Albanian PM proposes a 'Muslim Vatican' in the capital

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama wants to establish a sovereign Muslim mini-state within his country based on the model of the Vatican.

It would be created in Albania's capital Tirana and run by the Muslim Bektashi order.

However, it will take a long time before the plan can be implemented because of the necessary legal changes, Rama wrote on X on Wednesday.

Rama had briefly presented his idea for the first time on Sunday at the United Nations Future Summit in New York, completely surprising most of his fellow Albanians.

The leader of the Bektashi order in Tirana, Edmond Brahimaj, expressed his enthusiasm for the idea, saying the "excellent initiative" will "usher in a new era of religious tolerance and the promotion of peace".

The Bektashi "Vatican" would be built in Tirana on an area of about 10 hectares at the World Centre of the Bektashi, which is currently located there.

It would have its own borders, administration and passports.

The Sunni Dervish order, which originated in the 13th century, was widespread in the Ottoman Empire and moved its centre to Albania after it was banned by the founder of the modern Turkish state, Kemal Atat?rk, in 1925.

About half of Albanians are Muslim, with 10 per cent of them belonging to the Bektashi order.

The remainder identified as Roman Catholic or Orthodox Christian in the last census in 2023.

During the communist era, the practice of religion was banned in Albania in any form.

Brahimaj was an officer in the Albanian army from 1982 until the fall of the regime.

The umbrella organisation of Albanian Muslims, KMSH, sharply criticised Rama's idea, which it said "endangers religious harmony".

"Such initiatives can set a dangerous precedent for the future of the country," it said in a statement to Albanian media.

Rama had not previously consulted either the KMSH or the Interreligious Council of Albania.

The constitution of the NATO country, which is seeking entry to the European Union, also stipulates that the country is "united and indivisible," although the constitution can be changed with a two-thirds majority in parliament.

Rama wrote on X that the project serves "to preserve and enrich the priceless treasure of tolerance and religious harmony, for which the Bektashi order, irreplaceable alongside the other three faiths, has its merits and role".

He accused his critics of "hellish ignorance and brutal negligence".