Albania's Sufi leader plans for Vatican-like state for Bektashi order
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Baba Mondi has reiterated his visions for a Bektashi Vatican-state, based on values integral to love and tolerance.
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Albania's Sufi Bektashi order leader, Baba Mondi, in an undated photo (AFP)
Albanian religious leader Baba Mondi proposed the formation of a Vatican-like state in the Tirana capital for his Bektashi faith, built on "love and tolerance," according to AFP.
Last year, Prime Minister Edi Rama confirmed plans to establish a "Sovereign State of the Bektashi Order" in the capital city of Tirana to "promote a tolerant version of Islam that Albania is proud of."
"We must take care of this treasure, which is religious tolerance and which we must never take for granted," he told NYT at the time, asserting the initiative’s goal of highlighting Albania’s tradition of religious coexistence.
The state is expected to be a quarter of the size of Vatican City while lacking traditional sovereign features such as security personnel and courts.
According to Baba Mondi, "The whole world will be able to see the light of the Bektashis" amid the creation of the Islamic Sufi mystic order's enclave.
While the bureaucratic framework of the state is still being finalized, along with an official launch date, Baba Mondi has grand aspirations for his envisioned nation. "This state will have neither police, nor army, nor taxes; it will be spiritual," he declared, emphasizing its unique identity. "Its purpose will be the organization and defense of the Bektashis around the world."
The Bektashi order
The Bektashi order traces its origins back to the 13th century in the Ottoman Empire.
According to Baba Mondi, the Bektashi state would also advocate for members facing persecution in countries where they are denied the right to practice their faith.
For Albania’s prime minister, granting the Bektashi their own government is, in part, a means of safeguarding this spirit of tolerance.
However, for Baba Mondi and his Sufi followers, the future holds immense promise. "Bektashism has been and will remain a bridge between East and West," Baba Mondi told AFP.
Planned to be established on land already housing a Bektashi temple in Tirana, the future state will span just 0.11 square kilometers (0.04 square miles), making it the smallest country in the world.
