Regions with significant populations | |
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Durrës | |
Languages | |
Bosnian · Albanian | |
Religion | |
Sunni Islam | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Bosniaks |
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Bosniaks |
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Bosniaks in Albania (Albanian: Boshnjakët në Shqipëri; Bosnian: Bošnjaci u Albaniji) are an ethnic minority living within the Republic of Albania.
The Bosniak community of the Shijak area whose presence dates back to 1875 inhabits almost entirely the village of Borakaj and in the neighbouring village Koxhas they live alongside Albanians and form a minority.[1] Bosniaks from these settlements have also settled in Durrës, Shijak and in 1924 some went and settled in the village of Libofshë where they have mostly become linguistically integrated.[1]
With the emergence of the Great Eastern Crisis, in particular the events of the Herzegovina Uprising in 1875 Bosniaks from the Herzegovina Mostar area migrated and resettled in Northern Albania in the Shijak area.[1] On October 13, 2017, Albania passed a Law on National Minorities that recognised nine minorities, including the Bosniak one.[2][3] Despite the great isolation, the Bosniaks in Albania have preserved their language, culture and customs to this day.
On October 13, 2017, the Albanian Parliament passed the Law on the Protection of National Minorities in the Republic of Albania. In it the Bosniaks were declared a national minority. According to the law, Bosniaks have the right to learn their own language (Bosnian) as part of the regular curriculum. In addition, Bosniaks in Albania now have the right to indicate their ethnicity in censuses.