Jashar Salihu

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Jashar Salihu
Born(1953-02-10)10 February 1953
Batuša, SFR Yugoslavia
(now Botushë, Kosovo)[a]
Died16 December 2000(2000-12-16) (aged 47)
Aarau, Switzerland
Buried
Pristina, Kosovo
Allegiance
RankGeneral
Wars and battles
AwardsHero of Kosovo

Jashar Salihu was a Kosovo Albanian general, diplomat and activist in Kosovo, particularly for the Kosovo Liberation Army during the Kosovo War. He is remembered in particular for his political efforts towards the independence of Kosovo, his diplomatic role with the People's Movement of Kosovo (LPK) and the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), and for having been the chairman of the Homeland Calls fund for the KLA and their efforts.

Early life and education[]

Salihu was born into a Gash family in Botushë, a village in the Highlands of Gjakova, SFR Yugoslavia in present-day Kosovo on the 10th of February, 1953. He completed his primary education in the nearby and attended high school in Gjakova. He would then attend university in Pristina, where he graduated from the English Language branch of the Faculty of Philosophy. Throughout the 70's, during his time as a student in Pristina, Salihu was part of the National Movement for the Liberation of Kosovo.[1][2][3]

Political activities[]

Salihu joined the Movement for the National Liberation of Kosovo (MNLK) in 1979, and was Salihu was an active member of the illegalised Committee for Deçan, both of which were headed by prominent activist and ideologue Jusuf Gërvalla. In 1981, Salihu was imprisoned for distributing political pamphlets and jailed in Sarajevo and .[4] Jashar and his brother, Hajdar, were both distinguished for their political courage by openly opposing the attitudes and actions imposed by Serbia during its occupation of Kosovo. Both brothers would later work in the “Vëllezërit Frashëri” high school in Deçan. He lead a gathering at Verrat e Llukës on May 1, 1990, with 500,000 thousand people present, where 106 reconciliations would be reached - 62 blood feuds would be ended, and 25 blights and 19 entanglements would be resolved. At the end of the year, he was arrested again by Yugoslav police and severely tortured by them. Nonetheless, he continued his political activities until he was forced into exile.[5][6][7]

Salihu would be part of the People's Movement of Kosovo (LPK), the political precursor to the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). He was the chairman of the “Vendlindja Thërret” (Homeland Calls) fund which was based in Switzerland – he collected money from branches set up across Europe and North America, which would then be funnelled to the KLA. He would have a talk in Red Lion Square in London on 5 July 1998, clarifying details and questions about the KLA and appealing for funds to help purchase arms and equipment.[8] Salihu was also present at the mass demonstration in Rambouillet during the international conference regarding the issues in Kosovo, where he made a speech.[9] By late 1998, Salihu was back in Kosovo, fighting as a soldier in the KLA.[10]

Salihu played an important role in spreading awareness about the KLA and it's war against Yugoslav authorities. He was a member of the Foreign Relations Group of Kosovo and would later become the first diplomatic representative of the Provisional Government of Kosovo to Switzerland. He worked to defend Albanian efforts in Kosovo on the worldly stage and helped to combat anti-Albanian propaganda.[11][12][13]

Legacy[]

Jashar Salihu died on December 16, 2000, in the , in Aarau, Switzerland, after a bout with sickness. He left behind 3 sons.[14] He was buried in the graveyard for the martyrs in Pristina, Kosovo, with full military honours. Salihu is remembered for being a dedicated patriot and idealist for Albanian national causes, having dedicated his whole life to the independence of Kosovo with a desire to see the creation of Greater Albania. He is respected for participating in both the front lines of the Kosovo War as well as the political and diplomatic side. He was posthumously awarded both the rank of General by the KPC, and the Hero of Kosovo by former president of Kosovo Atifete Jahjaga. His work as the head of the Homeland Calls fun and his role in spreading awareness about Kosovo and the KLA are well-documented and honoured by Albanians.[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]

Quotes[]

  • "For us, religion means nothing. We are Europeans and we have nothing to do with the Mujahideen or other extremists."[24]
  • "Kosovo starts in Tivar and ends in Manastir. We don't care what England and America think about it, we should unite with actions, not with words... We are going to tell the truth!"[25]
  • "Our aim was, and is, for Kosova to be apart from Yugoslavia."[26]

See also[]

Notes[]

^ The political status of Kosovo is disputed. Having unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008, it is formally recognised as an independent state by 97 UN member states (with another 15 recognising it at some point but then withdrawing recognition), while Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory.

References[]

  1. ^ "Mirësevini ne Botushë".
  2. ^ "Jashar Salihu (1953- 2000) një jetë në shërbim të kombit e atdheut – Radio Kosova e Lirë". 16 December 2021.
  3. ^ "Jashar Salihu, një jetë kushtuar kombit – Epoka e Re".
  4. ^ Judah, Tim (1/01/2002). Kosovo: War and Revenge. Yale University Press. pp. 104–105. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ "Mirësevini ne Botushë".
  6. ^ "Jashar Salihu (1953- 2000) një jetë në shërbim të kombit e atdheut – Radio Kosova e Lirë". 16 December 2021.
  7. ^ "Jashar Salihu, një jetë kushtuar kombit – Epoka e Re".
  8. ^ Judah, Tim (1/01/2002). Kosovo: War and Revenge. Yale University Press. pp. 102–105. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ "Mirësevini ne Botushë".
  10. ^ Judah, Tim (1/01/2002). Kosovo: War and Revenge. Yale University Press. p. 172. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ "Jashar Salihu (1953- 2000) një jetë në shërbim të kombit e atdheut – Radio Kosova e Lirë". 16 December 2021.
  12. ^ Judah, Tim (1/01/2002). Kosovo: War and Revenge. Yale University Press. pp. 102–105. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ "Jashar Salihu, një jetë kushtuar kombit – Epoka e Re".
  14. ^ "Mirësevini ne Botushë".
  15. ^ "Jashar Salihu (1953- 2000) një jetë në shërbim të kombit e atdheut – Radio Kosova e Lirë". 16 December 2021.
  16. ^ "Mirësevini ne Botushë".
  17. ^ "Jashar Salihu, heroi i veçantë i Kosovës – Epoka e Re".
  18. ^ "Jashar Salihu, një jetë kushtuar kombit – Epoka e Re".
  19. ^ "19 vjet nga vdekja e veprimtarit Jashar Salihu". 16 December 2019.
  20. ^ Bugajski, Janusz (10/09/2020). Political Parties of Eastern Europe: A Guide to Politics in the Post-communist Era. Routledge. ISBN 9781000161359. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ Boyes, Roger; Jagger, Suzy (2018-02-15). New State, Modern Statesman: Hashim Thaçi – A Biography. Biteback Publishing. ISBN 9781785903304.
  22. ^ Buckley, William Joseph (2000). Kosovo: Contending Voices on Balkan Interventions. William B. Eerdmans Pub. pp. 110–111. ISBN 9780802838896.
  23. ^ "Time". 153 (17–25). 1999: 115. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  24. ^ "Central Asian survey". 20. 2001: 5. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  25. ^ Judah, Tim (1/01/2002). Kosovo: War and Revenge. Yale University Press. pp. 103–104. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  26. ^ Judah, Tim (1/01/2002). Kosovo: War and Revenge. Yale University Press. p. 105. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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