As a civil activist and as an Albanian of Montenegro, with all the strength of my civic and national conscience, I join and give unwavering support to the initiative of Mehmet Bardhi and Saubih Mehmeti (LD in MZ), who have submitted to the institutions of the state of Montenegro and the leaders of the Municipality of Tivat the petition with nearly 1,000 signatures for the immediate removal of the metal church from the top of Rumija.
Rumia is not just a mountain; it is the symbol of our dignity, of the centuries-old history of Krajë, Tivar, Ulcinj and all Albanian lands. What was done in June 2005 with military helicopters had nothing to do with faith or God, but with a classic military occupation and open provocation against the indigenous Albanian population.
There has never been a church on the summit of Rumija in history, much less of the Serbian Church. For centuries, that peak has been a place of popular worship where the people of Krajina and the inhabitants of the surrounding area, regardless of religion, enjoyed and climbed together. The tradition of carrying stones; where each person carried their own stone on their back to make the mountain even higher, is a spiritual heritage. Placing a 3.5-ton iron bar on the stones carried with sweat by the ancestors of the people of Krajina is a violation of national and cultural memory.
In 2005, under police patrols and with a military MI-8 helicopter, a metal structure was forcibly landed on top of Rumia. This act did not bring peace, but rather cast a shadow of hegemony over a friendly and peaceful region. Rumia’s freedom was violated, and with it the spirit of coexistence.
Since July 22, 2005, there has been a final decision of the Construction Inspectorate (no. 0702-060/05-809) ordering the removal of this illegal building. The state of Montenegro cannot talk about European integration and Chapter 23 while it allows the law itself to be violated and ignored by church institutions for two decades. The rule of law must be proven at the top of Rumia.
We strongly appeal to the Mayor of the Municipality of Tivar, Dušan Raičević, that this strategic and cultural point should not be included in the Spatial-Urban Plan as an area for religious construction. The Rumija Peak should be declared a protected natural, cultural and archaeological area, open to all good people, visitors and mountaineers.
Objects of worship have their place in villages and cities where believers live, not on mountaintops as an expression of political domination. Rumia belongs to our ancestors, it belongs to us today, and it will belong to our grandchildren and all those who love freedom and untouched nature. I call on civil society and every compatriot to raise their voice and support this petition until the complete liberation of Rumia Peak.
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