Ashkali and Balkan Egyptians

The Ashkali (), also Hashkali (), and Balkan Egyptians ("offensive derogatory term :"jevg ; ; ; ) are Albanian-speaking ethnic cultural minorities (recognized communities) which mainly inhabit Kosovo, and in the case of Balkan Egyptians Albania as well. Due to lack of studies, the communities are often wrongly grouped together based on their skin colour and some mistakenly consider them to be Albanized Romani, however they do not self-identify as such. Prior to the Kosovo War of 1999,the Ashkali people, registered themselves as Albanians.
During the Kosovo War, Kosovo's Ashkali people were displaced as refugees in Albania, Serbia and Macedonia and whole Western Europe such as Germany and France. The Ashkali identity was created in 1999, as they tried to show their pro-Albanian stance and distinguish themselves from the Roma.
History.
The Ashkali have been classed as a "new ethnic identity in the Balkans", formed in the 1990s.
It was earlier applied to stationary Roma who settled in Albanian areas during Ottoman Empire times. The Ashkali speak Albanian as their first language. Ashkali people often worked as blacksmiths, or manual laborers on Ottoman estates. They are found mainly in eastern and central Kosovo. The Ashkali people claim that they have originated in Persia, now Iran, in 4th century BC (Ashkal, Gilan, Iran); however, there are no indicators for this hypothesis and it not scientifically proven. There are other theories of the Ashkali coming from Turkey in a village called Aşkale (Erzurum district of Turkey), or possibly have come from ages ago in the city of Ashkalon (Israel). Still, some believe they are travelers from Northern India (Romani) who have used the Albanian language as their mother-tongue.
When it comes to Balkan Egyptians , from the texts of Herodutus, we may see that in ancient times among the Greeks and Balkan populations, it was known that there were people with Egyptian orign living in their neighbourhood. A lot of temples of the Goddess Isis have been preserved around the Balkans, most famously the Temples of Isis in Lihnidos (modern day Ohër) and Heraclea (Bitola). 
During the Byzantine Period, in the letters of Theophiliac from Ohrid, the Archbishop of Ohrid Church from the end of XI and beginning of XII century we find historical data related to Balkan Egyptians. 
A 14th-century reference to a placename (Агѹповы клѣти, "Agupovy klěti") in the Rila Charter of Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria is thought to be related to the Balkan Egyptians according to some authors, such as Konstantin Josef Jireček.
However, in the interpretation of historical sources from XIII and XIV we may find a lot of examples of confusion. This phenomenon is caused by the identification of the Roma people with origins from north-western India as "Egyptians". The Romani were excluded from Balkan and European societies even in that period, therefore the Roma people prefered to declare themselves as "Egyptians", hence the derogatory term gypsy, for a greater prestige in society, which would later have consequeces for the Balkan Egyptians who were already integrated in their resperctive societies. One example comes from documents written on November 5th 1362, from the archive of Dubrovnik, where Vlaho and Vitan (clearly bearing christian slavic names, which shows that they had been long integrated into Croatian society of the time) are mentioned as 'Egyptian'.
In 1990, an "Egyptian association" was formed in Ohrid, Macedonia. 
During the Kosovo War, Albanized Roma were displaced as refugees in Albania and the Republic of Macedonia. Many Ashkali fought in the Kosovo Liberation Army. Albanized Roma formed the ethnic group "Ashkali" after the end of the war in 1999, to show their pro-Albanian stance and distinguish themselves from the Roma, who had been mistakenly viewed as pro-Serbian during the war. Many Albanized Roma were also sent to refugee camps with other Roma, with whom they did not share the same language and customs. As the majority of Kosovo (or Albanized) Roma, many Ashkali refugees settled in Serbia and Montenegro. 
The first Ashkali party ("Democratic Party of the Ashkali Albanians of Kosovo") was formed in 2000 under Sabit Rrahmani, who supported Kosovo independence in the name of all Ashkali.
In Kosovo, the Ashkali were aligned with Albanians before, during and after the Kosovo War. However, Ashkali, along with Romani Gypsies from Kosovo, have reportedly been expelled from the area.
Demographics.
Most Ashkali live in Kosovo and North Macedonia, but they also reside in , Serbia and Montenegro, while most Balkan Egyptians are thought to live in Albania, other than Kosovo. In the Macedonian census of 2002, 3,713 people self-identified as "Egyptian". In the Serbian census of 2002 (excluding Kosovo), 814 people self-identified as "Egyptian". In the Montenegrin census, 225 people self-identified as "Egyptian".
Ashkali are predominant in the central and eastern regions of Kosovo: Ferizaj, Fushë Kosova and Lipjan. Kosovo's Egyptian community is mostly to be found in its western part: in Gjakova, Istog, Peja and Deçan. The Ashkali/Egyptian community of Kosovo had 98% unemployment in 2009.
In Albania, however, the Balkan Egyptian community is fully integrated into the albanian society and culture. Therefore, the majority choose not to declare themselves as Egyptian because of baseless negative stereotypes as well as racial prejudice. 
Despite the fact that most Balkan Egyptians tend to have typical meditarrenean features, fair skin and light features are not uncommon. 
Culture.
Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptians are ethnically different. Marriages between Egyptians and Albanians are more frequent than marriages between Romani and Albanians, while marriages between Egyptians with Roma are extremely rare.
In Kosovo, Roma and Ashkalia do not classify one another as Gadje.
The Ashkali and Roma claim the Egyptians as their own; whereas the Ashkali and Egyptians dispute over each other's background. No television or radio channels are dedicated to Kosovo's Ashkali or Egyptian minority audiences.