I just saw a moving exhibition dedicated to Albanian Muslims who rescued Jews during World War II, receiving as a result the title of 'Righteous' from Yad Vashem. The individuals interviewed gave two reasons for their actions. First, their Albanian code of besa, which means keeping the promise and is closely related to the concept of honor, required them to protect visitors, if necessary with their own lives. Second, they believed that, as Muslims, the saving of one life would open for them the doors of paradise.
The result: Albanians saved the 200 Jews who lived in Albania, plus over 1,000 others who fled there during World War II - apparently, only one family perished at the hands of the Germans. Often, the entire community knew that Jews were being hidden among them, yet no one betrayed them. And, in the cases included in this exhibit, the Albanian benefactors refused any payment for their help.
I wasn't able to find online information about the exhibit itself, but did find some documentation on the Yad Vashem website. For those pages, click here.
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