Like the Vatican, Albania plans to establish a new “Islamic state” in its capital

The New York Times reported that Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said that he intends to grant followers of the Bektashi sect, a Shiite Sufi order, a pocket of land within the capital, Tirana, similar to the Catholic state of the Vatican, as part of his efforts to promote religious tolerance in the country, according to the American newspaper.

The New York Times reported - in a report by its bureau chief for Eastern and Central Europe, Andrew Higgins, from Tirana - that the most senior imam of that order, Edmond Brahimi, known as Baba Mendi, is preparing to lead what will become the smallest country in the world if things go according to plan.

She added that the imam of this order has unofficial plans for his new mini-Islamic state, which is hoped to be an independent enclave similar to the Vatican, controlling an area the size of five New York City boroughs, where alcohol is legal to sell and drink, and women are allowed to wear whatever they like without any restrictions on lifestyle.

The newspaper quoted Baba Mendi as claiming that "God forbids nothing," explaining how he intends to rule a 27-acre plot of land, which Albania wants to turn into a sovereign state with its own administration, passports and borders.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama revealed that he will announce in the near future plans for the new entity, which will be called the “Sovereign State of the Bektashi Order.”

"All decisions will be made with love and compassion," said Baba Mendi, 65, a former Albanian army officer known by his official title, His Holiness Hadji Dede Baba.

According to the New York Times, Mendi is the "highest" leader of the Bektashi order, a Shiite Sufi order founded in the 13th century in Turkey but now based in Albania.

The prime minister said in an interview that the new state's goal was to promote a tolerant version of "Islam" that Albania could be proud of, the newspaper reported. "We must take care of this treasure, which is religious tolerance, and it should never be underestimated," he said.

The newspaper explained that the proposed new "Islamic State" territory is a low-rent popular housing complex in eastern Tirana, a quarter of the size of Vatican City, which is currently the smallest country in the world and is ruled by the Pope with absolute authority.

"Size doesn't matter," Papa Mende was quoted as saying, adding, "I don't have to be a dictator," but he acknowledged that God alone was the limit to his power, the newspaper reported.

Heretics

The new state buildings include a meeting hall, a domed prayer hall, a museum displaying the order's history, a clinic, an archive, and administrative offices for Baba Mundi, whom the New York Times describes as a cheerful, white-bearded man who hates extremism.

The newspaper quoted the Bektashi sheikh as saying that "Muslim extremists" who detonate bombs and use "violence" to spread their vision of religion "are nothing but cowboys."

She pointed out that many conservative Shiites and Sunnis consider followers of the Bektashi order to be heretics, claiming that they have been persecuted for centuries.

The sheikh of the order said his new state might need a small intelligence service, "because we have enemies too, but we will not have an army, border guards or courts."

Source: New York Times