Without the consent of the local Orthodox Church, whose fate now lies in the hands of local police. What could possibly go wrong under the new "protection" (read: "dhimmitude") arrangement? The article gives some indication to what has happened already, but chalks it up to strictly ethnic rivalries. And nothing else.
"Kosovo: Serb monasteries 'at risk' as NATO exits," from AdnKronos International, August 6 (thanks to Twostellas):
Belgrade, 6 Aug. (AKI) - Serbian government and police officials on Friday voiced concern over Kosovo police taking over the protection of medieval monasteries from NATO soldiers in Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia two years ago.
Serbian monasteries in Kosovo, some of which are listed by UNESCO as world cultural heritage, have been under the protection NATO contingent (KFOR) since 2004, when many were burned or damaged by ethnic Albanian demonstrators.
As NATO has been cutting its 10,000-strong presence in Kosovo, it started turning over the protection of monasteries to Kosovo police (KPS) on Thursday. Serbian minister for Kosovo, Goran Bogdanovic, said the decision would not help the security situation in the area.
"It will breed more uncertainty and mistrust among Kosovo Serbs," Bogdanovic was quoted as saying by Belgrade media. The move will only encourage Pristina "to keep making unilateral moves" in an attempt to present the situation in Kosovo in a better light before the world, he added.
About 100,000 Serbs remain in Kosovo, among some 1.7 million ethnic Albanians. More than 200,000 Serbs have fled Kosovo after NATO bombing pushed Serbian forces out of the province, which was put under United Nations control in 1999.
Belgrade and Kosovo Serbs oppose independence and Serbia is fighting a diplomatic battle to keep the region under its control.
Serbian Orthodox Church Kosovo bishop Teodosije told media the removal of KFOR soldiers from monasteries "will put in danger both the holy sites and the clergy". He regretted that the decision was made without the consent of the Church.
Atrocities commited by Muslims against Christian Serbs.
http://crossmuslims.blogspot.com/2010/07/perfect-man.html
Kosovo: Monasteries at risk as NATO withdraws protection
................
Here are some accounts of churches and monasteries damaged or destroyed while *under* NATO protection. It will only get worse:
http://www.kosovo.net/destruction.html
Here's one of the most chilling lines, regarding the destruction of The Holy Trinity Cathedral in Djakovica. After being vandalized several times and set on fire, it was finally blown up in 1999:
"After the destruction of the Cathedral the Albanian population of Djakovica organized a celebration which lasted all night"
For "Albanian", of course, one should read "Muslim".
It should be remembered that, although the overwhelming majority of Albanians inside Kosovo are Muslims, there *are* Albanians in Albania who are Catholic and Albanians who are Orthodox; indeed there is an indigenous 'Albanian Orthodox Church', which is just as ancient as the other Orthodox communities in the Balkan region.
Here, from the latest version of the CIA world factbook, are the 'religion' stats for Albania proper.
"Muslim 70%, Albanian Orthodox 20%, Roman Catholic 10%
"note: percentages are estimates; there are no available current statistics on religious affiliation; all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited;
" in November 1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice".
In 2001 my Christian sourcebook, Operation World, offered a more fine-grained analysis of the then situation (using sources such as the CIA fact-book together with information from the churches themselves), estimating a somewhat higher percentage of Christians, a significant percentage of 'nonreligious' (legacy of Hoxha's ferocious promotion of atheism), and a smaller percentage of Muslims. Namely: 41 % Christian (17 % Catholic, 24 % Orthodox), 19 % nonreligious, and 38.8 % Muslim.
One must assume that since then many of the 'nonreligious' have been resorbed into Islam due to Saudi-funded da'wa, etc, and that a significant proportion of the Christians have fled or been force/threat-'converted'.
If the West had had any sense at all, immediately after the fall of Hoxha a massive effort to support and encourage the indigenous Catholic and Orthodox churches inside Albania itself, and to protect those seeking to evangelise the former communists (to prevent them from embracing Islam) and the nominal Muslims, would have been in order, and could have prevented a lot of grief.
Had all the Albanians who moved into Kosovo been Albanian Orthodox Christians, or even Catholics, there would be little problem; they would build their churches and monasteries right alongside the Serbian churches. (The Muslims have attacked Catholic churches within Kosovo, as well as Orthodox churches).
*All* the Christians in that theatre of jihad which is the Balkan region, need all the help and encouragement they can get.
Here is a video of St.Apostle Andrew Orthodox Church being destroyed in Kosovo in 2004:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvDZupn_rEk
a) Those estimates of religious belief in Albania seem about right. Give or take. Kosovo and Metohija's religious make up amongst the ethnic Albanians is very very different. Overwhelmingly Muslim but with a fair percentage of Catholics. The Catholics in the main lived in the towns and cities, incidentally particularly in Djakovica, Pec and it's environs.
b) The reason of course why it's Kosovo and Metohija is in such a state is because NATO bombed Yugoslavia for "humanitarian reasons" in 1999.
c) Let's leave aside the fact that NATO were funding, arming and training one of the combatants in K. and M. at the time and leave aside the fact that they were arming vile terrorists who'd been receiving funding from Al Qaeda - Bin Laden was in Northern Albanian in 1998 helping organise Mujahideen forces according to Albanian Intelligence -
d) The bombing campaign began on March 24th 1999 but NATO commander, General Clark, had previously promised KLA leaders much earlier that year that NATO would come to the aid of the KLA. NATO had been setting up the bombing campaign for a long time. Throughout 1998 the Yugoslav authorities had asked for face to face talks with the KLA on no fewer than 15 occasions, the KLA always refused. At Rambouillet in late Feb 1999 the US had worked very closely with KLA to
1) destroy any chance the talks could be successful,
i.e. that a political solution could be found ( neither NATO nor KLA wanted a political settlement, both wanted war, the Yugoslavs were desperate for a negotiated, political solution, even going so far as to try to talk to the murderous KLA )
and
2) at the same time to put the PUBLIC blame for this failure of the Rambouilet talks at the feet of the Yugoslav delegation. With just 3 days of the conference left, the Yugoslav delegation had signed on to the general deal, unlike the ethnic Albanian delegation who didn't even want to sit down in the same room with the Yugoslavs. Ms Albright would privately reprimand Mr Thaci for not even trying to talk with the Yugoslavs while publicly pinning all the blame on the Yugoslavs. Mr James Rubin and the US State Dept, desperate for some kind of evidence of Yugoslav intransigence publicly brandished a completely pointless letter supposedly written by Mr Thaci in a last ditch attempt by the US State Department to portray the Serbs as the "bad guys" and the ethnic Albanians as "good guys".
In fact this letter supposedly from Mr Thaci to Ms Albright was written by Chris Hill and others of the US State Dept with Mr Thaci physically being blocked from unplugging the computer according to prosecution witness Mr Veton Surroi.
So the "humanitarian" bombing was set. the fake Racak "massacre" was being aired non stop on CNN/BBC and the failure of the Rambouillet talks were being falsely laid at the feet of the Yugoslavs. The infidel Serbs didn't stand a chance
e) BTW Djakovica, a previous poster mentioned, a middling town in south western Kosovo, was a strategic area. Close to the Albanian border, was the scene of ferocious battles. By April 1999, according to documents obtained in the General Odjanic trial, the US State Department had close links with this town's KLA terror units and revealed the town was not only surrounded by the KLA but they'd also taken a full quarter of the town itself and were planning on taking the town centre. Djakovica was overwhelmingly ethnic Albanian with about 3% being ethnically Serbian.
e) Before NATO started this "humanitarian" bombing in March 1999, there were indeed a relatively large number of internally displaced civillians from all ethnicities. Before anyone use this to claim that they were displaced by Yugoslav crimes bear in mind that at General Ojdanić's trial, the prosecution only alleged that crimes were committed AFTER the start of the NATO's bombing campaign.
AFTER not BEFORE.
Cases like the so called Racak "massacre" ( January 1999 ) had long been proved to have been a valid anti terror operation by the MUP ( Yugoslav Military police ). Even the prosecution acknowledge that nearly all the dead were indeed KLA terrorists and that the whole area was the HQ to a huge KLA force.
f) So NATO bombed for 78 days. It wasn't meant to be like that. It was only supposed to be a quick 3 day affair before President Milosevic, coming to his senses that NATO were wonderful and righteous, would throw in the towel. After 78 days, an armistice was signed at Kumanovo. It was in fact, if anything a victory for the Yugoslavs for the agreement was very favourable to President Milosevic's side.
g) Unfortunately, President Milosevic was under the erroneous impresion that the good men and women of NATO were honourable people who would keep to their side of the deal. They didn't of course. To the morally superiour, keeping ones word is never needed.
h) No sooner had Yugoslav forces kept their side of the deal and left Kosovo and Metohija, then the murders of all ethnic minorities began in earnest. Let's not forget the so called "loyalist" ethnic Albanians who probably suffered an even worse fate. 1,000s upon 1,000's were abducted and are still missing. Churches were burnt, entire ethnic minorities were cleansed from the area. In many cases, NATO officers would stand by watching as the KLA would commit crimes ( this is what happened according to the Jews of Pristina )
i) For those who like Kafka the ICTY's trial of General Ojdanić et al provides a pearl.
An absolute pearl.
During President Milosevic's trial years earlier, one of the charges was that the Yugoslav forces had tried to ethnically cleanse the entire ethnic Albanian population from K and M. This was manifestably absurd with no evidence to support it. So, in the following 'biggie' trial at the Hague, that of General Ojdanić, a very honourable soldier by the way, this theory had to be thrown out of the window and a new one introduced.
This is what the prosecution alleged the Yugoslav authority's aim was in 1999 with regards to the ethnic Albanian population.
The Yugoslavs wanted to change the ethnic ratio of Kosovo and Metohija. Only the ratio.The prosecution alleged that "President Milosevic and his cronies" ( there's a CNN patent on that phrase btw ) wanted ONLY to change the numbers and create a 5 to 1 ratio ( of ethnic Albanians to ethnic Serbs in Kosovo ) instead of an 8 to 1 ratio. That, according to the prosecution, was President Milosevic's cunning plan: A ratio of 5 to 1 instead of 8 to 1. By mid April, according to the prosecution this plan most cunning and ingenious was completed ( feel free to do impersonations of a James Bond baddie replete with cat for purposes of stroking )
Why on earth would the Yugoslavs risk the entire destruction of their country so that a corner of the country would have a 5 to 1 instead of 8 to 1 ratio ethnic Serb imbalance. Well no one bothered to explain that small quibble.
So let's ignore that for the moment. So how were those shrewd Serbs to do that. Well, according to the prosecution they wanted to get NATO to attack Yugoslavia. That's right, I'll say it again. They planned for NATO, that HUGE alliance, to declare war in tiny tiny Yugoslavia. This was supposedly President Milosevic's plan. Now the reason why the Yugoslav leadership wanted to be attacked by this HUGE alliance was so that when all the bombs were falling, they could chuck out some ethnic Albanians. I kid you not, this is the prosecution's grand theory in the General Ojdanić trial. Now remember, they don't want to kick out ALL the ethnic Albnians but only some. Why, we were never told but that, according to the ICTY, was the plan. So while all those NATO bombs are destroying the entire country, killing 1,000s of civillians, wiping out the infrastructure, destroying oil depots, their leaders indicted by the Hague, etc, a percentage of the ethnic Albanian population from the south western area of Yugoslavia are being shunted out into Albania and Macedonia.
Now, how to get NATO to attack Yugoslavia. Well, the prosecution claim that it was the Yugoslavs who sabotaged the Rambouillet talks, not the KLA. Now, let's leave aside the fact that even prosecution witnesses speak of Mr Thaci et al not wanting to even sit down at the same table with the Yugoslavs, let's pretend that the prosecution's argument is correct. So the bombs start to fall and this gives the Yugoslav's their golden opportunity. So they start to kick out ethnic Albanians from KLA infested areas. They don't bother to kick out any from regions of Kosovo where the KLA weren't present. That would have been too easy, but by only forcing out ethnic Albanians from KLA strongholds like Denica, Malisevo, Suva Reka, etc, the Yugoslav inevitably took casuatlies.
How about that for a prosecution case. Get a huge huge air amarda to bomb you so you can ever so slightly change the ethnic ratio in a small part of your country and you only kick out people in places where your forces will be shot at and bombed. And you do this by sabotaging "peace talks" earlier in the year even though all the evidence points to the absolute opposite. And the punchline is that everyone in the Ojdanić case, except one, were found guilty.
Kafka would have been proud.
The West's support for the Bosnian Muslims ( in particular, the US's ) made 9 11 inevitable. Absolutely inevitable. Bin laden and all the other battle hardened Mujahideen were washed up after Afghanistan. Strife in the Balkans gave them a new lease of life. And they couldn't have so successfully killed infidels in such numbers had the US not given the flights of Iranian arms the now infamous "green light". So it's all rather ironic isn't it, people will with one voice denounce the mosque at 9 11 and then with another voice support for Bill Clintons rather, slightly misquided "alliance" with the Iranians and Mujahideen in Bosnia. One created the other.
Such is irony.
I do agree with Dumbledoresarmy... I am living in Balkans and I am well aware that the conflict in Kosovo is not a religious one but a purely ethnic one. The destruction of the churces is not because of religious hatred but because they are seen as the symbols of the ethnic identity of the opressor. Every sane minded person can discern this fact, living here in the Balkans.
Of course... there is an effort to use this ethnic rivalry for the benefit of Islamic expansionism by the side of World Islamists but most of Albanians, everywhere, are very severe as to their opposition to Sharia mentality... even the ones who are Muslims by family. It is not in chance that the metropol of Beqtashism, one of the most open minded and supressed during the late years of Ottoman empire, mystical Islamic (and Shamanist) sects, is in Albania.
For being sure that the conflict in Kosovo is not a religion based one someone may look at the deadly enmity that existed until very recent times between Catholic Croatians and Orthodox Serbs, both Christians... they have a most terryfing history of massacres between them.
Unfortunately, there is a bitter fact that is real, despite of our tries to sublimate things in order to have a unified front against Islamism: Serbs went through a mass nationalistic hystery in their recent history, a paroxysm that got them able to go even to mass execution like behaviours against the others (see Srebrenica)... There were many murders of disagreeing Serbs, inside Serbia, from Serbs themselves amidst this mass nationalistic paroxysm. And, every serious historian knows how Orthodoxy is intermingled with the most strict nationalist notions, especially in Slavic countries.
And... most doubtlessly: all of Albanians are not Muslims. A big part of their population all over the world (not only in Albania, Kosovo or Tetovo) are Christians, both Catholics and Orthodox. Going to generalizations for the sake of having a simplistic 'black and white' life chart in our minds, making dealing with life's issues look easy is by no way a solution. And... it ends up in very unjust life views and undertakings.
Btw... sure, I personally support wholeheartedly the international protection of the Serbian churches. Indeed, if they remain unprotected they may be destructed. Be the reasons of their possible destruction religious or ethnic does not matter... the important thing is saving them. Though that is another issue...
That is, what is left of the Serb Christian churches and monasteries. 150 of them have been already destroyed by Kosovar Albanian mobs, with the huge, heavily armed hordes of the US and NATO "peacekeepers" just standing there watching. 100 of those were not only Christian places of worship, but treasures of world culture, on the UN's UNESCO World Heritage Site list. Those churches and monasteries had survived 500 years of brutal Islamic Turkish rule, and 4 years of the brutal Nazi German rule, but did not survive even the 1st year of the US and NATO "peacekeeping". What has been done to the Serbian Christian is that their soul has been taken out and destroyed.
The unspeakable evil the Western democracies did unto the Serb people. The evil. All to please the Muslims.
Every time I think about it, I understand the line: "God hates the Coward". I knew all along that this kind of pure evil will not go unpunished. And I was not surprised at all when I woke up to 9/11. Too bad, those who were killed were not Clinton, or Albright, or Wesley Clark, or Chriostopher Hill, or William Walker, but regular American folks who, out of ignorance or apathy let our criminal government do evil in their name.
Ruslan Tokhchukov, EnragedSince1999.
Countries have historically become "Muslim" countries by Muslims either becoming the majority in a country or the most densely populated in areas, and then demanding "freedom" to be separate entities or to practice (and ultimately impose) Sharia law.
(We'll see how those few Catholic Albanians fare under Muslim rule.)