Continued Persecution in Kosovo Endangers Christian Traditions

The Christian population in Kosovo has received continuous threat to their families and the welfare of church and church related organizations.

The Christian population in Kosovo has received continuous threat to their families and the welfare of church and church related organizations, according to a report published last week.

Cybercast News Services (CNS), which reports on news "subject to bias of omission," claimed on Monday that the ongoing violence provoked by the growing hostility between Muslim majority and Christian minority prompted an alert to the officials at Capital Hill earlier this month.

Over the course of the past five years, Ethnic Albanian Muslims who make the majority of Kosovo population have led to the destruction of over 150 churches while 200 mosques have been built in their place, according to the report.

Some say the lack of international awareness and concern for the ongoing incidents in the region has prevented large-scale pressure to promote peace and an end to the religious persecution.

Melody R. Divine, judiciary counsel and foreign policy advisor to Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz), told CNS, “Congressional interest and involvement will be key in ensuring that the international community places a high premium on the protection and integration of the minority communities within Kosovo and the preservation of the remaining cultural sites.”

Defense analyst Frederick Peterson also commented on the need for immediate response to the crisis.

"This is a very grave threat," said Peterson, according to CNS. "With final status changing from Serbian Orthodox hegemony into at very best a gray line, the dividing line between the Christian and Islamic world moves closer to the European Union, and we're at great risk of tolerating what should not be tolerated in order to buy some peace in our time."

Contrast to the present state of Islamic dominance, Kosovo and its neighboring countries all have rich Christian traditions tucked into their long history. In the 12th century, Kosovo served as the “Vatican” to the Serbian Christian Orthodoxy.

However, according to CNS, that history is now scarred from years of conflict.