A Christian rights watchdog reports that believers in the Southeast European nation of Kosovo are experiencing widespread persecution despite official laws protecting freedom of religion. The country which separated from Serbia 16-years ago is overwhelmingly Muslim. Just six-percent of the population is Christian.
The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe said evangelical churches have been especially persecuted by local bureacracies at administrative levels. “While the right to freedom of religion is enshrined in Kosovo’s constitution, discrimination and violence are unfortunately still fairly widespread against the Christian minorities in the country,” said Executive Director Anja Hoffmann.
She told Christian Daily International that: “Because the law does not provide for any mechanism to obtain legal status through registration, it is not possible for religious communities to own property, open bank accounts or employ staff as a collective entity.” Evangelicals also report discrimination in accessing property and burial legal rights, which prevents them from conducting funeral services according to their beliefs.
Ms. Hoffman cited recent violent anti-Christian hate crimes directed against Serbian Orthodox, Catholic and other historic churches. “Tragically, there has been widespread desecration of Serbian Orthodox cemeteries in the past years. These incidents reveal the intersection of religion and ethnicity in the case of some of the anti-Christian hate crimes in Kosovo,” she explained.
Reverend Artur Krasniqi who has led the Fellowship of the Lord’s People evangelical church in the capital Pristina for nearly 25 years, told Christian Daily International that the persecution of evangelical Christians is “a subtle silent persecution and discrimination by laws, It’s not easy for us.”
One example he gave is that when Christians die, their families have no choice but to give them a Muslim burial ceremony led by an imam in a Muslim graveyard. “So, every Christian has to think about how they want to be buried – it is unbelievable,” Reverend Krasniqi observed, adding that: “We try to look at the challenges as opportunities for the Gospel. We haven’t given up and have both the energy and desire to change this situation for the better, as a heritage for our children. No matter that Islamic radicalisation is rising here, I have hope for this country.”
He noted that while an Orthodox church recently acquired 24 hectares of land from the state, an evangelical church would be challenged to get a plot of land that’s one percent of that amount. Reverend Krasniqi revealed than when his church opened as the first known Albanian-speaking Kosovo church in the world 1958, the Communist rulers at the time told him: “Even if Christ himself descends into this yard, you will have no church here’
He and his fellow Christians initially rejoiced when the bombs from NATO airstrikes rained down on Pristina during the Kosovo War in 1999 despite the danger. But that changed when the war ended and the Serbian population turned on ethnic Albanians, refusing them to sell them bread during critical shortages. The Reverend hopes his family never suffers from ethnic discrimination again.
“The evangelical church in Kosovo has grown in numbers but it has grown weak in quality. 25 years ago, we were small but serving refugees, and everyone was willing to serve, but today people are more concerned how much they will get paid. People are not willing to serve like those days,” he reflected.
Last month. he joined a 15-strong group of pastors and evangelical leaders from other European countries in a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican. Francis encouraged those present to preach the Gospel and pray more intently.
