RECOS 2024: Calls for Respect of Religiouss in Population Recording

The secular Society for Critical Thinking says the census is important in Kosovo, as it will provide a comprehensive picture of the economic, social and vital conditions of residents of the Republic of Kosovo.

In addition, this organization calls for the respect of secularists during this process.

"Initially, we wanted to appeal to secular citizens, whether atheists, agnostics, deists, spiritists or any other form of religion to answer that question with the “5 option. No religious faith” as they are visited by recorders. Given the possibility that family members can respond to other family members or their countrymen if the latter are not at home, it is important that family members inform them of this part in advance. If there are problems, you are invited to report publicly, to report on our Facebook page, but also to the Kosovo Statistics Agency itself in: [email protected] and (+383) 038 200 319x3>, the communiqué says.

In addition, this organization requires that nonreligious citizens have the opportunity to respond freely.

The recorders should give people the opportunity to respond freely and make sure that the answers are correct. This is true of those without religious affiliations, but it is also true of those with non-traditional religious beliefs who also had problems. The AKS, in cases of violations, must take measures against the recorders in order to avoid systemic problems“, writes away. /Periscopi

Full communication:

The secular Society for Critical Thinking recognises the fundamental importance of population registration for every developed and modern country. The data, numbers and percentages released not only direct the policies and priorities of the Republic of Kosovo over the next decade but also become a part of the social conscience and are often cited in a host of contexts: from editorship to academic, scientific and political controversy.

By taking the lead, our organization, as an interest group, is closely following developments in the census of Population, Family Economics and Apartments (REKOS 2024). We also feel that a press release, as you will read, is necessary to warn constructively and to mention some issues that we think are not sufficiently discussed in official circles and civil society.

Kosovo Statistics Agency (ASK) stresses that the census will be held during April 5th, April 17th 2024. As mentioned earlier, this process -- if it is conducted fairly -- will provide a more comprehensive mirror of economic, social and vital conditions of residents of the Republic of Kosovo.

However, as a group of interests with the main mission representing the interests of secular/laic persons in Kosovo, do we give particular attention to the non-binding question about religious affiliation, namely question 10 of the individual questionnaire: “what is your religious belief?”.

Initially, we wanted to appeal to secular citizens, whether they were atheists, agnostics, deists, spiritists or any other secular form to answer that question with the alternative “5. No religious faith” as they are visited by recorders. Given the possibility that family members can respond to other family members or their countrymen if the latter are not at home, it is important that family members inform them of this part in advance. If there are problems, you are invited to report publicly, report to our Facebook page, but also to the Kosovo Statistics Agency itself in: [email protected] and (+383) 038 200 319.

Also, we call on AKS and recorders to show professionalism in the process, especially in the sensitive question about religious affiliation. Recorders should give people the opportunity to respond freely and make sure that the answers are correct. This is true of those without religious affiliations, but it is also true of those with non-traditional religious beliefs who also had problems. The AKS, in cases of violations, must take measures against the recorders in order to avoid systematic problems.

Furthermore, we call on media and civil society to be attentive to problems during the registration process, especially to the problems of those without religious affiliations as well as those who do not belong to traditional religious communities. Your oversight will be essential to the development of the process in all respects.

Our motive for this declaration and our activity during this census comes from our Association membership experiences during the 2011 census in Kosovo. We repeatedly saw serious violations during the process, violations that were systematic and that did not produce a real mirror for Kosovo's religious affiliation, especially for secular/laic persons and without religious affiliation. We have encountered numerous cases where recorders fulfilled the answer often without asking citizens, cases in which they assumed the religious affiliation of the census, but even more problematic cases where the recorders refused to record the response given by the citizen, even though citizens clearly indicated that it did not belong to any religious faith.

We want to point again that in our own experience, these have not been isolated cases, and we see the need to point out that only such an pollster is enough to prevent hundreds of residents from expressing their religious affiliation. We believe that the welfare of such an important process is in everyone's interest.

The Secular Association of Critical Thinking