Albania: Treatment of Sufi Muslims, especially members of the Dervish Hatixhe Tekke of Tirana, by the current Socialist government and/or its agents
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 28 January 2000 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ALB33697.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Albania: Treatment of Sufi Muslims, especially members of the Dervish Hatixhe Tekke of Tirana, by the current Socialist government and/or its agents, 28 January 2000, ALB33697.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad4114.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
No reports of an organization called the Dervish Hatixhe Tekke of Tirana, nor of a specific treatment accorded Sufi Muslims by the Socialist government or its agents, could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. However, the following information may be of interest.
Approximately 70 per cent of Albania's population is Muslim (World Directory of Minorities 1997, 204; US State Department 9 Sept. 1999). A large number of Muslimsperhaps 15 to 20 per cent of Albania's total populationfollow the Bektashi dervish branch of Sufism (ibid.; The Jewish Advocate 21-27 May 1999; OMRI Daily Digest 9 Feb. 1996; Contemporary Religions: A World Guide 1992, 100). Two reports describe it as a prominent Islamic strain in Albania (RFE/RL Newsline 10 Aug. 1998; The Jewish Advocate 21-27 May 1999), while a third states that it is the dominant strain in southern Albania and Tirana (OMRI Daily Digest 9 Feb. 1996). Although officially recognized as a Sunni branch of Islam, historically Albania's Bektashis have ignored most Islamic conventions and thus have remained on the fringes of orthodox Islam (Contemporary Religions: A World Guide 1992, 101; OMRI Daily Digest 9 Feb. 1996; Los Angeles Times 26 Apr. 1998).
Albania's Bektashi dervishes are considered to be followers of a liberal, moderate branch of Islam (RFE/RL Newsline 10 Aug. 1998; The Jewish Advocate 21-27 May 1999; US State Department 9 Sept. 1999). According to the director of the Frosina Information Network, a Boston-based Albanian immigrant and cultural resource, "there's nothing fanatic about the Bektashi religion" (ibid.).
All organized religion, including the Bektashi order, was banned by Albania's communist government in 1967 (Contemporary Religions: A World Guide 1992, 101; US State Department 9 Sept. 1999). Only since the collapse of communism have the country's religious communities re-emerged (RFE/RL Newsline 10 Aug. 1998). According to the US State Department's Annual Report on International Religious Freedom for 1999, "relations among the various religious groups generally are amicable, and tolerance is widespread." Intermarriage among religious groups is "extremely common" (ibid.; The Jewish Advocate 21-27 May 1999). Albanian society is largely secular (US State Department 9 Sept. 1999); according to the Frosina Information Network director, Albanians consider themselves "Albanians first and religious second" (The Jewish Advocate 21-27 May 1999).
According to the US State Department report, under the 1998 constitution there is no official religion in Albania, and all religions are equal (9 Sept. 1999). While the "State recognizes the defacto existence of the Bektashis, they do not have the right to their own representative in the State Secretariat of religions; all their activities are placed under the supervision of the Sunni community" (ibid.).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
Contemporary Religions: A World Guide. 1992. Edited by Ian Harris et al. The High, Harlow, Essex: Longman Group UK
The Jewish Advocate. 21-27 May 1999. Chana Shavelson. "Salvation in Albania: Europe's Holocaust Haven Emerges from Behind the Iron Curtain."
Los Angeles Times. 26 April 1998. Home Edition. Tracy Wilkinson. "A Piercing Ritual Goes On in Kosovo." (NEXIS)
OMRI Daily Digest [Prague]. 9 February 1996. Fabian Schmidt. "Albania Approves Bektashi Holiday."
RFE/RL Newsline [Prague]. 10 August 1998. Vol. 2, No. 152 Part II. "Albania to Screen Arabs."
United States Department of State, Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. 9 September 1999. Annual Report on International Religious Freedom for 1999.
World Directory of Minorities. 1997. The High, Harlow, Essex: Longman Group UK.
Additional Sources Consulted
Encyclopedia of Religion. 1987.
L'État des Religion. 1987.
IRB databases.
World News Connection (WNC).
Internet sites including:
Albania Online.
Albanian Daily News.
Albanian Helsinki Forum.
Albanian Human Rights and Documentation Centre.
Albanian Human Rights Group.
Albanian Islamic Pages.
Albanian Press Watch (APW).
Albanian Resource Centre.
Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATA).
Amnesty International.
Athens News Agency (ANA).
British Helsinki Human Rights Group (BHHRG).
Centre for Civil Society International (CCSI).
ENTER News Agency.
European Centre for Minority Issues.
Hellenic Resources Network.
International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD).
International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF-HR).
International League for Human Rights (ILHR).
Minorities at Risk Project.
Slavic Research Centre.