Headlines
Albania to create a Vatican-style, Bektashi state in Tirana
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on January 25, 2025
Global Banking and Finance Review
Company
Global Banking and Finance Review is an online platform offering news, analysis, and opinion on the latest trends, developments, and innovations in the banking and finance industry worldwide. The platform covers a diverse range of topics, including banking, insurance, investment, wealth management, fintech, and regulatory issues. The website publishes news, press releases, opinion and advertorials on various financial organizations, products and services which are commissioned from various Companies, Organizations, PR agencies, Bloggers etc. These commissioned articles are commercial in nature. This is not to be considered as financial advice and should be considered only for information purposes. It does not reflect the views or opinion of our website and is not to be considered an endorsement or a recommendation. We cannot guarantee the accuracy or applicability of any information provided with respect to your individual or personal circumstances. Please seek Professional advice from a qualified professional before making any financial decisions. We link to various third-party websites, affiliate sales networks, and to our advertising partners websites. When you view or click on certain links available on our articles, our partners may compensate us for displaying the content to you or make a purchase or fill a form. This will not incur any additional charges to you. To make things simpler for you to identity or distinguish advertised or sponsored articles or links, you may consider all articles or links hosted on our site as a commercial article placement. We will not be responsible for any loss you may suffer as a result of any omission or inaccuracy on the website.
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on January 25, 2025
TIRANA (Reuters) - Albania will create a sovereign Muslim state in Tirana for the Bektashi religious order, along the lines of the Vatican in Rome, to preserve and promote religious tolerance, Prime Minister Edi Rama said on Saturday.
If created, the enclave for the Islamic Sufi order would be one of the world's smallest states, and would have its own administration but no taxation or police and would not challenge the sovereignty of Albania, Rama said.
"The history of the Bektashi is in itself an imposing call to give the holy seat of the Bektashi World Center a status similar to that of the Vatican," Rama said during a ceremony to mark the 95th anniversary of the move of the holy seat to Albania from Turkey.
Rama said the symbolic state would be "without walls, without police, without an army, without taxes or other attributes, but a headquarters, a spiritual state".
He did not give details on timing and the Albanian parliament would need to endorse the plan.
Founded in the Ottoman Empire in the thirteenth century as an offshoot of Sufism, the Bektashi order has been headquartered in Albania since 1929 after the newly created Turkish Republic of Kemal Ataturk prevented it from practising.
Rama said last year that Albania planned to create a state in the eastern part of the country's capital as a spiritual centre for the Bektashis, who are scattered across the region in Kosovo and North Macedonia as well as in Albania.
About 10% of the country's population is Bektashi according to the last census.
(Reporting by Fatos Bytyci and Florion Goga, writing by Lefteris Papadimas; editing by Barbara Lewis)