Musa Qazimi

Musa Qazimi (18647 July 1915) was an Albanian politician and rebel. A Turcophile mufti, he was first the mayor (1904-1908), then the mufti (1908-1913), and finally the prefect of Tirana (1913-1914). In the turbulent period after the Albanian declaration of independence from the Ottoman Empire, he was first a supporter of the Young Turks, then of Essad Pasha. After he broke with Essad Pasha, he defected and became a leader in the sectarian, reactionary After the revolt was shattered by a makeshift alliance consisting of Mirdita Catholics, local resistance, Kosovar Albanians led by Isa Boletini and some foreign volunteers mainly from Romania, he was found guilty of orchestrating the slaughter that occurred during his revolt against supporters of the Albanian national movement as well as Bektashis and Christians, and he was executed on July 7, 1915. After finishing his education in the mekteb (religious school), he studied in a madresa until the age of 28, at which point he received his diploma.

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 kachaks led by Albanian nationalist Isa Boletini from Kosovo and Macedonia. They were led by Isa Boletini and supported by Kemal and his Provisional Government of Albania. Essad Pasha agreed to help the Kingdom of Serbia acquire part of the coastal areas north of Black Drin.

Qazimi strongly sympathized with Essad Pasha's desire to have a Muslim, rather than Christian, prince ruling Albania., and they raised the flag of the Ottoman Empire and restored Ottoman Turkish as the national language.

When the rebels entered Tirana, Musa Qazimi joined them, and raised the Ottoman flag over the city.

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. When Qazimi's forces captured Berat, Musa Qazimi ordered Karbunara to be seized from his house and humiliated the man by dragging him through the streets, his arms and legs bound in chains. In front of a crowd of Berat citizens, Musa Qazimi had his men beat Babe Dud Karbunara, and ripped his beard out from his face. On 7 July 1915 he was executed beside his comrade Hajdar Hoxha, and not long after Haxhi Qamili was executed too.