Julia Gorin Truth

The continued references to Kosovo's government being 'Islamic' or 'Muslim' in nature are pure ignorance. Kosovo has been a secular society for nearly a century- in fact, more secular than the U.S.A. is today. Most Kosovars under the age of 50 today have never seen the inside of a mosque and know nothing of Muslim teaching and faith. They are in fact bewildered by these characterizations from western reporters and politicians.

Over the years, and in this report, there has been mention of al Qaeda ties to Kosovo. There is also the belief that the KLA were Islamic fundamentalists. Islamic Jihad. Where is the proof or even substantive evidence for either accusation? There is none.

As someone who travels to Kosovo frequently I wonder how and where the reporters who report such an image get their information or if they ever even leave their hotels. The politicians who visit obviously see only what confirms the opinions they arrived with.

The propaganda portrayed here regarding Albanian society, an Islamic government and violent connections with terrorists serves only to heat up the region for another war. Serb military and paramilitary forces committed brutalities against Albanians, which rival the most gruesome of the last century. The documentation is irrefutable. The Serbs still deny this, and reports like this are a de-facto sympathy for the Serb position.

As to an Albanian urinating on a church, I am disgusted at the display of disrespect. Revenge is on the minds of many Albanians. Albanians did their share of ugly retaliation. They all lived through a decade of martial law, massacres and a brutal war. People don't just get over this.

But a large majority has tried to put it behind them and is building institutions in their society to ensure a peaceful and productive future. I can provide many examples of this.

Reports like this which simply turn a blind eye to the big picture and give sympathy to one side serve only the purpose of continuing the cycle of hate and, as I said earlier, increase the possibilities for renewed war.

And another comment from US soldier :

This article is another attempt by Serbia to fool the world into believing that Kosova is an Islamic state similar to Iraq or Iran. Luckily, most intelligence people, including military people such as I, who have served in Kosova, recognize the Serbian propaganda for the pure hateful junk that it is. Serbia knows it has lost Kosova and is making a dying attempt to reverse time.