This article has been written for Albanian Free Press newspaper and www.afp.al
By FRROK ÇUPI
Had the nation felt so threatened this time, without any doubt, it would have reacted much harsher. But it’s an absurdity, or even “insanity”.
What happened this time?
Direct war was waged against the greatest figures of the Albanian nation. Our national hero, Gjergj Kastrioti-Scanderbeg was attacked; the national poet Naim Frasheri was attacked because he has written about Scanderbeg; Mother Teresa was attacked because she was a Christian. The national foundation was attacked by labeling the country as a “composition of Slavs, Greeks and Turks”; the language was attacked by saying that “there is no Albanian language, but a Turkish-Latin mix”. All sorts of things were attacked these days! But the nation didn’t pay much attention to them. Not because it is insensitive. I’m sure that there are millions of Albanians who haven’t even heard about this. And not because they don’t hear the news, but they don’t care about frivolous matters.
This is one of the ways how a nation defends itself.
First, by building a great wall of its own values and not caring about slander and attacks against its very foundations. This is the most ancient people in these lands. If it had been affected by these absurdities during all these centuries, imagine where we would be! How many times we would have collapsed! The same thing is happening now; attacks against the foundations of the nation are proving to be futile.
Secondly, the Albanian nation defends itself through modernization. Do you know what drives the ones that attack this nation mad? According to them, the Albanian nation has diverted by following the path of the West. They are going mad because they see the nation as being invincible and see it modernizing and heading toward the West. The Albanian nation is now a modern nation with many leading figures such as Gjergj Kastriot Scanderbeg, Mother Teresa, Naim Frasheri, Pjeter Bogdani, Ismail Qemali and Gjergj Fishta.
What is the modern shield?
First of all, it’s the ability to distinguish absurdity from the values, insanity from normality.
The second shield is the state. The Albanian nation does have its own state. In the modern era of the state, the Albanian nation is a state-nation.
The starting point: Wisdom before insanity:
What would happen if in the past few days, someone or most people would come out in front of the “insane” who attack the values of the nation with insanities like the ones that they utter?! Lots of noise would be made and in general, insanity would come out as a winner. Insanity wins because it lures you in its own circle and you cannot escape. This is how they attacked this time, insanely. Insanity is “amazing” and impressive. If you come too close to it, you will become part of it. The insane judge Scanderbeg as if he was his pal. They even judge Christ and Mohamed as if they had been there with them. One of them said these days that prophet Mohamed sent someone who flew and stopped in mount Tomorrow. As far as Scanderbeg is concerned, they say that he was a “mercenary” and that he “used to steal gold”. But these things are made up by the insane. Insanity is an amazing thing.
This is why it is said that the nation has its own tools of defending itself against insanity.
The state nation is a modern nation. Since the time of that “mercenary” Scanderbeg, that the insane attack today, Albanians built the foundations of their state. In a nation state, insanity that affects the foundations and the identity of the nation is considered a criminal offense and it is punished by the law. The nation has drafted laws to defend its honor and its value. The media is writing that the intervention of the law is being demanded against those who insult and desecrate the national identity, value, history, the pillars of the nation, heroes and the fathers of the nation. This is the moment when the modern state has the necessary instruments in its hands to defend the values of the nation.
We find the roots of the idea of laws that defend the nation since the period of the Greek and Roman classical philosophers. The famous judge, Gaius said that “Every people that is governed by laws and customs, uses the special law and the common law”. The foundations of the state were established based on “ius gentium” and “ius natural” (law of nations and nature law.
They have never been threatened, even in the times of Ancient Rome. Our nation relies on the state for its defence tools: Law of nations and nature law… This is what we should resort to in this case.
Note: The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Albanian Free Press’ editorial policy
