Bujar Spahiu has been re-elected to the head of the Albanian Muslim Community amid protests by a part of the mufti and a group of believers, who accuse him of being a 'Gülenist'.
Elections in the KMSH took place this Saturday, as a group of believers protested outside the Tirana Medrese building, where the new head of the community would be considered. In the end, Bujar Spahiu received 82 votes from the 92 members of the presidency who participated in the vote. The protesters accused current leaders of Gülenists and members of the FETO group, who have been declared terrorists in Turkey, but not in Albania.
Purge of the Albanian Muslim Community from what Turkey calls 'Gülenist terrorists' is an early demand by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. This request has even been imposed, albeit unoffitively, as a condition for the opening of the Mosque of Prayer.
Her work began in May 2015 during a visit to Albania by Erdogan. At their departure ceremony, he was accompanied by the late President of Albania, Bujar Nishani, but not by the head of the SGD, Skender Bruçaj.
At that time, Erdogan had declared Fethullah Gülen and his organizations an enemy and demanded that Albania expel his associated educational and health institutions. A year later, on July 15, 2016, the failed coup d'etat took place, which Erdogan blames Gulen for.
According to Erdogan, the Albanian Muslim Community is captured by Gülenists, at least since the leadership of Skender Brucaj, the predecessor of Bujar Spahiu. In 2019, Skender Brucaj withdrew from re-running for head of the KMSH. In a television interview after the verdict, he compared public attacks on Gülenists to the "gulags" of the communist regime.
After the Coup of July 15, 2016, Erdogan de facto conditioned the opening of the Mosque of Prayer, an investment of the Turkish Muslim Community on the departure of Gülenists from the KMSH.
The mosque was originally due to open in 2019, the deadline was extended without reason to 2021, and currently, although the works have been completed, it still remains hostage to the conditions set by Erdogan, conditions reiterated to Edi Ram on his last visit to Ankara.