This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: "Ashkali and Balkan Egyptians" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
The Ashkali (Serbian: Ашкалије, romanized: Aškalije), also Hashkali (Serbian: Хашкалије, romanized: Haškalije), and Balkan Egyptians (Serbian: Балкански Египћани, romanized: Balkanski Egipćani; Albanian: Komuniteti i Egjiptianëve të Ballkanit; Macedonian: Ѓупци, romanized: Gjupci) are Albanian-speaking ethnic cultural minorities (recognized communities), unrelated to each other, which mainly inhabit Kosovo, and in the case of Balkan Egyptians Albania as well. Due to lack of studies, the communities in Kosovo are often grouped together based on their skin colour. Prior to the Kosovo War of 1999, the Ashkali people registered themselves as Albanians.[9]
During the Kosovo War, Kosovo's Ashkali people were displaced as refugees in Albania, Serbia and Macedonia and the whole of Western Europe, such as Germany and France. The Ashkali identity was created in 1999, as they tried to show their pro-Albanian stance and distinguish themselves from the Roma.[10]
Balkan Egyptian History
The first arrival of Balkan Egyptians was during the Iron Age, at the reigns of Seti I and Ramesses II, who imported iron to the Balkans. According to Herodotus' texts, during the Ancient period, among the Greeks and other Balkan populations, people of Egyptian origin lived in their neighbourhood. Furthermore, some temples of the Goddess Isis have been preserved around the Balkans, most famously the ones in modern Ohrid and Bitola.[11]
Their presence in the Balkans is mentioned throughout Antiquity and the Middle Ages. A 14th-century reference to a placename (Агѹповы клѣти, Agupovy klěti) in the Rila Charter of Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria is thought to be related to the Balkan Egyptians according to some authors, such as Konstantin Josef Jireček.[12][13]
With the arrival of the Romani people in Europe, historical sources reveal a confusion between the two communities, caused by the Romani's identification as "Egyptian", for a greater priviledge in society. However, unlike Balkan Egyptians who were integrated in their respective countries, the Roma lived a nomadic lifestyle while mantaining their Indo-Aryan language and traditions. On the other hand, B. Egyptians were already part of the society where they lived. One example is a Document from 1362 in the Archives of Dubrovnik where two brothers, Vlaho and Vitan who bear Croatian Christian names indicating their assimilation, are mentioned as Egyptian. During this period the Romani were still Nomads. [14]
In 1990, an "Egyptian association" was formed in Ohrid, North Macedonia, which was attended by representatives from different Balkan countries.
The Ashkali and The Kosovo War
During the Kosovo War, Albanized Roma were displaced as refugees in Albania and the Republic of Macedonia. Albanized Roma formed the ethnic group Ashkali after the end of the war in 1999, to show their pro-Albanian stance and distinguish themselves from the Roma, who had been mistakenly viewed as pro-Serbian during the war. Many Albanized Roma were also sent to refugee camps with other Roma, with whom they did not share the same language and customs.[9] As the majority of Kosovo (or Albanized) Roma, many Ashkali refugees settled in Serbia and Montenegro.
The first Ashkali party (Democratic Party of the Ashkali Albanians of Kosovo) was formed in 2000 under Sabit Rrahmani, who supported Kosovo independence in the name of all Ashkali.[9]
In Kosovo, the Ashkali were aligned with Albanians before, during and after the Kosovo War.[9] However, Ashkali, along with Romani Gypsies from Kosovo, have reportedly been expelled from the area.[15]
It's important to note that the Ashkali are not related to Balkan Egyptians, although they're often incorrectly grouped together by the Media because of their darker skin pigmentation, as well as their status as native Albanian speaking minorites.
Demographics
Most Ashkali live in Kosovo and North Macedonia, but they also reside in , Serbia and Montenegro, while most Balkan Egyptians are thought to live in Albania, other than Kosovo. In the Macedonian census of 2002, 3,713 people identified as Egyptian, while in the Serbian census of 2002 (excluding Kosovo), 814 people identified as Egyptian. In the Montenegrin census, on the other hand, 225 people identified as Egyptian.
Ashkali are predominant in the central and eastern regions of Kosovo: Ferizaj, Fushë Kosova and Lipjan. Kosovo's Egyptian community is mostly to be found in its western part: in Gjakova, Istog, Peja and Deçan. The Ashkali as well as the Egyptian community of Kosovo had 98% unemployment in 2009.[16]
In Albania, however, the Balkan Egyptian community is fully integrated into albanian society and culture, having a high educational and employment rate as well, although a good percentage of the community don't identify as Balkan Egyptian because of negative stereotypes about coloured people. Despite the fact that most Balkan Egyptians tend to have typical meditarrenean features, fair skin and light features are not uncommon.
Culture
An "Ashkali flag" (Amëza e Ashkalive) was designed in 1999 by Abedin Toplica.
[18]
Marriages between Balkan Egyptians and Albanians are more frequent than marriages between Roma and Albanians, while marriages between B. Egyptians and Romani people are rare. In Albania, Balkan Egyptians are fully integrated into albanian culture and have followed their regional traditions and customs.
In Kosovo on the other hand, Roma and Ashkalia do not classify one another as Gadje.[16] The Ashkali and Roma claim the Egyptians as their own; whereas the Ashkali and Egyptians dispute over each other's background.[9] No television or radio channels are dedicated to Kosovo's Ashkali or Egyptian minority audiences.[16]
Kosovo
North Macedonia
Albania
Serbia
Montenegro
Croatia