Kosovo may revise Ottoman history

Kosovo may revise Ottoman history
http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2011/09/09/feature-03

As students in Kosovo head back to class this month, they may be 
seeing some changes in their history classes.
By Muhamet Brajshori for Southeast European Times in Pristina -- 
09/09/11 







During a recent visit to Pristina, Turkish Minister of Education Omer Dinçer 
requested that the government remove part of the history texts regarding the 
Ottoman rule in Kosovo. 
The response from Pristina was fast. After the meeting last month, Education 
Minister Rame Buja confirmed that a special commission has been appointed to 
make certain changes in the books. The commission has visited Turkey, and is 
verifying historical facts, he said. 
"The new history books in Kosovo will be available in the next school year," 
Buja said. 
However, not everyone is on board for the changes. 
Analyst Ndue Ukaj says that history cannot be changed because facts cannot be 
altered, even if the Turkish and Kosovo ministries want that. 
"Turkey must show greater tolerance towards Albanians, to accept the 
historical facts and repent for the destruction of numerous invasions they have 
done to the Albanians. The period of Ottoman history is what it is," Ukaj says. 

He warns that such a move might harm inter-faith relations among the 
Albanians. "Christians will not accept any form of alienation in history." 
Turkish Ambassador to Kosovo Songul Ozan told RTK that the project does not 
aim to change history. 
"With this agreement, it is intended that future generations learn [history] 
Â… cleared of bias," said Ozan. 
Balkan Policy Institute Executive Director Seb Bytyci said that the review of 
history should happen for the sake of science. 
"[It] is productive if it's done for the sake of academic rigors. But if it's 
done for political purposes, it will create new conflict and would complicate 
the Albanian-Turkish relations," Bytyci said. 
Olsi Jazexhi, a PhD candidate who studies Albanian nationalism, pointed out 
that many countries in the region have changed their historical narrative. 
"After the fall of Communism, the books where the West was seen as hostile 
were changed. [Textbooks were also reviewed] after the break up of Yugoslavia, 
when the international community asked [countries] to remove hate stories that 
spurred the conflicts in the Balkans," he explains. 
Jazexhi says that a review of history in Kosovo and Albania is necessary to 
clear the books of communist ideology. 


"The history of the Ottomans shown in a more positive and non-confrontational 
way will make the Albanians feel closer to the Turks as a result of the common 
religion they have," he argues. 
Kosovo political commentator Fatlum Sadiku says that while a review of 
history regarding the Ottoman period is needed, historians in Kosovo are scared 
to do it. 
He says Kosovo needs its own history, not the history written in Tirana or 
Belgrade. 
"Kosovo should have its specific history, [free of] myths Â… and free of 
notions offensive to certain periods, and against certain nations." 
This content was commissioned for SETimes.com.