Sovereign State of the Bektashi Order
Proposed independent city-state
41°19′53″N 19°51′00″E / 41.33132°N 19.85013°E / 41.33132; 19.85013
Sovereign State of the Bektashi Order Shteti Sovran i Urdhrit Bektashi (Albanian) | |
|---|---|
| Status | Planned |
| Capital | Sovereign State of the Bektashi Order (city-state) 41°19′53″N 19°51′00″E / 41.33132°N 19.85013°E / 41.33132; 19.85013 |
| Religion | Bektashism |
| Area | |
• Total | 0.11 km2 (0.042 sq mi) |
| Today part of | Albania |
| Part of a series on Bektashi Order Bektashi Order |
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| Historical figures
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| Bektashi Dedebabate
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| Events |
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The Sovereign State of the Bektashi Order (Albanian: Shteti Sovran i Urdhrit Bektashi) is a planned European microstate and city-state that would be enclaved entirely within Tirana, Albania at the current World Headquarters of the Bektashi. If established, it will be smaller than the Vatican City and become the nation with the smallest land area in the world, with a total land area of 27 acres (0.11 km2).[1] Plans for the creation of the state have been discussed by Albanian prime minister Edi Rama and supported by the leader of the Bektashi Order, Baba Mondi, with the former stating that more details for the creation of the state will be revealed in the near future.[2]
Legal experts are currently drafting the legislation to create the new state within Albania. The legislation will need approval from the Albanian Parliament. It is unclear which countries will recognize the new state.[1]
History
The Bektashi Order is an Islamic Sufi mystic order originating in the 13th-century Ottoman Empire.[3] The Bektashis have faced persecution from conservative Shiites and Sunnis who consider the Bektashis as heretics. Following the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire and the formation of Turkey, president Mustafa Kemal Atatürk shut down the Bektashi Order lodges in 1925. Consequently, the Bektashi leadership moved their headquarters from Turkey to Tirana.[4]
The Bektashi Order's popularity diminished under former Albanian communist leader Enver Hoxha, who banned religion in 1967.[4][5] The government under Hoxha built warehouses on portions of the land of the World Headquarters of the Bektashi. After the fall of communism in Albania, the Bektashis lost further land when private developers built homes on the edge of their property without permission.[1]
In 2024, Albanian prime minister Edi Rama, a Catholic, announced plans to create the Sovereign State of the Bektashi Order as a gesture of religious tolerance and to promote more positive views of Islam in Albania and the rest of the world.[1]
Government
Baba Mondi, the Bektashi Dedebabate, is planned to have unconstrained authority over the country, but said that the state will not have an army, border guards, or courts. The state is planned to be "avowedly moderate", and Mondi plans to impose no religious lifestyle restrictions.[1]
Citizenship is planned to be limited to members of the clergy and those directly involved in the administration of the state.[6] Its passport will be green, a color deeply symbolic in Islam.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Higgens, Andrew (21 September 2024). "Albania Is Planning a New Muslim State Inside Its Capital". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 21 September 2024. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
- ^ ""A Vatican inside Tirana"/ Rama, for "New York Times": It will be called the Sovereign State of the Bektashi Order". CNA. 21 September 2024. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
- ^ Adamec, Ludwig W. (2009). The A to Z of Islam. Scarecrow Press. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-8108-7160-1.
- ^ a b Elsie, Robert (2001). A Dictionary of Albanian Religion, Mythology, and Folk Culture. NYU Press. p. 29. ISBN 978-0-8147-2214-5. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
- ^ Hargitai, Quinn (24 February 2022). "The country that's famous for tolerance". BBC News. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
- ^ ""Exclusive Interview with the Head Father of the Bektashi Order: A New Sovereign State for Peace and Tolerance (English version)"". Shqiptarja. 21 September 2024. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
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