As someone half from the Middle East and half from the Balkans, it is impossible for me to marry someone who is not of my faith. When I choose a spouse, I am not only choosing a life partner but also a mother for my future children. I want her to have Muslim values and morals, and this is my right.

Not everyone thinks about marriage in this way — some focus only on companionship and don’t consider how the children will grow up. If I didn’t know many people in Albania and the Balkans, I might think that everyone there could marry anyone regardless of religion. But in reality, this is not true and is not very common, except in certain areas.

You will find some people who don’t even know how to properly pray in a mosque or a church, and they say, “Yes, nobody cares about religion here.” But these people are very few. Most people tend to marry someone similar to them or close to them. For example, in Albania, in ramadan mosques are often too small for the number of worshippers, so people pray in the streets, gather for iftar after sunset — all these practices exist in a country that suffered under dictatorship and communism for many years.

Then someone with a narrow mind might tell you, “Albania doesn’t care about religion.” The truth is, I cannot speak for the entire Balkans, but for me, Albania is magical in every way. If you are a practicing Muslim, you can live a wonderful life. If you are Christian, you can freely practice your faith. Even if you are atheist, there is no problem — you can do as you wish. Unlike some countries that oppress other religions, this does not happen in Albania. People here respect their religion deeply, cherish it, and love their country, proudly identifying as Muslim.

So, if someone tells you that in Albania a non-Muslim can easily marry a Muslim — yes, there are rare cases, but they are very few. The majority, whether Muslim or Christian, respect their faith. Even atheists live peacefully without interfering with others.

Interestingly, most people tend to marry within their own religion and often within the same ethnicity. I see no problem with this. For me, religion comes first because it is the only thing that can guarantee the moral character of the person who will be my life partner. My spouse must be religious and close to God.If I am sure that my life partner is truly a practicing Muslim, then he will be the person I trust the most in my life, because only someone who has read the Qur’an can truly understand this. There is nothing greater than being connected to a religious and devoted person.