Xhemal Naipi (1 March 1889 – 1955) was an

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the ...

mufti A Mufti (; ar, مفتي) is an Islamic jurist qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion ('' fatwa'') on a point of Islamic law (''sharia''). The act of issuing fatwas is called ''iftāʾ''. Muftis and their ''fatwas'' played an important rol ...

and politician. He served as Chairman of the National Council of Albania in 1920. - Republika e Shqipërisë KUVEND. Tiranë 2005. He was awarded posthumously the Order "For Patriotic Activities Class I" as well as the "Torch of Democracy" Medal.

Early life

Xhemal Naipi was born on March 1, 1889, in

Shkodër Shkodër ( , ; sq-definite, Shkodra) is the fifth-most-populous city of the Republic of Albania and the seat of Shkodër County and Shkodër Municipality. The city sprawls across the Plain of Mbishkodra between the southern part of Lake Sh ...

, center of a

vilayet A vilayet ( ota, , "province"), also known by #Names, various other names, was a first-order administrative division of the later Ottoman Empire. It was introduced in the Vilayet Law of 21 January 1867, part of the Tanzimat reform movement init ...

of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

, now a city in northwestern

. His father Hasan derived from the Naipi family, mentioned in the city for practicing the role of

qadis A qāḍī ( ar, قاضي, Qāḍī; otherwise transliterated as qazi, cadi, kadi, or kazi) is the magistrate or judge of a ''sharīʿa'' court, who also exercises extrajudicial functions such as mediation, guardianship over orphans and minor ...

during the Ottoman years. He finished his early schooling in his hometown and later pursued his university studies in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

, majoring in theology and jurisprudence. He spoke fluently

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities ...

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

and

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

. In the years between 1913 and 1916, Naipi served as a qadi as well as Chairman of the Education Commission of Shkodër where he contributed in the opening of three elementary schools. Later he was elected as general director of

Waqfs A waqf ( ar, وَقْف; ), also known as hubous () or ''mortmain'' property is an inalienable charitable endowment under Islamic law. It typically involves donating a building, plot of land or other assets for Muslim religious or charitabl ...

Political career

From 29 March 1920 to 27 May 1920 he exercised the functions of the Chairman of the National Council, that was formed after the

Congress of Lushnjë The Congress of Lushnjë (), historically documented by the name ''Mbledhja Kombiare Lushnje'', was a conference of Politics of Albania, Albanian political leaders held from January 28 to January 31, 1920 in Lushnjë, Albania. Its objective was to ...

. He was elected to represent Shkodër in the 7th Legislature. On the onset of WWII, after the Italian invasion, Naipi was arrested by the fascist authorities and interned to

Ceresara Ceresara ( Upper Mantovano: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Mantua in the Italian region Lombardy, located about east of Milan and about northwest of Mantua. , it had a population of 2,544 and an area of .All demographics and ...

Mantova Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the province of the same name. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture. In 2017, it was named as the Euro ...

where he was held until 1942. After his return to Albania, he became involved in the

Legality Movement The Legaliteti ( sq, Lëvizja Legaliteti; en, Legality Movement) were an Albanian royalist and pro-monarchy faction founded in 1941. It was led by Abaz Kupi. Ideology The Legaliteti sought the return of King Zog, who had fled the country o ...

which aimed to restore the

Monarchy A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutional monarchy ...

. When the communists prevailed in the war and took charge of the country's administration, Naipi went into hiding. During the period between 1945 and 1946, his properties and possessions were confiscated and his family was interned to

Berat Berat (; sq-definite, Berati) is the ninth most populous city of Albania and the seat of Berat County and Berat Municipality. By air, it is north of Gjirokastër, west of Korçë, south of Tirana, and east of Fier. Berat is located i ...

. Following an amnesty issued by the communist authorities, he surrendered himself but later on October 7, 1946, was arrested. He was charged for participating in an organization that conducted illegal activities against the state. On June 23, 1947, the military court of Shkodër sentenced him to life imprisonment with forced labor, the loss of civil and political rights and seizure of his properties. Naipi died at the Burrel Prison in 1955.

References

Speakers of the Parliament of Albania Members of the Parliament of Albania 1887 births 1955 deaths People from Shkodër People from Scutari vilayet Albanian imams Albanian Islamic religious leaders {{Albania-politician-stub