Islam in Albania

During the Ottoman rule, the majority of Albanians were of Muslim affiliation (Sunni and Bektashi). However, decades of state atheism which ended in 1991 brought a decline in religious practice in all traditions.

Et'hem Bey Mosque, one of the oldest mosques in Tirana.

A recent Pew Research Center demographic study put the percentage of Muslims in Albania at 79.9%.^[1]

Islam In Albania Media

Sunni and Bektashi Shia clergymen alongside Albanian patriots holding an Albanian flag in 1914
Ismail Qemali on the first anniversary of the session of the Assembly of Vlorë which proclaimed the Independence of Albania.
World Headquarters of the Bektashi Community in Tirana.
Former Sulejman Pasha Mosque and Muslim graveyard of Tiranë destroyed during World War Two and its minaret in 1967
Distribution of Muslims in Albania (2011)
Great Mosque of Tiranë under construction, August 2018
Bektashi teqe in Vlorë.
Distribution of different religious confessions around Albania, including Muslims (the census stated 'mysliman', not specifying sect), Bektashi, Catholics, and Orthodox. *Based on the census of 2011. Note that this census has been criticized for under-representing the numbers of Orthodox and Bektashi faithful in the country, especially in the South.
Religious and linguistic map of Albania. The Muslim population is as follows: Albanian Sunni (cherry red), Bektashi (burgundy) and other Sufi (crimson red); Macedonian speakers (Kelly green), Gorani (forest green); Bosniaks (jade green) and Romani (purple).
The leaders of Albania's four main denominations in Paris, France, in a demonstration for interfaith harmony, after the Charlie Hebdo attacks from 2015. From left to right: Sunni, Orthodox, Bektashi, and Catholic.