Xhemal Naipi (1 March 1889 – 1955) was an

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

mufti A mufti (; , ) 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 ''fatāwa'' have played an important role thro ...

and politician. He served as Chairman of the National Council of Albania in 1920. 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; historically known as Scodra or Scutari) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, fifth-most-populous city of Albania and the seat of Shkodër County and Shkodër Municipality. Shkodër has been List of o ...

, center of a

vilayet A vilayet (, "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 initiated b ...

of the

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 ...

, now a city in northwestern

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

qadis 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 ...

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

, majoring in theology and jurisprudence. He spoke fluently

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

, Turkish,

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

and

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

. 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 (; , plural ), also called a (, plural or ), 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 chari ...

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 Albanian political leaders held from January 21 to January 31, 1920, in Lushnjë, Albania. Its objective was to deal with the is ...

. 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,

Mantova Mantua ( ; ; Lombard and ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Lombardy, and capital of the eponymous province. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the "Italian Capital of Culture". In 2017, it was named as the "European C ...

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

Legality Movement The 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 on the eve of the Italian invasion. The L ...

which aimed to restore the

Monarchy A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, reigns as head of state for the rest of their life, or until abdication. The extent of the authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutio ...

. 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 List of cities and towns in Albania, 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 ea ...

. 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 Burrel Prison () is a high security prison located outside the town of Burrel, in northeastern Albania at the District Police Station in Mat (municipality), Mat with a maximum capacity of 198 inmates. In 2011 the prison housed 182 inmates and empl ...

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