Civil society activist, Kaltrina Kamberi , has reacted to reports in Serbian media claiming that some KFOR soldiers have converted to the Orthodox religion, describing these narratives as deliberate propaganda. According to Kamberi, it is just a matter of a simple interest of some soldiers in the Orthodox religion, which is being misused and presented as a completed conversion process.
She emphasized that this phenomenon is part of a broader propaganda approach, where religious elements are used for political purposes and to build nationalist narratives.
In her reaction, Kamberi also raised concerns about the role of the Serbian Orthodox Church, assessing that in some cases it is not presented solely as a spiritual institution, but is associated with nationalism and rhetoric against other peoples, including Albanians and Bosniaks.
In this context, she has also mentioned alleged historical connections of this discourse with figures convicted of war crimes, such as Ratko Mladić and Radovan Karadžić.
Meanwhile, her reaction has also prompted comments from international figures, including former German MEP Doris Pack , who has criticized the Orthodox Church’s approach to nation and religion.
Kaltrina Kamberi writes:
“Serbian media controlled by @avucic are presenting the simple curiosity of some KFOR soldiers about Orthodoxy as “conversion” or a “done deal.” In reality, it’s merely straightforward interest in religion, but it’s being used as propaganda.
It should be emphasized that every foreigner should know that behind the robes of Orthodox priests and the religion they preach which they often do not present in a purely spiritual context lies a history connected to ultra-nationalism and the incitement of hatred against other peoples, especially Albanians and Bosniaks.
The Church’s structure has ties to figures convicted of war crimes, such as Ratko Mladić and Radovan Karadžić, and has praised or decorated individuals involved in ethnic cleansing and other crimes during the wars of the 1990s. Without this context, one’s perception of reality can be distorted and misleading.
The claims that I am making can be easily verified. On the internet, you can find various articles related to scandals involving Serbian churches and monasteries, as I mentioned above.”
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