Sherif Langu

Hafiz Sherif Langu
Title	Ottoman Albania
Died	9 March 1956(1956-03-09) (aged 78–79) Tirana, Albania
Religion	Islam
Nationality	Albanian
Relatives	Selim Rusi (grandfather)
Signature
Muslim leader
Period in office	1942–1945
Predecessor	Behxhet Shapati
Successor	Musa H. Aliu
Post	Head of the Muslim Community of Albania

Sherif Langu (also known as Sherif Lëngu, 1877, Debar - 9 March 1956) was an Albanian Muslim cleric who served as chairman of the Muslim Community of Albania from 1942 until 1945.^[1]

Biography

Born in Debar, present-day North Macedonia, he received his religious schooling from the local town madrasa and was later appointed imam. Langu took part in the great Assembly of Dibra on February 27, 1899. After graduating from the madrasa, he continued his high school education in Bitola and in 1904 went to study theology in Istanbul. In December 1908, he formed the "Bashkimi" club of Debar. As leader of the club's administrative council, along with other activists such as Kadri Fishta, Riza Rusi, Eqerem Cami, Ibrahim Xhidri, Abdullah Tërshana and Ibrahim Jegeni, he carried out vigorous activities for the benefit of the national cause.

His grandfather

Langu continued to lobby for Albanian-language schooling in the area, and the people of Debar elected him unanimously as their first official teacher of same. Carefully watching the fall of the Ottoman Empire, he joined Cami, Ismail Strazimiri, Tajar Tetova, Ramadan Cami, and Sulejman Shehu from Zerqan in taking up arms to liberate Debar. By now the leading local independence ideologue, he was elected along with Vehbi Dibra to the Assembly of Vlorë. He left Vlorë to organize resistance to the Serbian occupation of the Debar and Elbasan regions. He was arrested but freed by public agitation.

He was ushered into Elbasan by his longtime friend

In 1947, at the age of 70, he was sentenced to ten years in prison for agitation and propaganda. He was released in 1950 and died in 1956.[2]

References