jan 1, 1651 - Reports on Albanian Catholics converting to Islam

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Albanian Catholic Gregor Mazrreku reported in the year 1651 that in Western Kosovo there had previously been many Catholics but converted to Islam in order to avoid taxes and impositions.[61][55][page needed] In Suha Reka where there had been previously 160 Catholic households, all the men had gone over to Islam.[61] Many Catholics in Kosovo also converted to Islam due to lack of priests, pressure from Ottoman authorities and the Orthodox church.[62] The Catholic church in Kosovo was poor and Catholics were pressured to pay taxes to the Orthodox Church.[62] According to Malcolm, compared to the Catholic church, the Serbian Orthodox church was larger, richer, more established and more privileged which led to less conversion to Islam.[63]

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