‘Muslim Vatican’? Europe could gain a new smallest country in the world

Bektashi World Center, an area chosen by the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, to house a future State along the lines of the Vatican. Reuters/Florion Goga Albania may cede part of its capital, Tirana, for the creation of a sovereign Muslim state. According to the Prime Minister, Edi Rama, the intention is to preserve and promote religious tolerance. 📱Download the g1 app to see news in real time and for free The Albanian leader’s plans were released in 2024 and, to date, await parliamentary approval. If it passes through Congress, the measure will result in the creation of the smallest country in the world, which would surpass the Vatican. According to a report by the New York Times, the size of the State would be equivalent to five blocks of New York, which is equivalent to 30 thousand m² — the pope’s country has around 440 thousand m². The proposed territory is located in a complex in the east of Tirana and should function as a sovereign enclave, along the lines of the Vatican, with its own administration, passports and borders. The area belongs to the Bektashi Order, a current of Sufi tradition within Islam, known for a more flexible and heterodox interpretation of the religion. See the trending videos on g1 See the videos that are trending on g1 “Space of tolerance” Rama said the symbolic state would be “without walls, without police, without army, without taxes or other attributes, but a headquarters, a spiritual state.” According to the prime minister, the creation of the microstate also seeks to send an international message that Islam should not be associated with extremism. “Don’t let the stigma of Muslims define who Muslims are,” he said. Also according to the New York Times, the country, in Rama’s plans, will allow the consumption of alcohol, give women the freedom to dress as they want and not impose lifestyle rules. The idea is that the country will be led by religious leader Edmond Brahimaj, known as Baba Mondi. He claims he intends to govern based on a moderate view of Islam. “God doesn’t forbid anything; that’s why he gave us minds,” he said, explaining his approach. Resistance to the idea The proposal is not a consensus within Albania itself and faces resistance from religious leaders and experts. At the time of the announcement, the Muslim Community of Albania stated that it saw the initiative as “a dangerous precedent for the future of the country” and highlighted that it is the only official representative of Islam in the territory. “This initiative, which we learned about through the media, was not discussed with religious communities,” the institution stated at the time. The Community also cited the Interreligious Council of Albania as the appropriate forum to discuss the issue. For researcher Besnik Sinani, interviewed by the Deutsche Welle (DW) agency in 2024, the plan could negatively affect the balance between religions in the country. According to him, there is currently no situation that justifies the creation of a new State. “Arguing that this supposed Bektashi State will have a positive impact on the climate of tolerance in the region is therefore unfounded,” he said. Sinani further assesses that, if implemented, the measure could “disturb the historical arrangements of the relationship between religion and State in Albania”, established since the country’s founding. Another point raised by experts is the risk of the initiative leading to Albania being labeled an “Islamic State”. Despite criticism, the Bektashi World Order maintains that the project has an exclusively spiritual character and states that the new State “will have no other objective than spiritual leadership”.

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