Tirana: Albania may soon have a microstate dedicated to the Sufi Bektashi Muslims in the nation’s capital Tirana. The move reportedly aims to promote peaceful and tolerant co-existence and provide the minority with autonomy over their religious practices.
The Balkan nation plans to provide a Vatican City-esque enclave spanning over 10 hectares, where the Bektashis will have their administration, passports, and borders.
According to reports, Prime Minister Edi Rama said that the microstate would allow alcohol, let people wear whatever they want, and impose no lifestyle rules according to the tolerant practices of the Bektashi sect.
Speaking at the United Nations, on Sunday, September 22, the Albanian Prime Minister said that the country is proud of the Bektashi community, which is considered one of the most tolerant versions of Islam.
Bektashiyya Sufis: A former warrior clan
The Bektashi or the Bektashiyya is a Sufi movement that originated in the Anatolia region of Turkey. It was founded in the 12th century by Sayyid Muhammad bin Ibrahim Ata, also known as Haji Bektashi Vali, who preached love and kindness.
The beliefs and practices of the Bektashi community are quite relaxed compared to orthodox Islam, with men and women allowed to take part in prayers in the same room, etc.
The Bektashi community gained political prominence when it became the ideology of the Ottoman Empire’s feared elite military units, known as the Janissaries. The infantry units of the Janissaries were key to the empire’s success, with the fierce warriors winning most of the battles they fought during the expansive years of the Ottomans.
The Janissaries were selected as boys and were trained to become warriors, from the communities outside the tax-paying Islam communities of the Ottoman Empire, mostly from Christian or Slav communities.
The lax principles of the Bektashi philosophy were found by the Janissaries to be more relatable to them, as they grew and became revered warriors, diplomats, or top government servants of the Ottoman Empire.
The Janissaries’ and Bektashi community’s influence in Turkey was taken away by Kamal Ataturk, who established the Republic of Turkey, after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. He banished the Janissaries from the country once he took over the country.
It was Albania, that welcomed the fleeing Janissaries and Bektashis, where the community is based right now, in its capital city, Tirana. The Bektashis are headed by an elder, called ‘Baba‘. The current spiritual leader or baba, Dervish Baba Mondi, is set to be the leader of the new sovereign state.
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Parameswaran Valeri | 
