Musa Qazimi (18647 July 1917) was an Albanian politician and rebel.[ and clerically tinged pro-Ottoman revolt against the new Albanian state's authorities. While the official head of the movement was Haxhi Qamili and the head of its armed forces was Mustafa Ndroqi, Qazimi has been considered to be the ideological inspiration of the movement.,][
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Early life
Musa was born in 1864 in Tirana.[ After graduating, he became a teacher.][
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Career in politics
In 1904, he was appointed kaymakam of at the time the Kaza of Tirana, a post which he served until 1908.[ In 1908, he became the mufti of Tirana.][
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In 1912, Albania declared independence from the Ottoman Empire, and while the government of Ismail Qemali, which had issued the Albanian declaration of independence, claimed sovereignty over the entire country, the reality was more complicated due to hostilities between Albanian and Ottoman forces, local anarchy, and the ensuing Balkan Wars. Various factions arose that vied for control over the different regions of Albania. Ideologically, at this time, Qazimi was a supporter of the Young Turks,[
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Alliance with Essad Pasha Toptani
After Albanian independence, many rich Muslim landowners, together with Muslim clergy such as Qazimi, remained loyal to the Ottoman Empire and were afraid of losing their privileged status after the signing of the London Peace Treaty and the decision of the Great Powers about the future status of the territory which today belongs to Albania. They maintained close contacts with the government of the Young Turks in Istanbul, which was still hoping to restore Ottoman suzerainty over Albania. The Young Turks sent agents to co-opt their fears with the aim of reincorporating Albania into the Ottoman Empire.
They found an ally in Essad Pasha Toptani, a powerful Albanian warlord from the illustrious Toptani family who had become famous for his role in the defense of Shkodra. Essad Pasha became the head of the emerging Republic of Central Albania. The Kingdom of Serbia also agreed to support Essad Pasha's government financially, and even with military force if needed. In exchange, Essad Pasha agreed to neutralize a large group of about 20,000 led by Albanian nationalist Isa Boletini from Kosovo and Macedonia.
Qazimi strongly sympathized with Essad Pasha's desire to have a Muslim, rather than Christian, prince ruling Albania.,[
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However, when Essad Pasha lost the allegiance of the Muslim clerical and land-owning class when he began to reconcile with the newly established "heathen" Prince Wied;[ Essad Pasha thus played a role in the psychological preparation of the following uprising in which Musa Qazimi would come to play a critical role.]
Role in Revolt of Haxhi Qamili
Defection
On 17 May 1914,[ a revolt broke out in the countryside nearby Tirana, led by the charismatic sheikh Haxhi Qamili and a group of other Muslim clerics. The rebels fought under the Ottoman flag and opposed the rule of Prince Weid, who was both a Christian and a foreigner. They opposed the separation of Albania from the Ottoman Empire. The motto of the rebels was "Duam, duam Babën-- Turqinë!" (We want, we want our father—Turkey)]
When the rebels entered Tirana, Musa Qazimi joined them, and raised the Ottoman flag over the city.[ Qazimi joined the rebels and publicly demanded the eviction of Prince Wied from the throne.][
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Trajectory
On 3 June after capturing Shijak, the rebels convened and decided that landowner Mustafa Ndroqi and cleric Haxhi Qamili were the public leaders of the movement; however, Musa Qazimi had the most power behind the scenes.
Frustrated by their inability to obtain a victory in Durrës, Qazimi's rebels retreated, and concentrated on surrounding areas in Central Albania. On 23 June Elbasan fell to the rebels
On 3 September Prince Wied fled the country, and two days later, the rebels captured Durrës.[ The rebels announced a "General Council" ( Këshillin e Përgjithshëm) with Mustafa Ndroqi as president.]
Executions overseen as head of "disciplinary forces"
Within the revolt, Musa Qazimi was the head of the "disciplinary forces".[ He used this position to carry out slaughters in the name of "cleansing" the "Bektashi schismatics" ( Bektashinjtë përçarës).][ Musa Qazimi is said to have been an inspiration to his leader Haxhi Qamili.]
Other targets besides "Bektashi schismatics" included Christians,[ Albanian nationalist teachers who had been teaching using the Latin alphabet,][ and even Muslim clerics who were supporters of Albanian nationhood.]
One famous man who was attacked by the men of Musa Qazimi was Babe Dud Karbunara, a teacher in Berat in then-illegal Albanian schools during Ottoman times, a leader in the earlier Albanian revolt against Ottoman rule and delegate at the Albanian declaration of independence at the Assembly of Vlore.[ Famously, Musa Qazimi asked Babe Dud Karbunara, "Who are you, an Ottomanism or an Albanian people?" and Karbunara retorted back "And you, in what language are you speaking to me? I am an Albanian as you are!"][
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Downfall
Before long however, the fortunes of the revolt dissipated and it was soon crushed, by the combined forces of the Albanian government, Kosovar militias under the command of Isa Boletini, Catholic forces from Mirdita, and some Romanian mercenaries. The leaders of the revolt, including Musa Qazimi, were tried and found guilty of various charges. Musa Qazimi was charged with murder for the executions he oversaw.[
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