The Encyclopaedia of Hatred

in FYROM news / by D-Mak / on September 24, 2009 at 11:41 am /

Pristina Express 23 Sep 09 p 3

Commentary by Mufail Limani: “Encyclopedia of Hatred”

What [FYR]Macedonian academicians have written about Albanians in their “encyclopedia” does not represent anything new.
That Albanians have come down from mountains — that is, they are nomads and barbarians without culture — is, we know, an old song of the dreadful melodrama of the Serbian politics.
But, in order not to relativize things with the usual calls for ignoring bad Balkan folklore in the name of our common bright European future, there is, nevertheless, something new in this scandal.
It is something that we should not let go without serious political sanctions.
This is an entirely new context!
In the first place, it is [FYR]Macedonia’s aspiration to join the EU and NATO. What is more, we know that it has become a part of the Brussels glorious folklore to describe [FYR]Macedonia as the leading country in the region in the implementation of European standards. But, what are all those European praises worth today after this “encyclopedia?”
In other words, should Brussels’ assessment machine, which impresses you with its frightful pedantry, feel a little hurt by this scandal?
Consequently, should the state of [FYR]Macedonia be punished by Brussels for this “encyclopedia,” if it really refuses as a country to distance itself from the anti-Albanian trash?
But, why I insist on the role of Brussels in this story?
It is because I believe that the true political answer to this extremely serious scandal should come from Brussels. On our part, I believe, we should limit our reaction to the most possible civilized gesture for such occasions — raising the middle finger!
But, I do not believe that the scandal with the “encyclopedia” can be understood outside another context.
At first glance, it seems paradoxical that this dirty attack comes from a country that has recognized Kosova.
But, really, why did Shkup recognize us?
In fact, if you think hard, Shkup has gained more than Kosova from that recognition.
Why?
It is because it has gained an extra guarantee for the survival of the state from the quarter of its population. It is because it has won another positive assessment from Washington and Brussels and because it has secured a territorial expansion.
But, in a wider context, in the legitimization of the hatred against the Albanian people — not just in the case of this stupidity with the “encyclopedia” but also in other cases where this hatred takes the shape of a clear political program — there is something that remains quite enigmatic.
Could it be that peace balance, not just in the Balkans but also in Europe in general, is not possible without the presence and power of Turkey?
And, is this the true reason that Washington supports openly the idea of Turkey joining the EU?
And, if there is a grain of truth in the role of the Turkish piece in the mosaic of European peace, then why should Albanians feel bad about starting to think along these lines?
This is especially so in light of the fact that a sworn Catholic in Spain finds it normal to stand side by side with Ahmedinezhad against Kosova.
And, in essence, could it be that we, Albanians, who cannot stop complaining about being victims of such propaganda, such as the case of this “encyclopedia,” are in fact, consciously or not, entirely consumed by that propaganda?
And, therefore, is that the reason that we can almost never break free from situations in which we consume ourselves with rebuttals, complaints, howling, and expressions of revolt?
Would it not be a better approach than the one that we currently have to build concepts and policies that would simply be based on our national interests, including all our capacities (excluding implicit polemics with anti-Albanian propaganda), in order to never again waste time on things so futile as the mental feces of “[FYR]Macedonian academicians?”