A State of ‘Love and Kindness’

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The Albanian government is planning to transform the Tirana-based Bektashi Order, an Islamic Sufi order, into a sovereign state, a move aimed at promoting tolerance, peaceful coexistence and moderation, Euronews reported.

Prime Minister Edi Rama announced the initiative during a Sunday speech at the United Nations in New York, saying the goal of the new state was to promote a tolerant version of Islam that aligns with Albanian values.

The planned “Sovereign State of the Bektashi Order” would become the smallest state in the world, coming in at about 25 acres, a quarter of the size of Vatican City.

The new state would have its own administration, passports and borders, but citizenship would be limited only to top religious figures and individuals involved in its governance. Reflecting the liberal and tolerant practices of the Bektashi Order, the new state would allow alcohol consumption, would have no dress code and impose no strict lifestyle rules.

It is to be governed by the Baba Mondi, the spiritual leader of the Order, and a council that will oversee both religious and administrative functions, according to the Associated Press.

Baba Mondi said decisions of matters of state will be made with “love and kindness.” He expressed hope that the new state’s sovereignty would be recognized by the United States and other Western nations.

The Bektashi Order is an offshoot of Sufism, a mystical branch of Islam that is known for eschewing the religion’s stricter tenets.

The order originated in Anatolia in the 13th century and rose to prominence in the 15th century as the spiritual backbone of the elite Janissary Corps in the Ottoman Empire.

The religious branch has come under scrutiny over its very liberal approach to faith – and its growing political influence. It was banned in Turkey in 1925 under Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s secular reforms, forcing the Order to relocate its headquarters to Albania.

There are as many as 20 million Bektashi followers globally, including 12.5 million in Turkey, the newswire wrote.

In Albania, they make up roughly 10 percent of the Muslim population, which, in turn, comprises half of the country’s overall population of 2.4 million. The rest of the population consists of Catholics, Orthodox Christians and other smaller religious communities.