What the Bektashis are really asking for

The only positive thing that came from the public disclosure of Edi Rama’s proposal for the sovereignty of the Bektashi Order, aimed at granting international representation to this religious sect based in Albania, was that it generated a lot of humor. This was the first test of the Albanian society’s tolerance and their goodwill towards the Albanian Bektashis.

Albanian Bektashis have recently been caught up in all the resentment that exists in Albania towards Edi Rama, coming from his political opponents, his cultural opponents, and certainly his religious opponents and above all, from the bewilderment of a part of the public opinion over the idea of creating a state within a state in Albania.

The truth is that over the years the Albanian Bektashis, have asked for the recognition of their international status and representation as the World Headquarters of the Bektashi Order, based in Tirana. Following their relocation from Turkey to Albania, the World Headquarters based in Tirana has been considered the center of the Bektashis worldwide, meaning that the Grandfather of the Bektashi Headquarters in Tirana is the Grandfather of Bektashis all over the world.

As acknowledged by the Headquarters itself, all countries with Bektashi communities, except for official Iran which opposes the Bektashis wherever they are, have recognized this legitimacy.

However, the Albanian state has not yet taken any formal action to recognize this international representation of the Bektashis by the Bektashi Headquarters in Tirana.

Currently, the Headquarters of the Bektashi Order in Tirana exerts its influence on Bektashis in Kosovo, North Macedonia, Turkey, and the USA. In the USA, the Baba Rexhepi Tekke in Detroit is one of the centers that has kept Bektashism alive in the USA and has also played a political role in building relations with the American state.

So, this is what the Bektashis are asking for. They have been asking for this from the Albanian government since 1991.

There has been formal resistance to this request, mainly because of the significant influence of the Muslim Community in Albanian politics. There have been efforts to assimilate the Bektashis within it. The reason for this is because in reality the Bektashis are the most widespread religion in Albania. They constitute the majority within the Muslim community.

I know that such figures are always a source of debate, but this is the truth. This is all that the Headquarters is asking for: recognition of their status of international representation of the Bektashis. This is not a discussion about establishing a state with borders, territory, customs, or police. It is instead a discussion about a sovereign order asking that the Albanian government recognize its legitimacy based on its statute. Which then can extend its authority over the Tekkes across Albania and other countries that recognize this authority.

So, what was Edi Rama talking about?

Edi Rama did nothing more than what he knows how to do best as a marketing agent in politics. He first used it to amaze foreigners and made the front page of the New York Times. Then he infuriated all Albanians with the idea of the ‘new state.’ He let the fantasy roam from shore to shore, because in these difficult times, there is nothing better than throwing the fools a toy to play with.

Even Sali Berisha, who initially seemed to hold back, eventually exploded when he realized this wasn’t about establishing a state, but rather about something concrete that he himself had refused to do when in power. So, he tried to do what he does best—ignite the religious hatred of Muslims towards Bektashis.

As a result, Albanian society this week has been waking up and going to bed thinking about Baba Mondi, who, on his part, has slept peacefully ignoring the ‘mortals’ down on earth, and preferring instead to keep in touch just with Almighty above.

As I said, the only positive thing coming out of this story is that the insults have been directed exclusively at Edi Rama, while Baba Mondi has been the subject of many humorous memes and has sparked national hilarity because he is seen as a rival statesman to Edi Rama.

The issue is quite simple. Is the Albanian state ready to grant the World Headquarters of the Bektashi Order, based in Tirana, the formal status it holds as the headquarters of all Bektashis in the world or not?

They had this status in Turkey when they were expelled from there and came to Albania in the 1920s. They have inherited this status morally and spiritually. They are simply seeking state credentials from the Albanian state to confirm this.

Do not look elsewhere for similar examples. It just so happens that they came to Tirana and did not go to another country.

While the Orthodox Church is fragmented into several centers of authority with their synods, the Catholic Church is concentrated solely in the Vatican, Muslims are entirely decentralized in their religious authority, the Bektashis, like Catholics, have a central headquarters, the World Headquarters located in Tirana. That’s the only similarity with Catholics.

Edi Rama did not bring the headquarters to Tirana. They came during Ahmet Zogu’s reign and he supported them by granting them properties. Enver Hoxha accepted them, as did all the governments that followed. We have given them properties, some of which were plundered after the 1990s, as in the case of Ksamil, where even Sali Berisha’s family is involved in the plunder. Now they are asking for a document from the Albanian state that recognizes what has already been recognized by Betkashi believers in many countries.

So enough with the outrage!

If you scratch the surface of the Bektashis a Christian is revealed, but if you dress them in thick robes, they resemble Muslims. And if truth be told they are respected more by Orthodox Christians than by Muslims. The latter, of course, are angrier with them, but this is not a recent quarrel; it’s been going on for 700 years. Now the Bektashis are merely seeking certification of their peaceful identity.

When it comes to the Bektashi contribution to the cause of the Albanian state, they are at the top of every list. When it comes to Albania, the Orthodox Church sometimes consults Athens, the Catholic Church sometimes consults the Vatican, and the Muslim Community takes guidance from Istanbul, but only the Bektashis made decisions for Albania with their hearts.

The rest is humor and political resentment addressed at Edi Rama, not the Bektashis.

Opinion by Mero Baze

Mero Baze is a journalist and writer, and the founder of Tema Newspaper.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own. They do not necessarily reflect AlbanianTimes’s editorial stance.