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If I am not mistaken, “ethnic Albanians” = Mooslims. Funny how that never makes it into the news stories.

That is, for all practical purposes, true in Kosovo. It is not necessarily true in Albania. From a geopolitical standpoint, Albania is one of the front lines in the faceoff between Islam and Christianity, with both sides pouring in resources.

Albania had a 25 year period of atheist rule under Envar Hoxha. Albania is still feeling the effects of that, and many are still religious by heritage, not by practice. Prior to the atheist rule, the stats were approximately 70% Muslim, 30% Christian.

Albania is still open. I know people who have taught the Bible in the public schools of Albania. I have personally attended a Sunday worship service in a rented public building in downtown Tirana. I have friends, both Albanian and American, who are currently missionaries in Albania.

I have been personally involved in Albania and, to a lesser extent, Kosovo. We have to do things under the radar in Kosovo. Not so in Albania. And, like I said earlier, in many ways it represents the front lines in the great conflict. And there is hope.

(One more little tidbit: Believe it or not, according to a multi-national poll a few years ago, Albania is the most pro-American country on Earth--probably even more pro-American than we are.)