by Damir Dibra. Translation Petrit Latifi

The story of a Catholic Albanian from Drinosht named Prekë Uli Gjokaj who refused to obey invading Montenegrin troops who demanded he shows evidence that he is a Christian. The Montenegrins threat simply did not work and Prekë Uli Gjokaj stood his ground.

In 1905, Montenegrin soldiers entered Albanian territory and met Prekë Uli Gjokaj, a shepherd with sheep, together with the shepherdess Bibe Keqja. They asked him: “Where are you from?” and Prëka answered: “from Dinoshet”. The Montenegrinsed ask him if he is Muslim or Catholic? “I am Catholic” Prëka says.

The soldiers want to prove this and tell him if he is Catholic, make a cross! Prekë Uli says: “You don’t need this, my mother forced me to make a cross!”. They tell him again: “Either make a cross or we will kill you, since you have not told us the truth, because perhaps you are not Catholic!”. And the three soldiers return their rifles to him.

The shepherdess Bibe Keqja says to him: “Make a cross before they kill you, because you have made a cross several times. But he replies: “let them kill me. I don’t cross myself, let them tell me that I made a Muslim cross myself!” The three Montenegrin soldiers saw that they couldn’t force this mountaineer to cross himself, so they lowered their weapons and left.

AI illutration by original author.

Reference

https://gazetadielli.com/preke-uli-gjokaj-nje-jete-ne-sherbim-te-atdheut/