TIRANA, Nov 6 /ATA/ – The Catholic archbishop and the Muslim mufti in northern Albanian Municipality of Shkodra voiced unified opposition on Thursday to a draft law on gender equality, arguing it threatens traditional family values.
At a ceremony marking 35 years of religious freedom, the city’s mufti, Muhamed Sytari, and Catholic Archbishop of Shkodër, Giovanni Peragine, urged Parliament to consider the country’s social foundations before approving a new gender-equality law.
In a joint statement, they opposed the bill, calling for clarification of terms such as “gender” and stressing the importance of maintaining the male/female binary.
“We emphasise the importance of the traditional family based on two biological sexes. Political class must reflect accordingly,” Sytari said, adding that religious communities would not allow the majority base to be taken for cynical interests.
Peragine said that while Albania pursues European integration, this must not mean losing “our traditions of the value of the family and respect for man and woman equally”.
The draft law “On Gender Equality” aims to align Albanian legislation with European Union human-rights standards and ensure equal treatment of women and men. But it has encountered push-back not only from political parties and civil-society activists, but now strongly from key religious groups.
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