Before declaring its independence unilaterally in 2008, Kosovo was part of Serbia. The International Court of Justice ruled that the declaration did not violate international law, but Serbia rejected the decision.
According to Encyclopedia Britannica, Islam entered Kosovo when the region was controlled by the Ottoman Empire in the mid-15th century to the early 20th century. This period was a time when Islam grew rapidly and the Albanian-speaking population increased.
In the second half of the century, the ethnic Albanians, who were predominantly Muslim, outnumbered the ethnic Serbians, who were mostly Eastern Orthodox. Although the majority of its population became Muslim, Kosovo maintained its Orthodox heritage.
95.6 Percent of Kosovo Citizens Are Muslim
Although Islam dominates the religion of its citizens, Kosovo does not have an official state religion and allows its citizens to have no religion. According to the latest census in 2011, Kosovo's Muslim population reached 95.6 percent.
The rest are Roman Catholic, Serbian Orthodox with Protestantism, Jews, and no religion (less than 1 percent). Meanwhile, Boston University's 2020 World Religion Data estimates that Kosovo's Muslim population reaches 93 percent, 6 percent Christian, and 1 percent atheist or agnostic or adheres to other religions.
The majority of Kosovo Muslims adhere to the Hanafi Sunni school of thought. In addition, some of them are members of the Sufi Order community. (kri/lus)