The memory of ordinary, everyday intercultural or interreligious relationships, in brief
Muslims have for centuries offered prayers at this Orthodox Christian monastery, one of the most important Orthodox sites in the region, and have been conspicuous participants in pilgrimages here.
The context in which these relationships made a difference at the time
Before the war of the 1990s, Ostrog was visited by pilgrims from Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Kosovo. A century earlier, Muslim pilgrims from Albania also travelled to join pilgrimages at the shrine. Edith Durham observed a pilgrimage at Pentecost in the early twentieth century, writing that thousands of Christians, as well as Bosnian and Albanian Muslims, gathered here in perfect concord (Durham 1904, cited by Duijzings 1999). The fact that Muslims have joined prayers here is a mark of pride for many Orthodox Christians, including clergy in the region.
What has happened since, which makes the memory valuable
Nationalist conflicts and then war obstructed the freedom of Muslim pilgrims to travel from across the region G.H.J. Duijzings summarises press reports from 1988 indicating monks began to express opposition to the rowdy and disrespectful involvement of certain Muslims during pilgrimages, arguing that Kosovar Albanian dervishes (on reporter claims that they were Gyspies, not dervishes) were seeking to take over the monastery. The church leadership played down the monks’ claims. There are many possible reasons for looking for value in sharing more personal memories than are recorded in the published sources cited here. Those sources are notably short on conveying the personal interests of those who joined prayers and festivities here, and give little attention to the reasons that might lead Orthodox people to feel respect for those Muslims praying here.
How might the memory be used in bringing people together in practice now?
The Memory Bank team welcomes suggestions from anyone with an interest in promoting understanding of the common interests and relationships which have long drawn Muslims and Christians together at this site.
Additional context/Some additional reading
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostrog_MonasteryG.H.J. Duijzings, Religion And The Politics Of Identity In Kosovo, 1999.https://pure.uva.nl/ws/files/1513620/108592_UBA003000255.pdf