Edi Rama’s “Sovereign Bektashi State Project” aims to elevate the Bektashi religious order in Albania, potentially impacting regional religious dynamics and Turkey’s influence in the Balkans.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s “Sovereign Bektashi State Project” promotes the Bektashi order, a historically significant but heterodox Islamic sect, positioning it as a cornerstone of national identity. While the project highlights values of tolerance and moderation, it has raised concerns about religious balance, secularism, and regional stability, especially given Turkey’s close ties and influence in the Balkans. With possible international backing, the project may shape perceptions of Islam in the Balkans, favoring moderate expressions like Bektashism over traditional Sunni practices, and potentially straining Albania’s relations with other Balkan states and Turkey.
What Does Edi Rama’s “Sovereign Bektashi State Project” Mean for Albania?
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s “Sovereign Bektashi State Project,” introduced at the United Nations General Assembly, has made waves both in rhetoric and policy. The exact structure of this Vatican-like project, which Rama framed around values of respect for diversity and coexistence, remains unclear. With large Muslim populations across the Balkans, the response of Balkan countries to this project is yet uncertain, and the reactions it may provoke are unpredictable. The project envisions a microstructure on a 100-acre plot, upholding ideals such as the absence of alcohol bans, freedom of dress for women, and citizenship limited to leaders and clerics. This article examines the intentions behind promoting the Bektashi order in the Balkans, the religious atmosphere intended, the implications of the Bektashi State project for a region that suffered greatly in the 1990s, and the potential consequences for Turkey, a state with close Balkan ties.
Bektashism, Albania, and Edi Rama
Bektashism, a mystical Islamic order prominent in the Balkans during the Ottoman era, is known for its heterodox nature. In the late Ottoman Empire, Bektashism intersected with Albanian nationalism, shaping a unique cultural and religious identity. With the closing of dervish lodges in Turkey in the 1920s, Bektashism gained further significance in Albania, becoming a cornerstone of both social identity and resistance.
Since becoming prime minister in 2013, Edi Rama has prioritized Albania’s modernization, EU membership, and cultural identity. His focus on secularism is tempered by strategic appeals to traditional and religious elements. The Sovereign Bektashi State project, integrating Bektashism’s cultural and historical values into Albania’s identity, may serve to unify Albanians while reinforcing national unity through religious diversity. Thus, this project appears as a form of cultural revitalization rather than merely religious promotion.
Criticism and Political Ramifications
Rama’s project has drawn criticism from secular and other religious groups in Albania. Secular critics fear the project could politicize Bektashism, weakening the state’s secular foundation. Sunni Muslim and Christian groups worry about potential religious divisions. Politically, the project may bolster Rama’s domestic standing by gaining support from the Bektashi community and showcasing Albania’s religious diversity as a foreign policy strength.
Internationally, the project could enhance Albania’s reputation for religious tolerance, especially in the context of the EU accession process and ongoing Balkan religious tensions.
Socio-Cultural Dynamics and Bektashism’s Role
Rama emphasizes Bektashism as a symbol of Albania’s multi-faith identity. The order’s inclusive and mystical teachings could foster unity among various ethnic and religious groups. Serving as a bridge between Christianity and Islam, Bektashism could represent the peaceful coexistence of diverse religious identities within a secular framework.
Presenting Bektashism as both an ancient and modern cultural heritage, Rama promotes it as evidence of Albania’s cultural richness and compatibility with Europe. This secular stance may attract EU, NATO, and US support, aligning with their preference for moderate, tolerant Islamic expressions.
Is the Sovereign Bektashi State a Moderate Islam Project?
The idea of a Sovereign Bektashi State raises questions about whether it could serve as a moderate Islam project in the Balkans. Since the September 11 attacks, perceptions of Islam have been colored by associations with extremism. In regions like the Middle East and parts of Africa, radical groups have intensified Islamophobia, especially in Europe. Meanwhile, Turkey has experienced FETÖ and other groups promoting “moderate Islam,” often sanctioned by the West. In the Balkans, the Bektashi project could potentially label traditional Islam as radical, positioning Bektashism as the acceptable, moderate face of Islam.
Given Albania and Serbia’s EU aspirations, the EU might support the regional institutionalization of Bektashism. If endorsed, Bektashism could become the dominant Islamic presence in the Balkans. This project, however, also implies that any Islamic structures not aligning with Bektashism might face labeling as radical, creating risks for Turkey’s influence and regional stability.
The Sovereign Bektashi State and Turkey
Edi Rama’s Sovereign Bektashi State project presents a critical development for Turkey, a significant influence in the Balkans. The Bektashi leader Baba Mondi, who expressed strong support for Israel, raises suspicions that Israeli interests might be shaping this project. At a time when Israel’s policies in Palestine strain its image, its involvement in a Balkan peace project appears questionable.
Turkey remains highly influential in the Balkans, especially with the AK Party’s soft power policies, educational efforts through the Maarif Foundation and Yunus Emre Institutes, and the restoration of historical sites. However, the Bektashi project might counter Turkey’s strategy by promoting Bektashism as a moderate Islam, potentially alienating Sunni populations in the region. The lack of a Turkish response thus far suggests Ankara may view the project with caution.
Conclusion
Edi Rama’s Sovereign Bektashi State project could redefine Albania’s political, religious, and cultural landscape. This initiative aims to empower the Bektashi community, fostering national unity, but risks disturbing the secular-religious balance. Promoting tolerance and moderate Islam, the project evokes the narrative surrounding FETÖ in Turkey. Internationally endorsed, FETÖ has used the moderate Islam rhetoric to gain power in Turkey; similarly, Bektashism may now be positioned as the Balkan model of moderate Islam.
The project holds the potential to influence identity within Albania and the wider Balkans, questioning the role of religion in modern states. Introducing a Vatican-like secular structure within a predominantly Sunni context, however, risks marginalizing Sunni Islam’s historical role in the Balkans’ Islamization and Turkification. Turkey may thus find itself aligning with non-Bektashi groups as this project unfolds. In a region where minor conflicts can quickly escalate, new divides might jeopardize the stability so hard-won in recent decades.
