TIRANA: Albania plans to establish a sovereign Muslim microstate within its borders run by a Sufi sect known for promoting \u201creligious harmony and dialogue,\u201d Prime Minister Edi Rama announced.
\nThe tiny Vatican-like enclave within Albania\u2019s capital Tirana will serve as the political home for Bektashi Muslims \u2014 the fourth largest religious community in Albania after Sunni Muslims, Orthodox Christians and Catholics.
\nThe order was founded in the 13th century in the Ottoman Empire and is regarded as a tolerant, mystic branch of Islam open to other religions and philosophies.
\nSome of its most important leaders relocated to Albania after being banned in Turkiye in the early 20th century by modern Turkiye\u2019s founding father Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
\n\u201cOur inspiration is to support the transformation of the Bektashi World Center in Tirana into a sovereign state, a new center of moderation, tolerance and peaceful coexistence,\u201d Rama said on Sunday at the United Nations in New York.
\nThe Bektashi make up an estimated 10 percent of the country\u2019s Muslim population, according to Albania\u2019s 2023 census.
\nThe Bektashi Order in Tirana praised the decision.
\n\u201cThe sovereignty of the Bektashi Order is an important step in strengthening the values of inclusion, religious harmony and dialogue in an increasingly divided world,\u201d it said in a statement.
\nCitizenship of the new state of roughly 10 hectares (25 acres) will be limited to members of the clergy and individuals dealing with state administration.
\nIts government would be headed by the Bektashi\u2019s leader and a council that will oversee its religious and administrative functioning, the statement added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TIRANA: Albania plans to establish a sovereign Muslim microstate within its borders run by a Sufi sect known for promoting \u201creligious harmony and dialogue,\u201d Prime Minister Edi Rama announced. The tiny Vatican-like enclave within Albania\u2019s capital Tirana will serve as the political home for Bektashi Muslims \u2014 the fourth largest religious community in Albania after […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":433000,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-432987","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n