New Kosovo

PRISTINA — Driving through the traffic-choked streets of Kosovo’s capital Pristina leaves an impression of a growing Western influence in the world’s newest independent state.

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The first thing a visitor sees in central Pristina is a huge picture of former US president Bill Clinton in recognition of his role in pushing for NATO intervention in 1999 to stop ethnic cleansing by Serbian troops.

Not very far stands the American School of Kosovo, one of many Western educational institutions in Europe’s newborn state.

Near the government premises, vendors are selling the flags of Kosovo and other Western countries, especially the US and Britain.

Celebrating the independence declarations in February, many residents were flying the American flags hand in hand with the new flag of Kosovo.

The walls were decorated with “Thank You US” inscriptions.

The US, which has been popular in Kosovo since the NATO military intervention, was one of the earliest countries to recognize the new state.

The branches and ads of German Bank ProCredit are almost everywhere you go in Pristina.

The Western influence is also evident in the University of Pristina.

The English and German departments at the Faculty of Arts have the aura of London and Berlin.

Both departments have been furnished with the state-of-the-art technology by the embassies of both countries.

Absent

But the growing western influence is raising concerns with some.

“There are more than 1,000 Western institutions in Kosovo,” historian Nexhat Ibrahim told IslamOnline.net.

“Some are working to lure the people into Christianity,” he said, citing the example of an Italian nuns school in the Brethern city.

“They are publicly proselytizing and have Muslim students in their classes.”

Nearly two million Muslim Albanians make up more than 95 percent of Kosovo’s population.

Conspicuous by their absence are Arab and Islamic symbols.

“This is because the issue of Kosovo is almost absent in the Arab and Muslim media,” Sharif Hassan, office director of a Saudi charity group, told IOL.

The vast majority of Arab and Muslim countries are yet to recognize the independence of Kosovo.

Ferid Agani, a medicine professor in the University of Pristina and a former lawmaker, warns against the repercussions of an absent Arab and Muslim role.

“Unless the Arab and Muslim role is restored, no one can predict the future of the newborn Muslim country and guarantee the perseverance of its Islamic identity.”

Source: IslamOnline.net

2 Responses to “New Kosovo”

1. Paul Andreus says:

   March 1, 2010 at 12:32 AM

   This country is developing. The capital has many buildings of modern buildings.

   [Reply to this Comment]
2. Jocasta says:

   March 1, 2010 at 12:33 AM

   I want to know the architecture of this country.

   [Reply to this Comment]