Independent Bektashi state proposed for Tirana to promote tolerance

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama announced that a Muslim state akin to the Vatican is to be established in his country's capital, Tirana, according to the American daily "New York Times". The initiative aims to promote religious tolerance.

Rama stated that he wants to create an enclave for the Bektashi, a Sufi order founded in the 13th century in Anatolia, Turkey. The Bektashi moved their centre from Turkey to Albania at the beginning of the last century when Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, suppressed their activities.

The Albanian Prime Minister announced that the Independent State of the Bektashi Brotherhood is to be established in the capital, Tirana. If the plan succeeds, it will be the smallest country in the world. Officially, Rama has yet to announce the plan for the state's formation.

In the enclave, drinking alcohol will be allowed, and women will be able to dress freely. The state will not impose any rules regarding daily life, wrote the "NYT".

- God forbids nothing; that is why he gave us reason - said the 65-year-old cleric Edmond Brahimaj, known as Baba Mondi, the leader of the Bektashi. He is to head the state, which will have an area of 0.1 square kilometres, one-fourth the size of the Vatican.

The state will have its own administration, passports - in a colour significant for Islam, green - and a border. Baba Mondi, a critic of extremism and terrorism, added that the state might also need a small intelligence service, "because it also has enemies." However, it will not have courts, an army, or border guards.

Within the enclave, there will be a meeting and prayer hall, a museum showcasing the history of the brotherhood, a clinic, an archive, and administrative offices.

A group of lawyers is working on regulations defining the sovereign status of the new state. The solution will then be discussed by the Albanian parliament, which is controlled by Prime Minister Rama's Socialist Party of Albania.

It is not known whether any countries will recognise the independence of the new state.

Rama, who is a non-practising Catholic, noted that for now, only a few close allies know about his plan, and no consultations have been held with NATO countries.