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Ashkali and Balkan Egyptians

May 18, 2023

"Ashkali" redirects here. For the village in Iran, see Ashkali, Iran.

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 Muslim ethnic cultural minorities (recognized communities),[9] which mainly inhabit Kosovo and southern Serbia as well as Albania, Montenegro, and North Macedonia.[10] Prior to the Kosovo War of 1999, the Balkan Egyptians or Ashkali people registered themselves as Albanians.[11] While some Ashkali speak Montenegrin language, Egyptians do usually not.[12] The two groups are not clearly delineated. On the other hand, they differ linguistically and culturally from the Roma, even though they have often been grouped together under the acronym RAE.[13]

Ashkali and Balkan Egyptians
Komuniteti Ashkali dhe Komuniteti i Egjiptianëve të Ballkanit
Regions with significant populations
 Kosovo26,960[1][a]
 North Macedonia3,713[2][b]
 Albania3,368[3][b]
 Serbia2,831[4][5][c]
 Montenegro2,054[6][b]
 Croatia172[7]
Languages
Albanian
Religion
Sunni Islam[8]

History

The origins of the Balkan Egyptians are obscure. But some Balkan historians trace the origin of Balkan Egyptians to the Iron Age, citing vague references in Herodotus of the presence of Khener, an Ancient Egyptians dance group in the region. They also attribute archaeological structures in the area, notably in modern Ohrid and Bitola, as temples of the Goddess Isis, but the Mysteries of Isis was widespread in the Greco-Roman world.[14] It is also possible, that the Balkan Egyptians are traces back to the Doms in Egypt,[15] other versions are, that after the Ottoman–Egyptian invasion of Mani, Egyptian soldiers went to Albania and become the ancestors.[16] However, historians maintain that during the Ottoman era the 'Balkan Egyptians' and other Balkan Roma were part of a single community, who called by the Ottomans Kıbti (literally 'Copts', reflecting the same group encompassed by the English ethnonym for the Roma, ('Gypsies'). They see the alternative origins as part of a larger phenomenon whereby groups such as the Ashkali and Balkan Egyptians, as part of an effort to achieve greater civil emancipation and to escape anti-Roma prejudice, made an effort to separate themselves from other Roma and constructed a novel history for their peoples.[17]

A 14th-century reference to a placename (Агѹповы клѣти, Agupovy klěti) in the Rila Charter of Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria was thought by some authors, such as Konstantin Josef Jireček, to be related to the Balkan Egyptians, possible descendants from the Doms in Egypt.[18][19]

In 1990, an "Egyptian association" was formed in Ohrid, and they also formed the Egyptian Liberal Party North Macedonia, which was attended by representatives from different Balkan countries.

History of Ashkali

The origin of the Ashkali remains scientifically unexplained. The Ashkali community leaders have constructed a few narratives. According to the Persian narrative, the Ashkali people have originated in Persia in the 4th century. According to the Italian narrative, which is based on folk etymology, they are colonists from the ancient Rome. According to the Semitic narrative, they originated in Ashkelon (now Israel).[20]

The Ashkali were aligned with Albanians before, during and after the Kosovo war.[11] During the war, many were sent to refugee camps with the Romani people in Kosovo.[11] After the war ended in 1999, some of them reaffirmed their identity as Ashkali to show their pro-Albanian stance and distinguish themselves from the Arlije and Gurbeti Roma, who had been mistakenly viewed as pro-Serbian. However, viewed by the majority population as pro-Serbian Gypsies, they were persecuted by Albanian nationalists in plain sight of the NATO forces. As the majority of Kosovo Roma, many of them settled in Serbia and Montenegro. Others moved to Albania, Serbia and Macedonia and the whole of Western Europe, such as Germany and France.[13]

The first Ashkali party (Democratic Ashkali Party of Kosovo) was formed in 2000 under Sabit Rrahmani, who supported Kosovo independence in the name of all Ashkali.[11]

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.[21]

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 do not identify as Balkan Egyptian due to cultural integration. Despite the fact that most Balkan Egyptians tend to have typical Mediterranean features, fair skin and light features are not uncommon.

Culture

 
An Ashkali flag (Amëza e Ashkalive) was designed in 1999 by Abedin Toplica.[23]

Marriages between Balkan Egyptians and Albanians are more frequent than marriages between Roma and Albanians, while marriages between Balkan 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.[21] Ashakali and Balkan Egyptians reject having any relation with the Roma.[24] The Ashkali and Roma claim the Egyptians as their own; whereas the Ashkali and Egyptians dispute over each other's background.[11] No television or radio channels are dedicated to Kosovo's Ashkali or Egyptian minority audiences.[21] Circumcision celebrations of their sons are pompously organized by the Ashkaelia and Balkan Egyptians.[25]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ 15,436 Ashkali and 11,524 Balkan Egyptians
  2. ^ a b c Identified as Balkan Egyptians
  3. ^ 1,834 Balkan Egyptians and 997 Ashkali at the 2011 census

References

  1. ^ "Population - by gender ethnicity at settlement level" (PDF). p. 11. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  2. ^ Statistički godišnik na Republika Makedonija (in Macedonian). 2007. p. 55. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  3. ^ "1.1.13 Popullsia banuese sipas përkatësisë etnike dhe kulturore sipas Përkatësia etnike dhe kulturore, Variabla dhe Viti" (xls). INSTAT - Instituti i Statistikave (in Albanian). Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  4. ^ (PDF) (in Serbian). Statistics of Serbia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 June 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  5. ^ "THIRD REPORT SUBMITTED BY SERBIA PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 25, PARAGRAPH 2 OF THE FRAMEWORK CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF NATIONAL MINORITIES". Council of Europe. pp. 14–15. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  6. ^ "STATISTIČKI GODIŠNJAK 2011" (PDF). Statistics of Montenegro: 46. Retrieved 31 July 2019. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. ^ "Population by ethnicity – detailed classification, 2011 Census". Census of Population, Households and Dwellings 2011. Zagreb: Croatian Bureau of Statistics. December 2012. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  8. ^ Nielsen, Jørgen; Akgönül, Samim; Alibašić, Ahmet; Racius, Egdunas, eds. (2013). Yearbook of Muslims in Europe, Volume 5. BRILL. p. 370. ISBN 9789004255869.
  9. ^ "Minority political representation: Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians". 19 April 2017.
  10. ^ "StackPath". 12 March 2018.
  11. ^ a b c d e Valeriu Nicolae; Hannah Slavik (2007). Roma Diplomacy. IDEA. ISBN 978-1-932716-33-7.
  12. ^ [FXB-Kosovo-Report-July-2014.pdf (harvard.edu) "Post-war Kosovo and its policies towards the Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian communities"]. Harvard: School of Public Health. July 2014. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  13. ^ a b Lichnofky, C. (2013). "Ashkali and Egyptians in Kosovo: New ethnic identifications as a result of exclusion during nationalist violence from 1990 till 2010". Romani Studies. 23 (1): 29–60. doi:10.3828/rs.2013.2. S2CID 143787353.
  14. ^ "Cult Of Isis in Ancient Rome | UNRV.com Roman History". Unrv.com. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  15. ^ Zemon, Rubin. "History of the Balkan Egyptians" (PDF).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ "Roma of Albania" (PDF). Center for Documentation and Information on Minorities in Europe - Southeast Europe (CEDIME-SE). Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  17. ^ Elena Marushiakova; Vesselin Popov, eds. (2021). "Chapetr 1: The Genesis of Roma Emancipation". Roma Voices in History. Brill. pp. 1–32 at 16 & 28. doi:10.30965/9783657705184_002. ISBN 978-3-657-70518-4. S2CID 242216553.
  18. ^ Даскалова, Ангелина; Мария Райкова (2005). Грамоти на българските царе (in Bulgarian). София: Академично издателство "Марин Дринов". p. 57.
  19. ^ Trubeta, Sevasti (March 2005). "Balkan Egyptians and Gypsy/Roma Discourse" (PDF). Nationalities Papers. 33 (1): 71–95. doi:10.1080/00905990500053788. S2CID 155028453.
  20. ^ Zemon, Rubin (April 2010). "History of Ashkali identity". In Ailincai, Aurora (ed.). Balkan Egyptians and Ashkali history. Council of Europe – via ResearchGate.
  21. ^ a b c "Notes made from the Ashkali and Egyptian communities for the shadow report on the Implementation of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities in Kosovo" (PDF). Minelres.lv. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  22. ^ . Archived from the original on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  23. ^ Abedin Toplica: "Flamuri Kombëtar i Ashkalive / Zastava Aškalija / The National Flag", Ashkali Horizonti, nr. 2, 2003 www.ashkali.org.yu "The flag is red with a black rising eagle in front of a green disk. The red and black color are similar to the Albanian flag. The green disk represent[s] Islam"
  24. ^ "Bildungsprojekt in Kosovo - "Diese Kinder Roma zu nennen, das wäre verletzend"". Deutschlandfunk. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  25. ^ Novik, Alexander (1 January 2020). "The Rite of Male Circumcision among the Muslim Population in the Western Balkans". Retrieved 9 April 2023 – via www.academia.edu. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

Footnotes

a.  

Cited works

  • Dragan Novaković, Potomci faraona u Srbiji, DT Magazin, 4. April 1998.
  • Marushiakova, Elena; Heuss, Herbert; Boev, Ivan; Rychlik, Jan; Ragaru, Nadege; Zemon, Rubin; Popov, Vesselin; Friedman, Victor (2001). Identity Formation among Minorities in the Balkans: The cases of Roms, Egyptians and Ashkali in Kosovo (PDF). Sofia: Minority Studies Society, Studii Romani.

External links

  • Gypsy Blood: The Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian IDPs of Mitrovica, Kosovo, 2005, archived from the original on 22 December 2021
  • TV Debate with Ashkali and Egyptian Community Members (in Albanian), ECMI Kosovo (Youtube channel), 12 February 2013, archived from the original on 22 December 2021
  • NEW ETHNIC IDENTITIES IN THE BALKANS: THE CASE OF THE EGYPTIANS
  • Egjiptianëve Kosovarë
  • The New Democratic Initiative of Kosovo (Iniciativa e re Demokrarike e Kosovës)
  • , based in Switzerland
  • Minority Rights Group
  • Ashkali flag at FAME

May 18, 2023
ashkali, balkan, egyptians, ashkali, redirects, here, village, iran, ashkali, iran, ashkali, serbian, Ашкалије, romanized, aškalije, also, hashkali, serbian, Хашкалије, romanized, haškalije, balkan, egyptians, serbian, Балкански, Египћани, romanized, balkanski. Ashkali redirects here For the village in Iran see Ashkali Iran The Ashkali Serbian Ashkaliјe romanized Askalije also Hashkali Serbian Hashkaliјe romanized Haskalije and Balkan Egyptians Serbian Balkanski Egipћani romanized Balkanski Egipcani Albanian Komuniteti i Egjiptianeve te Ballkanit Macedonian Ѓupci romanized Gjupci are Albanian speaking Muslim ethnic cultural minorities recognized communities 9 which mainly inhabit Kosovo and southern Serbia as well as Albania Montenegro and North Macedonia 10 Prior to the Kosovo War of 1999 the Balkan Egyptians or Ashkali people registered themselves as Albanians 11 While some Ashkali speak Montenegrin language Egyptians do usually not 12 The two groups are not clearly delineated On the other hand they differ linguistically and culturally from the Roma even though they have often been grouped together under the acronym RAE 13 Ashkali and Balkan EgyptiansKomuniteti Ashkali dhe Komuniteti i Egjiptianeve te BallkanitRegions with significant populations Kosovo26 960 1 a North Macedonia3 713 2 b Albania3 368 3 b Serbia2 831 4 5 c Montenegro2 054 6 b Croatia172 7 LanguagesAlbanianReligionSunni Islam 8 Contents 1 History 2 History of Ashkali 3 Demographics 4 Culture 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References 8 Footnotes 9 Cited works 10 External linksHistory EditThe origins of the Balkan Egyptians are obscure But some Balkan historians trace the origin of Balkan Egyptians to the Iron Age citing vague references in Herodotus of the presence of Khener an Ancient Egyptians dance group in the region They also attribute archaeological structures in the area notably in modern Ohrid and Bitola as temples of the Goddess Isis but the Mysteries of Isis was widespread in the Greco Roman world 14 It is also possible that the Balkan Egyptians are traces back to the Doms in Egypt 15 other versions are that after the Ottoman Egyptian invasion of Mani Egyptian soldiers went to Albania and become the ancestors 16 However historians maintain that during the Ottoman era the Balkan Egyptians and other Balkan Roma were part of a single community who called by the Ottomans Kibti literally Copts reflecting the same group encompassed by the English ethnonym for the Roma Gypsies They see the alternative origins as part of a larger phenomenon whereby groups such as the Ashkali and Balkan Egyptians as part of an effort to achieve greater civil emancipation and to escape anti Roma prejudice made an effort to separate themselves from other Roma and constructed a novel history for their peoples 17 A 14th century reference to a placename Agѹpovy klѣti Agupovy kleti in the Rila Charter of Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria was thought by some authors such as Konstantin Josef Jirecek to be related to the Balkan Egyptians possible descendants from the Doms in Egypt 18 19 In 1990 an Egyptian association was formed in Ohrid and they also formed the Egyptian Liberal Party North Macedonia which was attended by representatives from different Balkan countries History of Ashkali EditThe origin of the Ashkali remains scientifically unexplained The Ashkali community leaders have constructed a few narratives According to the Persian narrative the Ashkali people have originated in Persia in the 4th century According to the Italian narrative which is based on folk etymology they are colonists from the ancient Rome According to the Semitic narrative they originated in Ashkelon now Israel 20 The Ashkali were aligned with Albanians before during and after the Kosovo war 11 During the war many were sent to refugee camps with the Romani people in Kosovo 11 After the war ended in 1999 some of them reaffirmed their identity as Ashkali to show their pro Albanian stance and distinguish themselves from the Arlije and Gurbeti Roma who had been mistakenly viewed as pro Serbian However viewed by the majority population as pro Serbian Gypsies they were persecuted by Albanian nationalists in plain sight of the NATO forces As the majority of Kosovo Roma many of them settled in Serbia and Montenegro Others moved to Albania Serbia and Macedonia and the whole of Western Europe such as Germany and France 13 The first Ashkali party Democratic Ashkali Party of Kosovo was formed in 2000 under Sabit Rrahmani who supported Kosovo independence in the name of all Ashkali 11 Demographics EditMost 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 Fushe Kosova and Lipjan Kosovo s Egyptian community is mostly to be found in its western part in Gjakova Istog Peja and Decan The Ashkali as well as the Egyptian community of Kosovo had 98 unemployment in 2009 21 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 do not identify as Balkan Egyptian due to cultural integration Despite the fact that most Balkan Egyptians tend to have typical Mediterranean features fair skin and light features are not uncommon Culture Edit Flag of Ashkali 22 An Ashkali flag Ameza e Ashkalive was designed in 1999 by Abedin Toplica 23 Marriages between Balkan Egyptians and Albanians are more frequent than marriages between Roma and Albanians while marriages between Balkan 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 21 Ashakali and Balkan Egyptians reject having any relation with the Roma 24 The Ashkali and Roma claim the Egyptians as their own whereas the Ashkali and Egyptians dispute over each other s background 11 No television or radio channels are dedicated to Kosovo s Ashkali or Egyptian minority audiences 21 Circumcision celebrations of their sons are pompously organized by the Ashkaelia and Balkan Egyptians 25 See also EditCopts Albanians in Egypt Democratic Ashkali Party of Kosovo Egyptian Liberal PartyNotes Edit 15 436 Ashkali and 11 524 Balkan Egyptians a b c Identified as Balkan Egyptians 1 834 Balkan Egyptians and 997 Ashkali at the 2011 censusReferences Edit Population by gender ethnicity at settlement level PDF p 11 Retrieved 31 July 2019 Statisticki godisnik na Republika Makedonija in Macedonian 2007 p 55 Retrieved 31 July 2019 1 1 13 Popullsia banuese sipas perkatesise etnike dhe kulturore sipas Perkatesia etnike dhe kulturore Variabla dhe Viti xls INSTAT Instituti i Statistikave in Albanian Retrieved 30 July 2019 Popis stanovnishtva domaћinstava i stanova 2011 u Republici Srbiјi PDF in Serbian Statistics of Serbia Archived from the original PDF on 14 June 2017 Retrieved 31 July 2019 THIRD REPORT SUBMITTED BY SERBIA PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 25 PARAGRAPH 2 OF THE FRAMEWORK CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF NATIONAL MINORITIES Council of Europe pp 14 15 Retrieved 31 July 2019 STATISTICKI GODISNJAK 2011 PDF Statistics of Montenegro 46 Retrieved 31 July 2019 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help Population by ethnicity detailed classification 2011 Census Census of Population Households and Dwellings 2011 Zagreb Croatian Bureau of Statistics December 2012 Retrieved 20 June 2018 Nielsen Jorgen Akgonul Samim Alibasic Ahmet Racius Egdunas eds 2013 Yearbook of Muslims in Europe Volume 5 BRILL p 370 ISBN 9789004255869 Minority political representation Roma Ashkali and Egyptians 19 April 2017 StackPath 12 March 2018 a b c d e Valeriu Nicolae Hannah Slavik 2007 Roma Diplomacy IDEA ISBN 978 1 932716 33 7 FXB Kosovo Report July 2014 pdf harvard edu Post war Kosovo and its policies towards the Roma Ashkali and Egyptian communities Harvard School of Public Health July 2014 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a Check url value help a b Lichnofky C 2013 Ashkali and Egyptians in Kosovo New ethnic identifications as a result of exclusion during nationalist violence from 1990 till 2010 Romani Studies 23 1 29 60 doi 10 3828 rs 2013 2 S2CID 143787353 Cult Of Isis in Ancient Rome UNRV com Roman History Unrv com Retrieved 24 July 2022 Zemon Rubin History of the Balkan Egyptians PDF a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Roma of Albania PDF Center for Documentation and Information on Minorities in Europe Southeast Europe CEDIME SE Retrieved 9 April 2023 Elena Marushiakova Vesselin Popov eds 2021 Chapetr 1 The Genesis of Roma Emancipation Roma Voices in History Brill pp 1 32 at 16 amp 28 doi 10 30965 9783657705184 002 ISBN 978 3 657 70518 4 S2CID 242216553 Daskalova Angelina Mariya Rajkova 2005 Gramoti na blgarskite care in Bulgarian Sofiya Akademichno izdatelstvo Marin Drinov p 57 Trubeta Sevasti March 2005 Balkan Egyptians and Gypsy Roma Discourse PDF Nationalities Papers 33 1 71 95 doi 10 1080 00905990500053788 S2CID 155028453 Zemon Rubin April 2010 History of Ashkali identity In Ailincai Aurora ed Balkan Egyptians and Ashkali history Council of Europe via ResearchGate a b c Notes made from the Ashkali and Egyptian communities for the shadow report on the Implementation of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities in Kosovo PDF Minelres lv Retrieved 15 October 2017 Ashkali Archived from the original on 9 January 2016 Retrieved 26 December 2015 Abedin Toplica Flamuri Kombetar i Ashkalive Zastava Askalija The National Flag Ashkali Horizonti nr 2 2003 www ashkali org yu The flag is red with a black rising eagle in front of a green disk The red and black color are similar to the Albanian flag The green disk represent s Islam Bildungsprojekt in Kosovo Diese Kinder Roma zu nennen das ware verletzend Deutschlandfunk Retrieved 9 April 2023 Novik Alexander 1 January 2020 The Rite of Male Circumcision among the Muslim Population in the Western Balkans Retrieved 9 April 2023 via www academia edu a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help Footnotes Edita Cited works EditDragan Novakovic Potomci faraona u Srbiji DT Magazin 4 April 1998 Marushiakova Elena Heuss Herbert Boev Ivan Rychlik Jan Ragaru Nadege Zemon Rubin Popov Vesselin Friedman Victor 2001 Identity Formation among Minorities in the Balkans The cases of Roms Egyptians and Ashkali in Kosovo PDF Sofia Minority Studies Society Studii Romani External links EditGypsy Blood The Roma Ashkali and Egyptian IDPs of Mitrovica Kosovo 2005 archived from the original on 22 December 2021 TV Debate with Ashkali and Egyptian Community Members in Albanian ECMI Kosovo Youtube channel 12 February 2013 archived from the original on 22 December 2021 NEW ETHNIC IDENTITIES IN THE BALKANS THE CASE OF THE EGYPTIANS Differences of prejudices and collective blames toward to the Balkan s Egyptians Egjiptianeve Kosovare Union of Balkan s Egyptians The New Democratic Initiative of Kosovo Iniciativa e re Demokrarike e Kosoves New Democratic Initiative of Kosovo based in Switzerland Minority Rights Group Ashkali flag at FAME Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ashkali and Balkan Egyptians amp oldid 1155130413, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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