Inspired by Pashko Vasa's late 19th century poem for the need to overcome religious differences through Albanian unity, Hoxha took the stanza "the faith of the Albanians is Albanianism" and implemented it literally as state policy.[64][67] In 1967 therefore the communist regime declared Albania the only non-religious country in the world, banning all forms of religious practice in public.[3][4] The Muslim Sunni and Bektashi clergy alongside their Catholic and Orthodox counterparts suffered severe persecution and to prevent a decentralisation of authority in Albania, many of their leaders were killed.[69] Jumu'ah or communal Friday prayers in a mosque that involves a sermon afterwards were banned in Albania due to their revolutionary associations that posed a threat to the communist regime.[70] People who still performed religious practices did so in secret, while others found out were persecuted and personal possession of religious literature such as the Quran forbidden.[71][68][69] Amongst Bektashi adherents transmission of knowledge became limited to within few family circles that mainly resided in the countryside.[57] Mosques became a target for Albanian communists who saw their continued existence as exerting an ideological presence in the minds of people.[72] Through the demise of mosques and religion in general within Albania, the regime sought to alter and sever the social basis of religion that lay with traditional religious structures amongst the people and replace it with communism.[71][72][73] Islamic buildings were hence appropriated by the communist state who often turned into them into gathering places, sports halls, warehouses, barns, restaurants, cultural centres and cinemas in an attempt to erase those links between religious buildings and people.[72][68][69][74] In 1967 within the space of seven months the communist regime destroyed 2,169 religious buildings and other monuments.[72] Of those were some 530 tekes, turbes and dergah saint shrines that belonged mainly to the Bektashi order.[72] 740 mosques were destroyed, some of which were prominent and architecturally important like the Kubelie Mosque in Kavajë, the Clock Mosque in Peqin and the two domed mosques in Elbasan dating from the 17th century.[72] Of the roughly 1,127 Islamic buildings existing in Albania prior to the communists coming to power, only 50 mosques remained thereafter with most being in a state of disrepair.[75]