Islamic Religious Ideology

Although geopgraphy has connected it with Europe,the Albanian people were compelled for the first time
to separate after the Turkish conquests,in the 15th century. The Ottoman Empire raised a wall between the Albanians and Europe,firstly with its Islamic religous ideology as its
official ideology,but not only with it.Turkish conquest violated heavily the natural development of the Albanian people:
it cuts its connections it had created with Europe;it changed the direction that it was taking;it messed up its life rhythm
that it had created up to that point.By pulling it away from Europe,in nearly all fields,the Turkish conquest will delay
the development of the Albanian people in all its domains:material,economic,cultural,educational,urban.
A different faith,different juridical code,different moral principles,a different way of life that did not agree with the faith,
customary code,and popular way of life,will endanger heavily the spiritual and cultural identity of the Albanian people,
built from one side upon a patriarchal native culture,and on the other hand upon the classical Roman culture and
Christianity.That the Albanian people in no way agreed with its pulling away from Europe is proved by the following:
its struggles under the leadership of Scanderbeg (Skenderbeu),anti-Turkish continuous uprisings,and a rich cultural
creativity.Even though the motives of 25-years long struggles of Scanderbeg against Turks are numerous,it is beyond
suspicion that one of them presents in the most striking way the preservation of common European environment,as
a threat for annihilating its spiritual and cultural identity,the Albanian people opposses thus the Turkish conquest during
all the centuries of its existence with all its strength,but most successfully with its language,culture and literature.
The penetration of the ideas of the Italian Revival,in the 15th and 16th century,and those of Rationalism and Illuminism
of the later centuries,translations of the holy books of Christianity,writing with Latin alphabet,the works of Buzuku,
Budi,Bardhi,Bogdani - all of these speak clearly that the Albanian people longed to be Europe even at a time when it
was East.The intention of all its struggles against the Turks,of the struggles waged with the sword and the struggles
waged with the pen,was the ruining of the wall that separated it from Europe.But the strongest proof of its endeauvers
to return to Europe is the Albanian National Revival.