Irreligion, atheism and agnosticism are present among Albanians (see religion in Albania), along with the predominant faiths of Islam and Christianity.[1] The majority of Albanians lead a secular life and reject religious considerations to shape or condition their way of life.[2]
Irreligion in Albania arose after a period of rising anti-clericalism and secularization in the context of the rising Albanian nationalism in the late Ottoman Empire. While authors in this period had at times used invective against religion, the first public advocate of abandoning religion itself was Ismet Toto in 1934[3] followed by works by Anastas Plasari in 1935.[4] Beginning in 1946 under communist rule in Albania, religion was first curtailed,[5] and then public religious practice was outlawed in 1967 with the adoption of state atheism by Enver Hoxha[6] although some private practice survived, and remained so until restrictions were first eased in 1985 and then removed in 1990[7] under his successor Ramiz Alia.[8] Polling by UNDP showed that large majorities of Albanians agree that nationalism, lack of religion and the ban of religion during communist rule have helped build the foundations of religious tolerance.[9]
Nowadays, estimations of the size of the irreligious population vary widely. The self declared atheist population has been given figures ranging from 2.5%[10] to 8%[11] to 9%[12] while other estimates of irreligiosity have reported figures of 39% declaring as "atheists"(9%) or "nonreligious"(30%),[12] 61% not saying religion was "important" to their lives,[12] and 72% "non-practicing".[13] Many Albanians identified as Muslims or Christians have been found to practice only few or none of their faith's observances. Based on studies conducted in 2008, 2009 and 2015, Albania was found out to be the 20th least religious country in the world, with 39% of the population being religious.[14]
Religious identity in Albania is typically assigned by attribution, usually by familial history, rather than actual practice.[15][16] Despite widespread lack of religious practice, some antipathy toward outward atheists has been detected in surveys[citation needed],[17][dead link] and while there are numerous public figures who openly declare themselves as atheist, there have also been complaints about negative public discourse toward atheists.[18]
^Bogdani, Mirela; Loughlin, John (2007). Albania and the European Union: The Tumultuous Journey Towards Integration and Accession. I.B.Tauris. p. 34. ISBN 978-1-84511-308-7.
^"Religious Tolerance in Albania" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 October 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
^Cite error: The named reference forToto was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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^"Religious Tolerance in Albania" (PDF). pp. 45–46. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 October 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
^Cite error: The named reference census was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Zuckerman, Phil (2006). "Atheism: Contemporary Numbers and Patterns". In Martin, Michael (ed.). The Cambridge Companion to Atheism. Cambridge University Press. pp. 47–66. ISBN 9780521842709.
^ abcCite error: The named reference BademWINGallup was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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^"Mapped: The world's most (and least) religious countries". The Telegraph. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
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^Cite error: The named reference Rugova was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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