Sherif Langu (also known as ''Sherif Lëngu'', 1877,

Debar Debar ( ; , sq-definite, Dibra or Dibra e Madhe) is a city in the western part of North Macedonia, near the border with Albania, off the road from Struga to Gostivar. It is the seat of Debar Municipality. Debar has an ethnic Albanian majorit ...

– 9 March 1956) was an Albanian Muslim cleric who served as chairman of the

Muslim Community of Albania The Muslim Community of Albania (KMSH; ) is an independent religious organisation of Muslims in Albania existing since February 24, 1923. The headquarters of the community are located in Tirana and the current Grand Mufti () is Bujar Spahiu. H ...

from 1942 until 1945.

Biography

Born in

, present-day

North Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...

(then

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

) to an ethnic

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

family. He and his family were

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

and spoke

in the

Gheg Gheg or Geg (Gheg Albanian: ''gegnisht'', Standard ) is one of the two major varieties of Albanian, the other being Tosk. The geographic dividing line between the two varieties is the Shkumbin River, which winds its way through central Alba ...

dialect. He received his religious schooling from the local town madrasa and was later appointed imam. Langu took part in the great Assembly of Dibra on February 27, 1899. After graduating from the madrasa, he continued his high school education in

Bitola Bitola (; ) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, north of the Medžitlija-Níki border crossing ...

and in 1904 went to study theology in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

. In December 1908, he formed the "Bashkimi" club of Debar. As leader of the club's administrative council, along with other activists such as Kadri Fishta, Riza Rusi, Eqerem Cami, Ibrahim Xhidri, Abdullah Tërshana and Ibrahim Jegeni, he carried out vigorous activities for the benefit of the national cause. His grandfather

Selim Rusi Selim Rusi (c. 1821–1905) was an Albanian patriot who was one of the most prominent activists of the Albanian National Awakening in the late 19th century and early 20th century. He was born in Debar, then part of the Ottoman Empire (modern North ...

, supported him in continuing his studies in Bitola and later in

, where he met other figures of the

Albanian National Awakening The Albanian National Awakening ( or ), commonly known as the Albanian Renaissance or Albanian Revival, is a period throughout the 19th and 20th century of a cultural, political, and social movement in the Albanian history where the Albanian ...

, including

Ibrahim Temo Ibrahim Starova, also Ibrahim Bërzeshta (born ''Ibrahim Ethem Sojliu''; 22 March 1865 – 5 August 1945), better known as Ibrahim Temo, was an Ottoman-Albanian politician, revolutionary, intellectual, and a medical doctor by profession. Temo was ...

and

Dervish Hima Dervish Hima (1872–1928), born Ibrahim Mehmet Naxhi, was a 19th-century Albanian politician and one of the delegates who participated at the Albanian Declaration of Independence. Biography Early life Dervish Hima was born in Struga to an Al ...

. He moved from Bitola to Debar in 1907, and formed a chapter of the

Society for the Unity of the Albanian Language Shoqnia e Bashkimit të Gjuhës Shqipe (Society for the Unity of the Albanian Language), usually known as the Shoqnia Bashkimi ( The Union Society) , or simply Bashkimi i Shkodrës (The Union of Shkodra) was a literary society founded in Shkodra, ...

there in December 1908. The chapter also included Fishta, Riza Rusi, Eqerem Cami, Ibrahim Xhidri, Ramadan Camin, Abdullah Tërshana, and Ibrahim Jegeni. Langu also helped organize the

Congress of Dibra A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ad ...

on July 23, 1909. At the end of June 1910,

Shevket Turgut Pasha Shevket Turgut Pasha (; 1857–1924) was an Ottoman Turkish army general with the rank of ''mirliva'' (major general), who also held the governmental title of ''pasha'' (lord). He went to the Prussian military school. Biography Albanian revo ...

, who derided Langu as a “Latin priest,” crushed the rebellion, but it continued underground. Langu continued to lobby for Albanian-language schooling in the area, and the people of Debar elected him unanimously as their first official teacher of same. Carefully watching the fall of the

, he joined Cami, Ismail Strazimiri,

Tajar Tetova Tajar Tetova () was an Albanian military commander and ''çetë'' (band) leader in southern Albania and Macedonia. History Background Born in Kalkandelen (modern day Tetovo) in the late-19th century, Tajar bey Tetova came from a noble landowni ...

, Ramadan Cami, and Sulejman Shehu from

Zerqan Zerqan (Albanian pronunciation: ) is a village and a former municipality in Dibër County, eastern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform, it became a subdivision of the municipality Bulqizë. The population at the 2011 census was 4,111. His ...

in taking up arms to liberate Debar. By now the leading local independence ideologue, he was elected along with

Vehbi Dibra Abdyl Aziz Vehbi Dibra Agolli (12 March 186724 March 1937) was an Albanian Islamic scholar and politician. He served as the first Grand Mufti, grand mufti of the Muslim Community of Albania. He was a delegate of Dibër at the Albanian Declaratio ...

to the

Assembly of Vlorë The Assembly of Vlorë () was an Albanian assembly constituted during the All-Albanian Congress in Vlorë, on November 28, 1912. Background The All-Albanian Congress or ''Albanian National Congress'' or ''Albanian Independence Congress'' w ...

. He left

Vlorë Vlorë ( ; ; sq-definite, Vlora) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, third most populous city of Albania and seat of Vlorë County and Vlorë Municipality. Located in southwestern Albania, Vlorë sprawls on the Bay of Vlorë and is surr ...

to organize resistance to the Serbian occupation of the Debar and

Elbasan Elbasan ( , ; sq-definite, Elbasani, ) is the fourth most populous city of Albania and seat of Elbasan County and Elbasan Municipality. It lies to the north of the river Shkumbin between the Skanderbeg Mountains and the Myzeqe Plain in centr ...

regions. He was arrested but freed by public agitation. He was ushered into Elbasan by his longtime friend Aqif Pasha Elbasani and helped connect the tribes near Debar with the

Provisional Government of Albania The Provisional Government of Albania (), also called the Qemali Government, was the first government of Albania, created by the Assembly of Vlorë on 4 December 1912. It was a paternal government, led by Ismail Qemali, until his resignation o ...

out of Vlorë. A commission consisting of Langu, Elbasani, Tetova, Ismail Haki Peqini, and Ahmet Dakli, set out to professionalize local government in Debar. They were helped by Ramadan Cami, Hoxhë Muglica, Hoxhë Kurt Ballë, and others in this effort. From 1913 to 1917, Langu acted as

qadi A qadi (; ) is the magistrate or judge of a Sharia court, who also exercises extrajudicial functions such as mediation, guardianship over orphans and minors, and supervision and auditing of public works. History The term '' was in use from ...

(

sharia Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on Islamic holy books, scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran, Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' ...

judge) in the parts of the

Dibër valley The Dibër Valley ( sq-definite, Dibra; , ''Debar''; ) is a section of the Black Drin river valley in the border region between North Macedonia and Albania. Today, the Dibër Valley is split into two territorial divisions - Big Dibër (), which is ...

under Albanian rule. He then resettled in Debar, serving as an imam and occasional qadi there from 1920 to 1938. Reconnecting with local associates, he was surveilled by the Yugoslav government. From April 1938 to 1941, he served as chairman of the

Skopje Skopje ( , ; ; , sq-definite, Shkupi) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It lies in the northern part of the country, in the Skopje Basin, Skopje Valley along the Vardar River, and is the political, economic, and cultura ...

Council of

Ulema In Islam, the ''ulama'' ( ; also spelled ''ulema''; ; singular ; feminine singular , plural ) are scholars of Islamic doctrine and law. They are considered the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious knowledge in Islam. "Ulama ...

, but seeing growing danger, he left for

Tirana Tirana ( , ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in Albania, largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills, with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest ov ...

to serve as leader of the

, promoting interreligious tolerance as the key to national unity. In 1947, at the age of 70, he was sentenced to ten years in prison for agitation and propaganda. He was released in 1950 and died in 1956.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lengu, Sherif 20th-century Albanian clergy All-Albanian Congress delegates 1877 births 1956 deaths People from Debar People from Manastir vilayet