Premier says Albania will grant sovereignty to Bektashi Muslims in Tirana, similar to the Vatican

AP: TIRANA, Albania (AP) —  Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said Sunday his country would transform the Tirana-based Bektashi Muslims, an Islamic Sufi order, into a sovereign state to promote moderation, tolerance and peaceful coexistence.

Speaking at the United Nations, Rama pointed out that Albania, a tiny Western Balkan country, saved Jewish refugees from the Nazis during World War II and sheltered Afghans after the Taliban came to power three years ago.

Albanians are also proud of giving to the world Mother Teresa who “embodied love for humanity,” he said.

“She told us that not all of us can do big things, but we can all do small things with big love,” he said. “That is our inspiration in supporting the transformation of the World Bektashi Order into a sovereign state in our capital, Tirana, as a new center of moderation, tolerance and peaceful coexistence.”

Albania's 2.4-million population is about 50% Muslim with the rest of the population Catholic and Orthodox Christians and other smaller communities. The country is known for its religious harmony and co-existence.

Bektashi Muslims make up about 10% of the Muslims in the country, according to the last census.

It wasn't immediately clear how the order would legally be granted sovereignty. But the Bektashi Order said it considers the move the beginning of a new era promoting global religious tolerance.

“Such a historic step aims at recognizing the Beltashi Order as a sovereign, self-governing state, committed to supporting its century-old culture of moderation and spiritual involvement,” it said in a statement.

The Bektashi Order will receive sovereignty identical to that of the Vatican, governing religious and administrative issues independently of Albania, the Order said.

Citizenship would be provided only to the top religious members and those individuals involved in managing the state, while the leadership will run from the head of the Bektashi, Baba Mondi, and a council that will monitor its religious and administrative operation.

“The new state will aim at nothing but the spiritual leadership,” the statement said.

The Bektashi Order originated in the Ottoman Empire in the 13th century. The Bektashis acquired political importance in the 15th century, when the order dominated the Janissary Corps, the elite infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultan’s household troops. After the foundation of the Turkish Republic, its leader Kemal Ataturk banned religious institutions that were not part of the Directorate of Religious Affairs and the Bektashi community’s headquarters relocated to Albania, where it became involved in politics. One of its members, Ismail Qemali declared Albania’s independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912.