Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2013 16:40:39 GMT -5
"The Mussulmanised Serbs, known as Arnauts, are the bitterest foes of the Serb."
Lord H.Temperley
Lord H.Temperley
More widespread conversion to Islam took place in the 17th and the first half of 18th centuries, when ethnic Albanians began to wield more influence on political events in these regions. Many Serbs accepted Islamization as a necessary evil, waiting for the moment when they could revert to the faith of their ancestors, but most of them never lived to see that day. The first few generations of Islamized Serbs preserved their language and observed their old customs (especially slava - the family patron saint day, and the Easter holiday).
But several generations later, owing to a strong ethnic Albanian environment, they gradually began adopting the Albanian dress to safety, and outside their narrow family circle they spoke the Albanian language. Thus came into being a special kind of social mimicry which enabled converts to survive.
Albanization began only when Islamized Serbs, who were void of national feeling, married girls from ethnic Albanian tribal community. For a long time Orthodox Serbs called their Albanized compatriots Arnautasi, until the memory of their Serbian origin waned completely, though old customs and legends about their ancestors were passed on from one generation to the next.
For a long time the Arnautasi felt neither like Turks nor ethnic Albanians, because their customs and traditions set them apart, and yet they did not feel like Serbs either, who considered Orthodoxy to be their prime national trait. Many Arnautasi retained their old surnames until the turn of the last century. In Drenica the Arnautasi bore such surnames as Dokic, Velic, Marusic, Zonic, Racic, Gecic, which unquestionably indicated their Serbian origin.
The situation was similar in Pec and its surroundings where many Islamized and Albanized Serbs carries typically Serbian surnames: Stepanovic, Bojkovic, Dekic, Lekic, Stojkovic, etc. The eastern parts of Kosovo and Metohia, with their compact Serbian settlements, were the last to undergo Islamization. The earliest Islamization in Upper Morava and Izmornik is pinpointed as taking place in the first decades of the 18th century, and the latest in 1870s.
Toponyms in many ethnic Albanian villages in Kosovo show that Serbs had lived there the preceding centuries, and in some places Orthodox cemeteries were shielded against desecrators by ethnic Albanians themselves, because they knew that the graves of their own ancestors lay there.
In the late 18th century, all the people of Gora, the mountain region near Prizren were converted to Islam. However they succeeded in preserving their language and avoiding Albanization. There were also cases of conversion of Serbs to Islam in the second half of 19th century, especially during the Crimean War, again to save their lives, honor and property, though far more pronounced at the time was the process of emigration, since families, sometimes even entire villages, fled to Serbia or Montenegro.
Fearing the renewed Serbian state, Kosovo (Albanian) pashas engaged in ruthless persecution in an effort to reduce number of Serbs living in their spacious holdings. A French travel writer was astounded by the utter anarchy and ferocity of the local pashas towards the Christians. Jashar-pasha Gjinolli of Prishtina was one of the worst, destroying several churches in Kosovo, seizing monastic lands and killing monks.
In just a few years of sweeping terror, he evicted more than seventy Serbian villages between Vucitrn and Gnjilane...dividing up the seized land among the local Islamized population and mountain folk that had settled there from northern Albanian.
The fertile plains of Kosovo became desolate meadows as the Malisor highlanders, unused to farming knew not to cultivate. Extensive anthropo-geographic research indicates that about 30% of the present-day ethnic Albanian population of Kosovo and Metohia is of Serbian origin.
F.C.H.L Pouqueville
French traveller and writer
But several generations later, owing to a strong ethnic Albanian environment, they gradually began adopting the Albanian dress to safety, and outside their narrow family circle they spoke the Albanian language. Thus came into being a special kind of social mimicry which enabled converts to survive.
Albanization began only when Islamized Serbs, who were void of national feeling, married girls from ethnic Albanian tribal community. For a long time Orthodox Serbs called their Albanized compatriots Arnautasi, until the memory of their Serbian origin waned completely, though old customs and legends about their ancestors were passed on from one generation to the next.
For a long time the Arnautasi felt neither like Turks nor ethnic Albanians, because their customs and traditions set them apart, and yet they did not feel like Serbs either, who considered Orthodoxy to be their prime national trait. Many Arnautasi retained their old surnames until the turn of the last century. In Drenica the Arnautasi bore such surnames as Dokic, Velic, Marusic, Zonic, Racic, Gecic, which unquestionably indicated their Serbian origin.
The situation was similar in Pec and its surroundings where many Islamized and Albanized Serbs carries typically Serbian surnames: Stepanovic, Bojkovic, Dekic, Lekic, Stojkovic, etc. The eastern parts of Kosovo and Metohia, with their compact Serbian settlements, were the last to undergo Islamization. The earliest Islamization in Upper Morava and Izmornik is pinpointed as taking place in the first decades of the 18th century, and the latest in 1870s.
Toponyms in many ethnic Albanian villages in Kosovo show that Serbs had lived there the preceding centuries, and in some places Orthodox cemeteries were shielded against desecrators by ethnic Albanians themselves, because they knew that the graves of their own ancestors lay there.
In the late 18th century, all the people of Gora, the mountain region near Prizren were converted to Islam. However they succeeded in preserving their language and avoiding Albanization. There were also cases of conversion of Serbs to Islam in the second half of 19th century, especially during the Crimean War, again to save their lives, honor and property, though far more pronounced at the time was the process of emigration, since families, sometimes even entire villages, fled to Serbia or Montenegro.
Fearing the renewed Serbian state, Kosovo (Albanian) pashas engaged in ruthless persecution in an effort to reduce number of Serbs living in their spacious holdings. A French travel writer was astounded by the utter anarchy and ferocity of the local pashas towards the Christians. Jashar-pasha Gjinolli of Prishtina was one of the worst, destroying several churches in Kosovo, seizing monastic lands and killing monks.
In just a few years of sweeping terror, he evicted more than seventy Serbian villages between Vucitrn and Gnjilane...dividing up the seized land among the local Islamized population and mountain folk that had settled there from northern Albanian.
The fertile plains of Kosovo became desolate meadows as the Malisor highlanders, unused to farming knew not to cultivate. Extensive anthropo-geographic research indicates that about 30% of the present-day ethnic Albanian population of Kosovo and Metohia is of Serbian origin.
F.C.H.L Pouqueville
French traveller and writer
Namely, in spite of its relatively short duration, the Turkish-Tatar war of 1687-92 under Arap-pasha from Anatolia brought fatal consequences. The destruction of Visoki Decani monastery, the looting and devastation of villages caused a large and numerous conversion of Orthodox Serbs to Islam. This also happened to the entire tribe of the Krasnici whose Serbian, that is, old previous name was Krastenic and who from then on were completely Albanized.
It is interesting to note that the German sources from the pen of Prof Hopf referred to by S Gopcevic also bring into question the origins of the Gegi, a north Albanian tribe, ascribing to it a Slav origin which, at least according to the testimony of these authors, is also reflected in the noticeable difference in relation to the south Albanian tribe, the Tosks This difference appears in language, dress, customs and, allegedly, also in physionomy
Passing through Kosovo and Metohia, S Gopcevic stayed awhile in Prizren Besides the statistical data which he gathered, he also pointed out the incredible rate of the Islamization of the Serbs Thus, in Prizren, for example, a town of 60,000 inhabitants, he establishes that there are 11,000 Christian Serbs but as many as 36,000 Islamized ones with the remaining population being Turks, Albanians, Tzintzars and Gypsies
He portrayed Djakovica as a place of 4,100 households of which all of 16 ! belonged to Christian Serbs, 450 belonged to Gypsies, 130 to Catholic Albanians and the rest to Islamicised Albanians, all of them Albanized Serbs " who are among the greatest fanatics which, as is already well known, is always the case with renegades"
Of Pec he says there were 2,530 households of which 1,600 were Mohammedan, 700 Christian Serbs, 200 Catholic Albanians, 10 Turkish etc Very significant is his observation that the number of mosques in proportion to such a numerous Moslem population was negligible This fact well illustrates that Islam was a new phenomenon in Metohia at that time.
Finally, here are a few facts about Pristina which, he says, had 3,510 households, 350 belonging to Christian Serbs, 2,600 ! to Mohammedan Serbs, 260 to Turks, 70 to Jews, 70 to Albanians etc Other, small settlements have not been left out but we will interpret them within the framework of*general statistical table.
In concluding this chapter, it is important to mention that S Gopcevic, the author of the book cited did not begin his study tour and investigation because of the Albanian problem He was primarily concerned with Serbo-Bulgarian relations and the problem of the Albanians was, according to scientific practice, treated as an objectively existing element of the reality of the time which thereby only increases the reliability of his testimony
Hugo Roth
Kosovo Origins
Pathfinder Press
1995
It is interesting to note that the German sources from the pen of Prof Hopf referred to by S Gopcevic also bring into question the origins of the Gegi, a north Albanian tribe, ascribing to it a Slav origin which, at least according to the testimony of these authors, is also reflected in the noticeable difference in relation to the south Albanian tribe, the Tosks This difference appears in language, dress, customs and, allegedly, also in physionomy
Passing through Kosovo and Metohia, S Gopcevic stayed awhile in Prizren Besides the statistical data which he gathered, he also pointed out the incredible rate of the Islamization of the Serbs Thus, in Prizren, for example, a town of 60,000 inhabitants, he establishes that there are 11,000 Christian Serbs but as many as 36,000 Islamized ones with the remaining population being Turks, Albanians, Tzintzars and Gypsies
He portrayed Djakovica as a place of 4,100 households of which all of 16 ! belonged to Christian Serbs, 450 belonged to Gypsies, 130 to Catholic Albanians and the rest to Islamicised Albanians, all of them Albanized Serbs " who are among the greatest fanatics which, as is already well known, is always the case with renegades"
Of Pec he says there were 2,530 households of which 1,600 were Mohammedan, 700 Christian Serbs, 200 Catholic Albanians, 10 Turkish etc Very significant is his observation that the number of mosques in proportion to such a numerous Moslem population was negligible This fact well illustrates that Islam was a new phenomenon in Metohia at that time.
Finally, here are a few facts about Pristina which, he says, had 3,510 households, 350 belonging to Christian Serbs, 2,600 ! to Mohammedan Serbs, 260 to Turks, 70 to Jews, 70 to Albanians etc Other, small settlements have not been left out but we will interpret them within the framework of*general statistical table.
In concluding this chapter, it is important to mention that S Gopcevic, the author of the book cited did not begin his study tour and investigation because of the Albanian problem He was primarily concerned with Serbo-Bulgarian relations and the problem of the Albanians was, according to scientific practice, treated as an objectively existing element of the reality of the time which thereby only increases the reliability of his testimony
Hugo Roth
Kosovo Origins
Pathfinder Press
1995