli (over $5,000 today), a new mosque was built from the ground up in Harper Woods, a suburb northeast of Detroit.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ismaili&#8217;s work to establish a mosque in Detroit, as well as Noli&#8217;s defense of Albanian religious <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">independence, highlighted a broader interreligious effort to strengthen Albanian identity in the U.S. and resist both Greek ecclesiastical control and political interference from the Hoxha regime.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The new mosque, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">featuring an Ottoman-style dome and minaret, officially opened on February 23, 1963. Interestingly, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.archnet.org\/sites\/10603\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the architect, Frank Beymer<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, was a German American from Ohio who had <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/revistakuvendi.org\/?p=5417\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">embraced Islam through Nadji\u2019s efforts<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Beymer oversaw the mosque\u2019s construction without compensation. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aicod.org\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It still serves the community today as the Albanian Islamic Center<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, led by Imam Shuajb G\u00ebrguri.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7451f72 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"7451f72\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-aa07284\" data-id=\"aa07284\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-76d81d5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"76d81d5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2560\" height=\"1784\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/The-News-mosque-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-118474\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/The-News-mosque-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/The-News-mosque-300x209.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/The-News-mosque-1024x714.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/The-News-mosque-768x535.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/The-News-mosque-1536x1070.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/The-News-mosque-2048x1427.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/The-News-mosque-326x227.jpg 326w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">The 1963 opening of the Albanian Islamic Center in Harper Woods featured an Ottoman-style mosque designed by Frank Beymer, a convert to Islam through Nadji\u2019s influence. Photo: via CC.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-9c3dfd0 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"9c3dfd0\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-3120208\" data-id=\"3120208\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b4451a3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b4451a3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a 1994 interview, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/issuu.com\/bislame.net\/docs\/edukata87\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ismaili stressed the importance of preserving Albanian language and culture<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the diaspora, noting families\u2019 efforts to ensure their children remained connected to their heritage through language lessons at mosques and churches. He also told of 18-year-old Fatmire Sylejmani, who after seeing a call for donations in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/potpuri.org\/The-Rilindja-of-diaspora\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rilindja, which was published in Switzerland from 1992 to 1996<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, organized an event at the Harper Woods mosque that raised over $3,000 for Albanian children in Kosovo, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/foundations-of-kosovos-parallel-state\/#:~:text=By%20the%20mid%2D1990s%2C%20the,of%20Kosovo's%20status%20seemed%20to\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">who had been forced into a parallel school system by this time<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ismaili was also a dedicated writer, authoring over 50 books on religious and literary subjects. His most popular book, \u201cMuhammad, the Last Prophet,\u201d was translated into 25 languages and studied globally. During his time in Cairo, he played a pioneering role in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.islamgjakova.net\/artikulli.php?id=16262\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">bridging Albanian and Arabic literary traditions<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. He translated works such as Ernest Koliqi\u2019s \u201cThe Golden Cradle,\u201d known for its <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/fjala.info\/djepi-i-arit\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">deep psychological insights and dramatic narrative structure<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, introducing Albanian literature to the Arab world.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite his achievements and the strong community he became a part of in the U.S., Ismaili developed a deep longing for his homeland. Starting in 1962, he repeatedly applied for a visa to visit Albania, but each request was denied. During a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sa-kra.ch\/imamvismaili.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">conversation with the Muslim Albanian intellectual Mexhid Yvejsi<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Ismaili was encouraged to visit Kosovo instead. Yvejsi told him: \u201cYour longing for Albania, for Shkod\u00ebr, might ease because Kosovo, even though it is under Serbian occupation, is still Albania.\u201d&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When Ismaili hesitated at first, Yvejsi suggested he go to Gjakova and visit the home of his father, Hafiz Selim Yvejsi, saying, \u201cFrom there, all of Kosovo will open its doors to you.\u201d Taking Yvejsi\u2019s advice, Ismaili decided to make the journey. A few days later, he traveled to Kosovo, where he would return two more times between 1970 and 1980. Upon his arrival, he was greeted with warmth and hospitality.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cKosovo refreshed me, it renewed me,\u201d he later reflected. He described how <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/issuu.com\/bislame.net\/docs\/edukata87\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">people welcomed him into their homes with brotherly love, making him feel as though he were in his homeland<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. \u201cThat\u2019s why, whenever I had the chance, in speech or writing, I defended Kosovo and tried to provide support and resources whenever I could.\u201d <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sa-kra.ch\/imamvismaili.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ismaili\u2019s commitment to Kosovo remained steadfast<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">; in 1994, the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.islamgjakova.net\/artikulli.php?id=5866\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Albanian Islamic Center under his leadership raised $17,200<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to support Kosovo during an era of apartheid and repression.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the meantime, in 1988, after about 50 years \u2014 and what was originally intended to be a brief period of study in Cairo \u2014 Ismaili had returned to his home in Shkod\u00ebr, a visit made possible only after the political climate in Albania began to shift following Hoxha\u2019s death in 1985. Naturally, with five decades having passed, many of his family members had passed away. He visited the graves of his parents and one of his brothers, though he could not locate the graves of his other two brothers. According to Bajrami, when Ismaili left Shkod\u00ebr in 1937, it had 36 mosques. When he returned, he found only the Lead Mosque [Xhamia e Plumbit], built in 1773, in a severely neglected and deteriorated condition.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ismaili\u2019s spiritual leadership left an especially deep impact on the Albanian diaspora in the U.S. His funeral services, in particular, became part of the community\u2019s collective memory. In October 1949, just months after arriving in Detroit, he traveled to New York City and conducted what is believed to be the first Islamic funeral rites in the Albanian language in the U.S., honoring <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sa-kra.ch\/imamvismaili.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mid\u2019hat Frash\u00ebri, the son of Abdyl Frash\u00ebri<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a prominent leader of the League of Prizren who advocated for greater autonomy within the Ottoman Empire and laid the foundation for Albania&#8217;s eventual independence.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nearly 60 years later, those same rites were performed for Ismaili himself following his passing on May 17, 2008, at the age of 88. His funeral was a tribute to a man who had devoted his life to guiding generations of Albanian Americans in both faith and nation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ismaili is buried at <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.findagrave.com\/memorial\/233735410\/vehbi-ismail\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Knollwood Memorial Park Cemetery<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in Canton, Michigan. His tombstone is inscribed with the following verse from the Quran: \u201cAs to those who believe and do righteous deeds, their home is Paradise, an award for their works (18:107).\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sa-kra.ch\/imamvismaili.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He once reflected<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, \u201cI don\u2019t know if I\u2019ve done enough for Albanians.\u201d<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I believe his legacy speaks for itself. His doubts about whether he had done enough are far outweighed by the undeniable impact he had on Albanians worldwide, from Detroit to New York City, Kosovo to Egypt and beyond.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Faith and resistance of Albanian Muslims in New York City<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While Hoxha was systematically erasing Albania\u2019s religious heritage, clamping down on all forms of worship <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and forcefully converting Albania into the world\u2019s first atheist state, Muslim Albanians in New York City were determined to preserve their faith and culture. In 1966, they gathered at the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pashtriku.org\/mexhid-yvejsi-40-vjetori-i-xhamise-qendres-islame-shqiptare-amerikane-per-shtetet-new-york-new-jersey\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Assembly of the Albanian American Islamic Center<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, led by Grand Mufti Salih Myftiu, where they laid the groundwork for establishing a mosque.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pashtriku.org\/mexhid-yvejsi-40-vjetori-i-xhamise-qendres-islame-shqiptare-amerikane-per-shtetet-new-york-new-jersey\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Myftiu, born in 1891 in Shkod\u00ebr<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, came from a deeply religious and patriotic family. Early on, he became active in the movement for Albanian independence and strongly advocated for efforts to translate the Quran into Albanian. During World War II, he opposed Italian fascists, German Nazis and the rise of communism. His armed resistance led to imprisonment by the fascists and continued conflict with the communist regime after the war. Following years of exile in Italy, he immigrated to the U.S. in 1965, where he became a key figure in the Albanian diaspora and helped establish the Albanian American Islamic Center to support both religious and national causes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After years of effort, the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1972\/11\/13\/archives\/albanians-open-a-mosque-here.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Albanian American Islamic Center\u2019s mosque officially opened on November 12, 1972<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, in Brooklyn\u2019s Flatbush section. The ceremony was attended by a large number of Albanians, many of whom wore traditional Albanian clothing. As the 80-year-old Myftiu cut the ribbon to officially open the mosque, he did so with the Bismillah, meaning \u201cIn the name of God,\u201d as a way to restore religious pride among Albanian exiles at a time when such expressions were prohibited in their homeland.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-951a94b elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"951a94b\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d95863b\" data-id=\"d95863b\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-99dad5a elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"99dad5a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2560\" height=\"1784\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Press-Clippings-Albanians-open-a-mosque-in-Brooklyn-1972-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-118510\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Press-Clippings-Albanians-open-a-mosque-in-Brooklyn-1972-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Press-Clippings-Albanians-open-a-mosque-in-Brooklyn-1972-300x209.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Press-Clippings-Albanians-open-a-mosque-in-Brooklyn-1972-1024x714.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Press-Clippings-Albanians-open-a-mosque-in-Brooklyn-1972-768x535.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Press-Clippings-Albanians-open-a-mosque-in-Brooklyn-1972-1536x1070.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Press-Clippings-Albanians-open-a-mosque-in-Brooklyn-1972-2048x1427.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Press-Clippings-Albanians-open-a-mosque-in-Brooklyn-1972-326x227.jpg 326w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">A New\u202fYork\u202fTimes account of the 1972 mosque opening featured Imam Isa Hoxha highlighting faith as a bond for Albanian exiles. Photo: via CC.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-913319a\" data-id=\"913319a\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1590f63 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"1590f63\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7b23f1f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"7b23f1f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"> In a New York Times article covering the event, he was quoted saying, \u201cThe reason for building our mosque is to bring the Albanian people together and to show Enver Hoxha that the people still desire to keep their religion alive.\u201d\n<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-9bb82df elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"9bb82df\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-42c91a7\" data-id=\"42c91a7\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2cd9bbe elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2cd9bbe\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Imam Isa Hoxha, born on May 25, 1918, in Byty\u00e7, became the mosque\u2019s first imam. Hoxha\u2019s life, similar to that of Myftiu, had been shaped by both his religious upbringing and his involvement in the Albanian nationalist struggle against fascist and Nazi occupiers during World War II. Forced into exile after the rise of communism in Albania, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.islamgjakova.net\/artikulli.php?id=2085\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">he served Albanian Muslim communities across Europe<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> before settling in the U.S. in 1962.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-946b6fc elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"946b6fc\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-05b4759\" data-id=\"05b4759\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1c2c611 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"1c2c611\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2560\" height=\"1784\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Imam-Isa-Hoxha-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-118486\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Imam-Isa-Hoxha-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Imam-Isa-Hoxha-300x209.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Imam-Isa-Hoxha-1024x714.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Imam-Isa-Hoxha-768x535.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Imam-Isa-Hoxha-1536x1070.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Imam-Isa-Hoxha-2048x1427.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Imam-Isa-Hoxha-326x227.jpg 326w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">When the Albanian American Islamic Center opened in Brooklyn in 1972, Imam Isa Hoxha became its first spiritual leader. Photo: via CC.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-1de4140 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"1de4140\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-9319185\" data-id=\"9319185\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7ed5e9e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7ed5e9e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the Albanian American Islamic Center, Hoxha continued his mission of both spiritual and national service. In a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1972\/11\/13\/archives\/albanians-open-a-mosque-here.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">New York Times article covering the event<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, he was quoted saying, \u201cThe reason for building our mosque is to bring the Albanian people together and to show Enver Hoxha that the people still desire to keep their religion alive.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Decades later, he was still a fiery figure. In a demonstration in front of the White House on May 10, 1996, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/gazetadielli.com\/imam-isa-hoxhavazhdim-i-idealeve-te-rilindjes-kombetare\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">calling for U.S. support for Kosovo\u2019s liberation, he proclaimed<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, \u201cOur voice is that of Albanians burning with longing for the homeland, the voice of the diaspora calling for the liberation of our occupied lands. This voice has not been extinguished for a century in the fight for Albania\u2019s independence, and it will not stop until Kosovo is free and until Albania becomes what the Albanian people themselves desire.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Myftiu\u2019s and Hoxha\u2019s efforts played an important role in preserving Albanian Muslimness in the U.S. The establishment of the mosque in Brooklyn, followed by another in New Jersey, and the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/r\/18yFN6CvvT\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">scholarship created in Hoxha\u2019s name to support young Albanian students<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, are major contributions to the preservation of Albanian Muslim identity in the New York area.<\/span><\/p><p><b>Baba Rexhepi and the Bektashis of Michigan<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the broader story of Albanian Muslims in the U.S., the story of the Bektashis cannot be left out. The Bektashis are followers of a Sufi order within Islam that developed a distinct, liberal and mystical tradition, drawing elements from both Sunni and Shia thought. Once <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/islamicpluralism.org\/2331\/the-sufi-journey-of-baba-rexheb\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">spiritual guides to the Ottoman Janissaries<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, they lost influence after being disbanded in 1826 and were officially banned by Mustafa Kemal Atat\u00fcrk in Turkey in 1925. The order then shifted its center to Albania, where it remained an important spiritual force.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-9eedd8e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"9eedd8e\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d07aa9b\" data-id=\"d07aa9b\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bfeb7be elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"bfeb7be\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"714\" height=\"752\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Baba-Rexhep-Beqiri-1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-118574\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Baba-Rexhep-Beqiri-1.jpg 714w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Baba-Rexhep-Beqiri-1-285x300.jpg 285w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Baba-Rexhep-Beqiri-1-326x343.jpg 326w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 714px) 100vw, 714px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Baba\u202fRexhepi served as a leading Bektashi spiritual guide after founding the first American tekke in Michigan. Photo: via CC.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7451fa0 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"7451fa0\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-2459e58\" data-id=\"2459e58\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4d33803 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4d33803\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of its most influential figures was Rexhep Beqiri, born in 1901 in Gjirokast\u00ebr, Albania to a family deeply rooted in the Bektashi tradition. At 21, he took his vows and became Dervish Rexhepi, serving for over two decades as a spiritual leader at his local tekke. But in 1944, as Albania\u2019s civil war turned in favor of the communists, everything changed. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dokumen.pub\/the-sufi-journey-of-baba-rexheb-1nbsped-9781934536544-9781934536124.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A visitor warned him that the new regime planned to capture and kill him for his influence and anti-communist views<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. \u201cThey will torture you and kill you in a most horrible way,\u201d the man said. \u201cLeave.\u201d And so he fled, never being able to see his beloved Albania again.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dervish Rexhepi spent four years in a refugee camp in Bari, Italy, before moving to Cairo. Amid <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Egypt\/The-revolution-and-the-Republic\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">growing political uncertainty in Egypt<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and encouraged by his sister in New York City, he decided to move. In December 1952, he traveled to the U.S. on the MS Saturnia, carrying a suitcase and a spiritual tradition he hoped to keep alive in a new land. Though he was very much against the communists, U.S. officials, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/event\/McCarthyism\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">blinded by Cold War paranoia at the height of McCarthyism<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, nearly denied him entry after <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dokumen.pub\/the-sufi-journey-of-baba-rexheb-1nbsped-9781934536544-9781934536124.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">labeling him a communist without any investigation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rexhepi arrived in New York City hoping to open a Bektashi tekke. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But according to Frances Trix\u2019s biography of Rexhepi,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 many Albanians there, influenced by a mix of secular ideals, personal convictions and the pressures of assimilation, kept their distance. While some older Bektashis welcomed him, his presence unsettled others. The Albanian Cultural Center, dominated by communists, blocked his efforts to hold gatherings, fearing the return of spiritual life among the Albanian diaspora.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sensing the resistance, Rexhepi left New York City and made his way to Detroit. There, he was warmly received. Albanian Muslims and Christians alike welcomed him and several Bektashi families offered their support. On October 24, 1953, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dokumen.pub\/the-sufi-journey-of-baba-rexheb-1nbsped-9781934536544-9781934536124.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">17 Albanian men met at St. Andrew\u2019s Hall and pledged funds to build a tekke<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Most were factory workers or small business owners, but they offered a generous amount of money.<\/span><\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/isamveri.org\/pdfdrg\/D143394\/2005\/2005_ABIVAH.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The tekke officially opened in Taylor, Michigan, on May 15, 1954<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, with a large crowd in attendance, including visitors from New York City. With the opening, Rexhepi was promoted to the rank of \u201cbaba,\u201d a spiritual leader in the Bektashi order. At the entrance, Baba Rexhepi recited the Fatiha, the opening verse of the Quran, to bless the occasion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a speech given 20 years later to mark the anniversary of the tekke\u2019s opening, he reflected on earlier failed attempts to establish a tekke in New York City and the backlash from the Albanian communist regime, which had threatened the families of those who supported the effort. He also recognized the crucial contributions of Albanian women. Among those he named were <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dokumen.pub\/the-sufi-journey-of-baba-rexheb-1nbsped-9781934536544-9781934536124.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hava Seid, Kile Selfo, Fiqiret Myrteza, Shaniko Qyteza, Zejnep Adam, Shazo Ali, Fato Nakoleci and Nekije Peshkopia<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, whose dedication and labor were essential to making the tekke a reality.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rexhepi&#8217;s role in the community extended beyond his spiritual leadership. His empathy and willingness to help those in need were evident to all. In the mid-1950s, a member of an Italian family living across from the tekke died by suicide. The local Catholic church refused to conduct a burial for someone who had taken their own life. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dokumen.pub\/the-sufi-journey-of-baba-rexheb-1nbsped-9781934536544-9781934536124.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rexhepi, who spoke fluent Italian due to his time living in Italy as a refugee, agreed without hesitation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, composing and performing the service in Italian.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 1966, he launched <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1WnF92jodQkqc6nBdnB7EqgQGdUcoF7yn\/edit\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Z\u00ebri i Bektashizm\u00ebs<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 The Voice of Bektashism \u2014 a biannual journal explaining the history, principles and mystical philosophy of Bektashism in accessible language. It also welcomed contributions from Albanian intellectuals and called for unity, morality and national pride. Rexhepi wrote most articles himself.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He remained dedicated to his spiritual mission and community until his death in 1995. He passed away in Michigan, far from his native Gjirokast\u00ebr, leaving behind a small but lasting religious institution that <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/firstalbaniantekebektashianeinamerica\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">continues to serve Albanian Americans today<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p><p><b>Who gets remembered, and why?<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is striking, and somewhat troubling, that I hadn\u2019t really heard of any of these figures until I began this research. One can understand why certain details may have been lost to time, but it is harder to explain why entire lives and stories, some of them undeniably impactful, remain so peripheral in our national historical consciousness. It is therefore worth asking: how is a person\u2019s historical importance measured?<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Noli is widely remembered for his role in Albania\u2019s early state-building, as well as his political, academic and religious work. Ismaili, on the other hand, is far less visible in our collective memory, despite his life\u2019s work sustaining a faith community in exile, supporting Kosovo during its darkest years, helping to rebuild religious life after Hoxha, and teaching generations of Albanian Americans their language, history, and culture. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This difference in visibility reflects how historical memory is shaped and whose contributions are highlighted.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-189bd90 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"189bd90\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-adc26d4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"adc26d4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The contrast between how people like Noli and Ismaili are remembered reveals more about the hierarchy of remembrance within our historical narratives than it does about who they truly were.\n<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5edc1e1 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"5edc1e1\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-2f946ae\" data-id=\"2f946ae\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ffc5fd1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ffc5fd1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This piece is not about drawing one to one comparisons, but rather about broadening the conversation beyond its narrow confines. We don\u2019t need answers to questions of historical weight in order to appreciate past lives that shaped our communities in different ways. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That being said, it is telling that figures tied more closely to state-building \u2014 like Noli and Konica \u2014 continue to dominate our collective memory, reflecting the hegemony of state-centric narratives in how history is told.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Through my research, I came to see that Muslim Albanian leaders have been among those \u2014 along with women, workers, students and more \u2014 whose contributions to enriching Albanian lives outside a state-building lens have been overshadowed<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The contrast between how people like Noli and Ismaili are remembered reveals more about the hierarchy of remembrance within our historical narratives than it does about who they truly were.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The fact that Nadji is virtually unknown within Albanian circles is difficult to grasp, and worthy of a whole other piece. His contributions were not necessarily national, but were no less significant. His life tells a different story, one in which Islam, rather than his Albanian identity, served as the guiding force.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That these histories remain so underexplored points not only to the limits of Albanian historiography, where Muslim contributions tend to occupy a marginal space, but also to broader issues in the tricky politics of knowledge production. Who decides which lives are remembered, which stories are retold, which legacies are worth preserving and which should be relegated to the dustbin of history?\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The more I read and research Albanian history, in this case through the lens of immigration to the U.S., the more it feels like a cracked rearview mirror, showing bits and pieces of the past, but never the whole picture. Some parts are clear, others are missing entirely. Of course, no mirror is perfect, but we should at least try to fix the one we have because whatever is missing from the mirror isn\u2019t simply forgotten \u2014 it is made invisible.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><strong>Feature Image: via CC.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-a7ecdc9 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"a7ecdc9\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-2d3201d\" data-id=\"2d3201d\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3361897 elementor-widget-divider--view-line_icon elementor-view-default elementor-widget-divider--element-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"3361897\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-icon elementor-divider__element\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" id=\"Layer_1\" x=\"0px\" y=\"0px\" viewBox=\"0 0 659 627\" style=\"enable-background:new 0 0 659 627;\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><style 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elementor-element elementor-element-930226b elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"930226b\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-42183e9\" data-id=\"42183e9\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5ffedd1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-global elementor-global-104647 elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5ffedd1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong><em>D\u00ebshironi t\u00eb mb\u00ebshtetni gazetarin\u00eb ton\u00eb?<\/em><\/strong><\/p><p>N\u00eb Kosovo 2.0, p\u00ebrpiqemi t\u00eb jemi shtyll\u00eb e gazetaris\u00eb s\u00eb pavarur e me cil\u00ebsi t\u00eb lart\u00eb, n\u00eb nj\u00eb epok\u00eb ku \u00ebsht\u00eb gjithnj\u00eb e m\u00eb sfiduese t\u2019i mbash k\u00ebto standarde dhe ta ndjek\u00ebsh t\u00eb v\u00ebrtet\u00ebn dhe llogaridh\u00ebnien pa u frik\u00ebsuar. P\u00ebr ta siguruar pavar\u00ebsin\u00eb ton\u00eb t\u00eb vazhdueshme, po prezantojm\u00eb HIVE, modelin ton\u00eb t\u00eb ri t\u00eb an\u00ebtar\u00ebsimit, i cili u ofron atyre q\u00eb e vler\u00ebsojn\u00eb gazetarin\u00eb ton\u00eb, mund\u00ebsin\u00eb t\u00eb kontribuojn\u00eb e b\u00ebhen pjes\u00eb e misionit ton\u00eb.<\/p><p><em>An\u00ebtar\u00ebsohuni n\u00eb \u201cHIVE\u201d ose konsideroni nj\u00eb donacion.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-6217d8f\" data-id=\"6217d8f\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e8343ba elementor-align-justify elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"e8343ba\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/complete-support\/?type=subscription&#038;package_id=basic&#038;duration=three-month\" target=\"_blank\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Basic<\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-66c9ebd elementor-align-justify elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"66c9ebd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/complete-support\/?type=subscription&#038;package_id=standard&#038;duration=three-month\" target=\"_blank\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Standard<\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9aebc22 elementor-align-justify elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"9aebc22\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/complete-support\/?type=subscription&#038;package_id=premium&#038;duration=three-month\" target=\"_blank\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Premium<\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bd04c68 elementor-align-justify elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"bd04c68\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/support-us\/\" target=\"_blank\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">One time donation<\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ENG SHQ B\/C\/S Longform Hierarchies of remembrance Uncovering the lives of Muslim Albanians in the US. By Shan Karemani \u2014&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":937,"featured_media":118581,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_header_footer","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[972],"tags":[1714],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118554"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/937"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=118554"}],"version-history":[{"count":75,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118554\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":118762,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118554\/revisions\/118762"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/118581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=118554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=118554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=118554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}