This article by Edith Durham was published in the magazine ‘The Near East’, on August 1, 1913. Durham reacted against an article that was actually misinformation about her charity work in Albania, where she is accused of helping Christians only. In her answer, it can be seen that the situation of Muslim and Catholic Albanians was equally grave and that it came as a result of the Serbian-Montenegro occupation in 1912 when the Balkan Wars began.
“The Muslims of Albania
I was disturbed to learn from your publication of the 11th of July, from a report which has been circulated, that it is said that I have helped mainly the Christian mountaineers.
I say in good faith that Mr. Christian has caused controversy. But, I beg you to allow me to express the position of the Serbs and Montenegrins who have decided that ‘when the land becomes ours, the Muslim issue will no longer exist’. I have heard the Montenegrins declare this without stopping, in order to start the work with great ferocity to make it impossible for the Muslim population to stay in their villages.
They [the Montenegrins], not only burned all the villages, but also demolished the walls of the houses and in many cases left only heaps of stones.
The looting was complete. Not a single piece of clothing was left behind. On a daily basis, Montenegrin women have flocked to Podgorica to be loaded down with the looted goods of the Albanians. A volunteer from Bosnia who witnessed the looting that took place in the Province of Kosovo, said sharply: “The Montenegrin woman marches 100 kilometers to steal a shirt.”
They are heartless. When I protested to one that the children whose clothes you are stealing might die of cold in the winter, she replied: ‘So it must be, God willing! They are Muslims. The more they die, the better!’
Montenegro has complained loudly to Europe that it needs fertile flat lands to expand in the vicinity of Shkodra. When this was refused to them, since these lands are privately owned by Muslim villagers, the answer was always: ‘They must leave. Let them go to Asia.’
In order to emphasize this destruction of these unfortunate people, the olive trees and trunks were also destroyed. In some cases fire was set on the roots of the bodies so that they would never grow green. The straw, the grain, the tobacco, all the stocks, have in fact been plundered; they took the cattle and horses; they destroyed the gardens, they cut down the vineyards.
Disappointment with the Slavs without an identity in Macedonia: They declare themselves Bulgarian when they receive money from them, they also declare themselves Serbian and Greek if they are paid!
Since April when I arrived, I have gone from one destroyed village to another and distributed as much funds as I had from the ‘Macedonian Relief Society’ and as much as I was able to collect myself. Some stocks of clothes have been given to me by my friends in England, together with the Red Cross. But I keep seeing and hearing about more and more devastated regions.
My funds are almost exhausted. No metalic has been sent to these regions by the ‘British Red Crescent’. The mountaineers are in a very bad condition – half naked and starving. They were beaten daily by the Serbian and Montenegrin Army. Half of them are Catholics. Everyone has suffered equally. They beg me for help for their starving families. I am obliged to tell them to tell their neighbors not to come to me as my funds have been spent.
In addition, make an emergency appeal for over 200 houses around the border with Montenegro that have been looted and burned. These are Muslims. In the east of Shkodra, a large number of Catholic houses have been looted, but they have not been burned, while I have been forced not to help you even though they are in a poor condition.
Almost three-quarters of those helped are Muslims, but I have called to help Catholics who are in the same situation as Muslims. I would also like to point out that the Orthodox armies have in many cases been just as fanatical as they are towards Muslims and Catholics. Any input will help. Contributions should be made payable to the ‘Albanian Releif Fund’, at the ‘Union of London’ and ‘Smith’s Bank’ (Swiss Cottage branch), College Crescent, London, N.W.
I’m sorry to say, but the mayor of Podgorica in Montenegro stopped me from giving food or clothes to the Muslim villages on the border that were burned by the Montenegrins. He has also threatened several Catholic priests with prison and in one case even with hanging if they dare to come to me to ask for help for their “grija” who is in great need of help.
Refugees from the recently occupied territory of Plava and Gucia have been subjected to violent ‘conversion’ from Muslims to Orthodox. The means of persuasion are beatings and death threats. The children were taken by force and sent to the church to be baptized without their parents’ permission. Catholics, too, have been ‘converted’ in a similar way.
We must honestly hope that the Powers will hand over as little Albanian land as possible to Montenegro and Serbia”. /Telegraph/”
Reference
Balkan Academia 