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There are only three countries in the world that are officially classified as theocratic, including Iran, the Vatican and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, run by the Taliban.
Through a speech at the United Nations General Assembly as part of the Summit for the Future on September 22, Prime Minister Edi Rama proposed the creation of a fourth state with headquarters in Tirana for the Bektashi World Order.
After describing a world in chaos, with overlapping crises from East to West and North to South, quoting Mother Teresa, the Albanian Prime Minister pompously declared that she has reminded us that "not all of us can do great things, but we can to do small things with great love.”
"This is the principle that Albania stands for and this is what we try to act with, and this is the source of our inspiration, to support the transformation of the center of the Bektashi World Order into a sovereign state within our capital, Tirana, as a new center of moderation, tolerance and peaceful coexistence," he said.
The Bektashian great-grandfather, Haxhi Dede Edmond Brahimaj, supported the idea previously articulated in an article in the American newspaper 'New York Times', but otherwise the proposal has received a cold reception in Tirana from other religious communities and the secular part of society.
Data collected by BIRN through an online survey show that most Albanians oppose Rama's proposal, calling it unconstitutional and divisive, and without consulting the public in Albania.
"It is not publicly consulted and leaves a bitter taste for Albania's image in the world," said Hekuran Budani, professor of international relations, specializing in international security issues. "The Bektashi community itself has not been consulted and it is clear that it is being used politically," he added.
The prime minister's proposal faced criticism in the media from political analysts and experts who described it as a "narcissistic" idea and criticized Rama for disregarding public opinion, stressing that it violates democracy.
The Albanian Muslim community also opposed the project in a statement to the media, calling it dangerous.
"Such initiatives can be a dangerous precedent for the future of the country," the KMSH statement reads.
Bektashis against the 'sovereign state'
The Bektashi World Order is a tariqat of Islam, which established its center in Albania in the years between the two World Wars. Among Albanians, they have always had an important presence, being considered the fourth religion in terms of size and an important part of state formation and the National Renaissance. According to the last census, about 115,000 people, or 4.8 percent of the population, self-declared themselves as Bektashi in Albania.
Through an online survey on the Reporter.al website, BIRN gathered the opinions of 609 citizens from different faiths about the proposal of Prime Minister Edi Rama. Most of the participants in the survey were men (77%) living in Tirana, mostly between the ages of 25 and 45.
The survey does not aim to be representative of public opinion in Albania, but in the absence of public polls on this proposal, it seeks to give a picture of the opinions of different citizens about the proposal of Prime Minister Edi Rama.
Regarding religious affiliation, 44 percent of respondents declared themselves Muslim, 15 percent identified as Bektashi, 11 percent of participants declared themselves Orthodox, 7 percent Catholic, and 17 percent declared themselves atheist.
Prime Minister Edi Rama's proposal to establish a Bektashi state was opposed by 89% of citizens who completed the survey. 71 percent of Bektash residents who participated in the survey were also against the proposal.
"The Bektashis have been guided by the motto 'No homeland, no religion,' they have fought and helped establish the Albanian state," wrote one of them.
"Under these conditions, I think that this community should continue to be part of this state in which it has believed since the time when Albania as a state was only in the wishes and dreams of our nation," he added.
The vast majority of respondents (69%) consider the Prime Minister's proposal as unconstitutional and a legal violation that does not respect the basic norms of the country.
"There is no historical, political, or social basis for such a proposal, an idea that comes suddenly without being supported anywhere," translator Loela Xhafa told BIRN./ BIRN
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