The campaign, part of the “Messages from Religious and Community Leaders in Albania” project, brought together representatives of Albanian institutions, the European Union, religious communities and Hedayah. It was funded by the EU’s Strengthening Resilience to Violent Extremism (STRIVE II) programme.

Lejdi Dervishi, director of Albania’s Coordination Centre against Violent Extremism, said preventing violent extremism was not only a security issue but also involved social cohesion, education, trust and communities’ ability to resist hatred, exclusion and violence.

“Albania has a precious asset: its tradition of interfaith coexistence and harmony. But this asset must be preserved and passed on to the younger generation,” Dervishi said.

She said the campaign sought to use strategic communication to promote messages of peace, respect, tolerance and coexistence, particularly through religious and community leaders.

Haxhi Dede Edmond Brahimaj, head of the Interreligious Council of Albania and World Leader of the Bektashi Order, welcomed the initiative and called for continued cooperation among all stakeholders.

“The first enemy of humanity is ignorance, the second is poverty and the third is selfishness,” Brahimaj said.

Representatives of Albania’s Muslim, Orthodox, Catholic and Evangelical communities also delivered messages promoting peace, harmony and interfaith coexistence.

The campaign, implemented by Hedayah, the Coordination Centre against Violent Extremism and the Interreligious Council of Albania, ran for six weeks and included four main audiovisual products addressing online and offline bullying, interfaith coexistence, the role of religious leaders in preventing violent extremism, and faith-based narratives through a podcast.

Organisers said the campaign reached about 560,000 people nationwide through social media, television, online media, outdoor advertising and awareness activities in schools.

Awareness activities were held in 16 schools, reaching more than 5,200 students, with about 3,000 leaflets and 100 posters distributed. Six online media outlets generated an additional audience of around 20,000 readers.

EU Regional Adviser for Counter-Terrorism and Prevention of Violent Extremism Eddy Greif stressed the need for rapid responses to content that could promote radicalisation, particularly on social media.

“Through social media, messages move quickly. This means we have very little time to protect young people from radicalisation, find such content, remove it and identify those responsible,” Greif said, calling for stronger strategic communication and awareness campaigns.

Dervishi said the initiative was only a first step and called for sustained engagement with young people through schools, civil society, religious communities and public institutions.

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During the development of the international competition for the Faith Park in Petrela, an initiative of the Albanian Investment Corporation in cooperation with the National Territorial Planning Agency, the prime minister highlighted the conception of this unique park, where beliefs will be seen and enjoyed through the trees, fruits and flowers mentioned in the holy scriptures.

The prime minister emphasized that Albanians do not need to invent tolerance, because they have long been born and grown from it.

“Our cities have grown with mosques, churches, tekkes and monasteries side by side. What happened to all of them in that dark period when there was attempted to eradicate religion with dynamite was also the reason why we need tolerance”, said Rama.

But according to him, “Our heritage has not always been easy, but it has been wise.”

“Pope Francis rightly baptized it as “religious brotherhood,” the wisdom of living together,” the prime minister added.

Therefore, this park today, according to Rama, “also honors this heritage, but also calls us to move forward.”

The prime minister emphasized that the Park will not have symbols, nor statues of pride and power.

“In this Park there will be only trees and water because water is also sacred. It flows from Eden; it is used for baptism; it is used to wash hands before praying. Water binds us together much more than we think. Every living thing is made of water, reads the Quran. And in fact, being near still water revives the soul,” Rama added.

The vision of the Faith Park aims to create a unique space in the heart of Petrela, a symbol of unity, tolerance and religious coexistence in Albania, emphasizing the significance of these values ​​in protecting common humanity in the face of persecution and totalitarianism.

The park will be built on an area of ​​approximately 210,000 m2 on the edge of the Erzeni valley where the contrast of hills and valleys has encouraged the development of tourist structures (hotels, guesthouses and bar-restaurants) and sports-tourist activities (Zip Line Albania).

In the area and its vicinity, there are a number of historical attractions such as the Petrela Castle, the ancient settlement of Persqop and the Museum of the History of the Armed Forces. The site is located 15 km south of Tirana, on the Tirana-Elbasan national road, with quick connections to the airport, the Blue Corridor (the Adriatic-Ionian Corridor connecting Montenegro, Albania and Greece, Corridor VIII (Egnatia Road) and the Port of Durrës. /a.g/p.s./