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Editor's Comments on Kosovo The biggest controversy in the Balkans is Kosovo and its claim to independence. The question for a hundred years has been; should it belong to the Serbs, Albanians or is it a special Kosovar nation? There is much strife between the Serbs and Albanians (Kosovars) concerning these claims. I. In ancient times there was the Illyricums which Paul mentions in Romans 15:19. It is believed that the Albanians are descendants from them. Illyricum was mainly along the Balkans west coast. There are no ancient records of their tribes being in Kosovo but surely there were times when they were there. II. The Serbs moved into the Balkans in the 7th and 8th centuries. Kosovo was the center of their civilization. III. The oldest records of Kosovo come from the year 1330: > The records show 89 settlements, 2166 households - 2,122 Serbian households (98%) 44 Albanian households (2%) IV. At the Battle of Kosovo (1389), John Fine writes in his book The Early Medieval Balkans. “It also should be noted that in the Middle Ages there was no sign of friction between the two peoples [Serbs and Albanians] and it is almost certain that the Albanians (in the fourteenth century [who were] all Christians) fought alongside Serbs at the Battle of Kosovo against the Turks.” V. Because of the Islamic Turk domination and the many wars in the area between the years of 1876 and 1919, there are records of either Serbs immigrating north or being driven north by ethnic cleansing. But in 1948, after World War II, the records show a major shift in ethnic inhabitants. > 498,242 Albanians (68.46%) 171,911 Serbs (23.62%) 28,050 Montenegrins (3.86%) VI. Present Day - (2002) 87% Albanians 7% Serbs 3% Muslims (Bosniaks and Gorani) 2% Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians 2% Turks The above information mainly taken from: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index; _ylt=Ap2VTBMyMSLeyafMBqHkEcJFzKIX; _ylv=3?qid=20091214112057AAEAOlG The fact is, that in the past 150 years the Albanians (Kosovars) have come to dominate the land that the Serbs count as their “Jerusalem”. The Serbs may have originally been swept out by outside powers or by birth-rate demographics, but they have held a grudge with vengeance. Then in 1998 (six hundred years after the Battle of Kosovo) the Serbs decided to take it back. It is debated back and forth whether they conducted genocide or not but they were determined to rule over the Kosovars with a strong arm. They had to be convinced otherwise by NATO bombs being dropped on Serbia. From my study of the history of Kosovo, my opinion is: I. Since recorded history shows it was the center of Serbian civilization in the Middle Ages then they can claim it as their “Jerusalem”. II. I believe they were pushed out but that it was not necessarily the Albanians. My question is did the Ottoman Turks repopulate Kosovo with Albanians because the Serbs would not convert to Islam? III. I cannot say the Serbs are the holy ones in this conflict because in Serbia today there is less than 0.1% that has a Biblical worldview. The fact is, world history has turned against the Serbs. IV. I do think the Kosovars have carved out a culture that is their own and not part of Serbia or Albania. V. If the Serbs want to hang on to the idea of Kosovo as their “Jerusalem”, then look how the Jews have returned to their homeland. You never know, history could favor the Serbs someday. VI. The main thing is that the hatred between these two neighbors can only be solved by a change of heart. They need to respect each other. VII. The Kosovars are bound by Islam and there needs to be a move of God in Kosovo. |
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