Italian media, La Repubblica, has dedicated an article to the creation of a Bektashi state in our country, calling it a liberal path to Islam.
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| Edmond Brahimaj , commonly known as Baba Mondi at his World Headquarters of the Bektashi in Tirana |
The Bektashi community, persecuted by Atatürk in Turkey and Hoxha in Albania, has a special relationship with Prime Minister Rama, who now seeks to provide them with a Holy See to combine faith and democracy. The article begins with this introduction and continues as follows:
The dome of the grand temple, the Odeon, stands between Mount Dajti and the blocks of communist-era Tirana. In front of a centuries-old Quran, Baba Mondi offers his visitors tea, coffee, and rakia, Balkan alcohol, in what could become the smallest state in the world, a kind of “Muslim Vatican.”
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| World Headquarters of the Bektashi in Tirana |
“The Quran says: eat and drink whatever you want, but do not go to excess. Ours is a religion of peace and progress,” calmly smiles Edmond Brahimaj, 64, a former officer of the Albanian army and a devout Muslim who has been the spiritual leader of the Bektashi since 2011. This Sufi community combines Islam with mysticism, preaching a liberal version of Muhammad’s faith: no ban on alcohol consumption, no imposition on dress, gender equality, acceptance of divorce, and no restrictions on marriage. Their faith is separate from politics, and their central tenet is: “He who knows himself knows God.”
Edi Rama, the theatrical Prime Minister of Albania, is now working to grant state sovereignty to the Bektashi order over a few hectares of cultivated land with meadows and olive groves, where dervishes dressed in white welcome visitors with curiosity and loyalty, retreating twice a week for secret rituals reserved for clerics.
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| Symbol of the World Supreme Court of the Bektashis |
Rama’s lawyers are developing the legal framework for this project. Baba Mondi expresses caution: “We will not be like the Vatican. We will not have Swiss Guards or an army, nor do we wish to erect walls or draw borders. We seek legal recognition because, for now, we are merely an NGO.”
“This would mean issuing passports and having a diplomatic status that allows the Bektashi to establish autonomous relations with other countries and religious communities. In short, it would give us more influence. Always within the boundaries of Albanian law,” explains Ana, with her long hair falling over her black suit, high heels, and a touch of lipstick.
Ana embraced Bektashism a few years ago after a difficult period and now represents its new voice in Brussels: “We share common values and principles of human rights with Europe.”
Bektashism, founded in the 13th century, was the religion of the Ottoman military elite and spread throughout West Asia. When Atatürk established the secular Republic of Turkey in the early 20th century, the Bektashi fled to Albania, taking part in the “Albanian Spring” and resisting the empire. Their monasteries, or teqe, secretly circulated Albanian-language schoolbooks.
The project is part of a broader modernization plan for Albania, envisioned as a kind of Dubai of the Balkans.
The teqe themselves offered refuge to Jews during World War II. By the end of the war, Albania was one of the few European countries with a larger Jewish community than before the conflict. With communism came darkness: during Enver Hoxha’s dictatorship, the Bektashi were banned and persecuted, their properties confiscated, their teqe destroyed. Yet, they continued clandestinely.
Twilight enters through the temple’s windows, twelve as the twelve imams. Wrapped in a green cloak and with a long beard symbolizing detachment from worldly matters, Baba Mondi reflects on the painful past: “We prayed in secret, disguising our gatherings as birthday or children’s celebrations to preserve our traditions.” John Paul II was the first Pope to cross Albania’s borders after the fall of Europe’s last Stalinist regime.
“He said that without the Bektashi, no Albanians would have remained,” recalls the cleric, who holds a firm stance on political Islam: “If religion mixes with politics and business, it is no longer religion. It becomes power.”
Today, it is estimated that 5 to 10% of Albania’s population are Bektashi. Rama’s proposal has received support, although some see it as another publicity stunt by the Prime Minister, while others, such as representatives of the Sunni community, have expressed discontent.