At the invitation of the Honorary Consulate in Essen, Germany, Consul Mrs. Anduena Stephan, on May 13-16, 2022, the World Leader Grandfather of the Bektashi Community , Haxhi Dede Edmond Brahimaj, paid a visit to NRW North Rhine-Westphalia, Land in West Germany, with more than 17.9 million inhabitants, the most populous Land of Germany . Covering an area of 34,084 square kilometers (13,160 sq m), it is the fourth largest German Länder by size with over 100,000 inhabitants, including Cologne (over 1 million), the Länder capital Düsseldorf, Dortmund and Essen (all about 600,000 inhabitants) and other cities located mainly in the Rhine-Ruhr area., the largest urban area in Germany and the fourth largest in continental Europe. The grandfather was accompanied in this Albanian delegation, by representatives of the Albanian religious communities, with the participation in the event by the Chairman of the Albanian Committee of Cults, Mr. Klodian Bulku.
The 3-day visit started with a meeting with the Honorary Consulate and thanks for further cooperation between the Bektashian World Headquarter and our Honorary Consulate in Essen, then continued with a visit to the oldest Synagogue of the city. The Old Synagogue (Alte Synagoge) in Essen is one of the largest, best-preserved and most architecturally impressive testimonies of Jewish culture in pre-war Germany. Built in the center of the city, the former Byzantine-style Synagogue was first consecrated as the Neue Synagogue in 1913; it now serves as an institution dedicated to documenting and promoting the history of the city's former Jewish community.
It continued with a guided visit to the Zeche Zollverein, the Ruhr Museum, a UNESCO cultural heritage site. This facility is one of the most important points of German industrial heritage, which has shaped the social strata of the entire Ruhr region; of the Land of the North Rhine and Westphalia as well as the spread of all religious beliefs, due to the high number of workers from all over the world in 'it. The Zollverein industrial complex in Land Nordrhein-Westfalen consists of the complete infrastructure of a historic coal mining site, with several 20th-century buildings of outstanding architectural merit. It constitutes remarkable material evidence of the evolution and decline of an essential industry over the past 150 years.
On the afternoon of the 14th, the Great Grandfather was invited to the activity "Religious Harmony and Tolerance, an added Albanian value in Europe", presentation meeting and photo with Dr. S. Holthoff-Pförtner, NRW Minister for Federal, European and International Affairs; Mr. Thomas Kufen, Mayor of the city of Essen; The President of the Foreign Relations Association, Mr. Klaus Wegener and the delegation. The activity started with the opening speech by the President of the Foreign Relations Association of the Land of NRW, Mr. Klaus Wegener, continued with the welcome speech, Dr. S. Holthoff-Pförtner, NRW Minister for Federal, European and International Affairs, further the welcome speech, Mr. Thomas Kufen, Mayor of the city of Essen. Second Part: Discussions on the Podium and with the public, Mr. Klodian Bulku, Chairman of the State Committee of Cults; Bektashian World Grandfather, His Holiness, Haxhi Dede Edmond Brahimaj, Bektashian World Grandfather; Representative of the Albanian Catholic Community in Germany Mr. Evangelist and Pastor Jeton Keqani, representative of the Albanian Evangelical Brotherhood; Sr. Fatmira Matoshi, representative of the Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady Immaculate, Albania.
In his welcoming speech, the Bektashi World Grandfather, Haxhi Dede Edmond Brahimaj, quoted among others.
"Bismilahi Rahmani Rahim!
In the name of God Almighty and Merciful!
Dear organizers of this event!
Dear Mayor Mr. Thomas Kufen and Deputy. The first president Juta Jakob!
Dear representatives of IDEAL Association!
Dear thousands of brothers, representatives of the religious communities of fellow Albanians!
It is a special feeling the hospitality organized in our honor, of this necklace of unbroken interreligious harmony and tolerance, which has great value not only for the Albanian nation, from which the policy should take an example, but an example of a value from which it should may the whole world learn.
Religious beliefs in Albania have suffered persecution and horrors and macabre during the dictatorship, Bektash, Orthodox, Catholic and Orthodox clergy have been imprisoned, tortured and then killed in a barbaric way by shooting them and degrading their noble figure before some ridiculous trials in the presence of hundreds of people, where their only cause and fault remained "faith in God". Even in the last days of their lives, Qoranic prayers and verses from the holy book of the Bible came out of their mouths. They believed, prayed, but the system destroyed them, destroyed the person, the property, the sacred objects of the cult of faith and surprisingly created the "first Atheist Museum" unheard of in the history of world humanity, where high and bright figures, clerical leaders with hypocrisy and shamelessness of the time were unjustly despised. Famous and vocal clergymen were exiled and sentenced to hard labor in the most remote villages of Albania. Their souls suffered and wept, but the faith in their hearts pushed them to survive and then rise again and revive the faith in the hearts of many believers.
Even in those dark and suffering years of the dictatorship, believers secretly performed religious rites in their homes and passed the faith on to new generations. There have been Bektashi saints who will remain long in the memory of every Bektashian believer, Dede Ahmet Myftari, Dede Reshat Bardhi, Dede Kamberi, Baba Bajrami and many, many clerics whose persecution could not extinguish the fiery hearth of faith.
Today, we have this interreligious harmony thanks to these determined clerics who revived the faith and the Holy places after the 90s, and gave each other a hand of help and hope that they will carry forward the mission of faith in God.
Thanks to them, we continue an unparalleled tradition for the whole world, and this spirit of cooperation, understanding and harmony keeps us tireless and steadfast in the face of the sometimes even extremist currents of the time in which we live. According to Naim Frashëri, in the notebook of the Bektashians, it is said: "Brotherhood, peace, love, mercy, closeness, friendship, good qualities and all good things are the lights of the way. More than all love is approach and forgiveness on this path. Without these, one can never be Bektashi."
Belief in God is individual and the paths that show us the direction to Him are different, but at one point we unite, in the Divine words spoken by the Prophet Muhammad : "I was a hidden treasure. When I wanted to be noticed, I created the world, so that I could be known."
Therefore, dear organizers, we feel honored that you appreciate us, and that you make us an integral part of your activities because above all, the nation and faith in God will elevate the values of society that seems to be under constant threat.
The time we are living in is facing us with unprecedented challenges one after the other, the pandemic has isolated us and now the fierce Russian war against Ukraine that is shaking the whole world, is taking innocent lives of babies, heads of families and young boys. It is evicting many Ukrainian citizens from the lands, and this is a bad thing for everyone, which must be eradicated as soon as possible. Our common prayers are always for peace, truce and the freedom of an independent nation. Religion has always prioritized the national issue and faith in God, which should always accompany it.
May God Almighty bless us all, make us worthy to lead the believers who need us so much.
And for this special day for all of us, the families and all the people who surround us, I have prepared a prayer that God's blessings and wishes bring us peace in these troubled times of war, prosperity "!
Then, on the second day of the visit, the World Grandfather as the guest of honor of the Albanian, state and interreligious delegation at the mass of the Catholic Church on the occasion of the 800th anniversary of the founding of the city of Bocholt, a reception was held by the Mayor of the City. At the end of the Catholic mass organized especially for the 800th anniversary of the founding of the city, in which the Albanian delegation also participated, with the participation of the Mayor of the city of Vlora, Mr. Dritan Leli, the World Grandfather was welcomed by the priest who organized the ceremony to say a prayer for peace and harmony in the Albanian language, a blessing and a prayer that was translated by Pastor Jeton Keqani into German for the audience.
Prayer for Peace and Harmony
"In the name of God the Merciful, the Merciful!
We pray, O God, that you have made this day a day of joy for us to be Muslim and Christian together, for all creatures on this planet, with the birth of the brilliant light of Alijjyl Myrtezaj, in the magnificent Kaaba, your true lion, protector of your path, destroyer of the infidels, your representative on the whole face of the earth, endowed with Divine qualities and knowledge.
For the sake of him and His work and His heirs, O Lord, forgive me the mistakes and faults without intention. Save all mankind from fear and terror.-
May God give birth to good men and leaders who will govern with justice among the peoples and make us undivided loyalists from the light of Ali Myrtezaj, from that light that you yourself, O God, with your majesty have graced and sanctified.
O You from Heaven, praise has come down.
"La Fetta il - la Ali, we humbly pray and beseech you not to separate us from your light and make all the deserving humanity from the east to the west to be placed under your banner, which is peace, Lirija, unity and brotherhood for all.-
May your mercy be upon those who knowingly betray and violate your laws and traditions.
May your mercy be upon those who, for their selfishness, terrorize and drown humanity in Blood.
O Light of Holiness endowed by God himself in this universe: Helpers, standard-bearers and deputy of the Prophet Muhammad: the light of the twelve Imams and all the saints in the World; we humbly pray.
For the protection of humanity, the rain from the sky, the tremors from the earth, the health from the wind, may God bless them!
God's purified Adam, God's saved Noah, God's relative Abraham, God's speaker Moses, God's Spirit Jesus, Prophet Muhammad, and all the Prophets and God's messengers, their blessings and divine blessings, may they be eternally upon us in this life and the next. May we also be among those who have benefited from your admiration, your love, your assurance, your teachings, as you yourself said O Lord: I have exalted man, I have taught him all, I have provided him with all and for him I have Created.
God bless us all!
Amen!”
After the mass, the Great Grandfather, at the invitation of the Mayor of Bocholt, exchanged thoughts and conversations based on tolerance and interreligious harmony in Albania and beyond, the conversation also focused on the spread of Bektashism in the world, this mystical path of the Islamic religion.
The visit continued in the interfaith lobby of the DITIB Mosque, Merkez Mosque Duisburg, Ruhr area, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The delegation was received by the Director of the Mosque, Board Members and representatives of the local religious communities, who had established the Duisburg Interfaith Council. Grandfather was awarded the medallion of the Mosque, in honor of his visit to this Mosque.
The visit continued with the invitation of the Director of the Museum of the City of Duisburg, in which after the welcoming speech of the Director of the Museum, the World Grandfather thanked for the hospitality and the invitation to return to the Bektashian World Grandfather, held a short prayer in the language Albanian which was translated into German.
Praise God.
"In the name of God, great power and great mercy.
O God, You who are the first and before you there is nothing. - You who are the last and after you there is nothing. - You who are visible and above You there is nothing. - You who are internal and without You there is nothing. - You who are wise and intelligent. - You who were before everything. - You remain after everything. - You do what you want and enter the heart of Man. -You are invisible in height and in space.- You listen and see everything. - You are the Lord of everything. End the desire and drive away boredom, help us fulfill our obligations for the sake of the prophet and his blessed, pure and blessed sons. May we forgive you."
On the third day, the delegation held a meeting with the Mayor of Essen Germany, in a special reception together with the municipal council of the city of Essen, a visit which took place together with the respective speeches of the Mayor and continued with the greeting speech of the World Grandfather , we are quoting a part of his words: ".... we have this interreligious harmony thanks to the determined clergy who revived the faith and the Holy places after the 90s, and gave each other a hand of help and hope that they will carry forward the mission of faith in God.
Thanks to them, we continue an unparalleled tradition for the whole world, and this spirit of cooperation, understanding and harmony keeps us tireless and steadfast in the face of the sometimes even extremist currents of the time in which we live.
According to Naim Frashëri, in the notebook of the Bektashians, it is said: "Brotherhood, peace, love, mercy, closeness, friendship, good qualities and all good things are the lights of the way. More than all love is approach and forgiveness on this path. Without these, one can never be Bektashi."
Belief in God is individual and the paths that show us the direction to Him are different, but at one point we unite, in the Divine words spoken by the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh): "I was a hidden treasure. When I wanted to be noticed, I created the world, so that I could be known."
Therefore, dear organizers, we feel honored that you appreciate us, and that you make us an integral part of your activities because above all, the nation and faith in God will elevate the values of society that seems to be under constant threat.
The time we are living in is facing us with unprecedented challenges one after the other, the pandemic has isolated us and now the fierce Russian war against Ukraine that is shaking the whole world, is taking innocent lives of babies, heads of families and young boys. It is evicting many Ukrainian citizens from the lands, and this is a bad thing for everyone, which must be eradicated as soon as possible. Our common prayers are always for peace, truce and the freedom of an independent nation. Religion has always prioritized the national issue and faith in God, which should always accompany it.
May God Almighty bless us all, and make us worthy to lead the believers who need us so much.
And for this special day for all of us, the families and all the people who surround us, I have prepared a prayer that God's blessings and blessings bring us peace in these troubled times of war, prosperity and prosperity! "
The visit continued with a special reception given to the Albanian delegation in the context of the promotion of interreligious harmony made possible by the Honorary Consul of the Albanian State in NRW Mrs. Anduena Stephan, with the Economic Club of the Destani family in Dusserdolf, together with representatives of diplomatic corps, the Delegation of the municipality of Vlorë with Mayor Leli and influential names in the communities that can increase and develop cooperation between countries.
The three-day visit was concluded with a special meeting and reception by the Mayor of Dusseldorf Stephan Keller, which resembled the Albanian hospitality. In the historic hall that the municipality has reserved for friends, we shared the priceless value of religious coexistence that we are known and appreciated everywhere. Together with them, the presentation of Vlora as one of the most beautiful tourist places, always becomes a trigger to develop friendships that increase and improve the economy of countries.
After the quick and welcoming speech of the Mayor, which had its essence in the harmony of religious coexistence and the opening of cooperative opportunities in this field, it was followed by the speech of the Grandfather of the Bektashian World, His Holiness, Haxhi Dede Edmond Brahimaj.
"Bismilahi Rahmani Rahim!
In the name of God Almighty and Merciful! Dear Mayor of Dusseldorf, Stephan Keller,
Dear Dr. Holthoff-Pförtner – Minister for Federal, European and International Affairs.
Dear Ms. Anduena Stephan, Honorary Consul of Albania in Essen, Germany,
Dear Mr. Klodian Bulku, Chairman of the State Committee of Cults.
Dear Mayor of Vlora, Mr. Dritan Leli
Dear brothers of thousands of different faiths!
I have the honor and pleasure to be a part of this honorable panel, which appreciates so kindly the harmony, coexistence and religious tolerance that characterizes Albania and Albanian believers for generations. Issues of the tradition of harmony, I wish they would always bring us together, to talk why not also about the current situations the world is going through. Faith is a priceless value that should characterize every person, that goodness and peace in the soul that the whole world should accept.
The difficulties and persecutions of the Albanian clergy in general and the Bektashi clergy in particular are unparalleled in the entire history of mankind. Tortures, murders and exiles during the time of Ataturk in Turkey, and then in Albania.
And here I would like to remind and give an idea for the new generations and those who do not know the history of the persecution of the Bektashi clergy. I would like to talk about a Bektashi Albanian cleric persecuted by Turkey, also mentioned in the book Islamic Mysticism and Bektashizma (Baba Rexheb). Baba Saliu, who took care of the education of the children of his village, in 1902, where with his money he had set up a school with outstanding teachers. When he became a father, his teqeja in Matohasanai, Tepelena in the time after the annexation of Prizren, became a secret school for learning the Albanian language, where all paria benefited, secretly learning the Albanian language.
Baba Salihu had made great sacrifices for the Albanian language. These books were sent from Istanbul to Tripoli (Tarabul garb), where with the help of the governor of the country, Rexheb saw Mati - who was a staunch Albanian - father Saliu bring them to Albania and distribute them.
He had performed this sacred patriotic duty many times, and for a long time. But in 1902 it was dictated by spies and reported to the Turkish government. Baba Saliu was immediately captured in the province of Kudhesi in Vlora and was imprisoned for a long time.
"Father Saliu also had a talent for poetry. In one of his poems, he explains the incident of the unfortunate arrest that happened to him. The rhyme is this:
"I amnot a crumb,
God! Please crying;
Ali! My tongue calls out,
Alina, Ahmet Myhtare;
Hysen, my heart cries a lot,
Haxhi Bektashe, Hunqare.
I say these poems for my sorrow,
Why do I work for my language,
I want to wake up Albanians.
Where I was staying in Vlor,
three hundred and eighteen
Turkish year has been,
Mavija had come to the square!
The spies came together,
I burn my plans!
Turkey also found out,
That I spread Albanian,
Suvaria couples came,
They took me to prison and stabbed me;
O Sali, don't be idle,
Get a letter from Fuzuliu,
Arabic, Farsi has many,
I can understand Albanian".
And later, the brutal dictatorship in Albania disfigured the man, sought to make him an atheist, destroyed the objects of forgiveness and prayer to God, took his property and humiliated him in ridiculous trials of that gloomy time. Resurgence even after 32 years seems difficult, but not impossible when you have steadfast faith in your heart and kindness in your soul. All together, Muslims and his Christians, we will come out, so that such a precious value of faith will flourish in the generations to come. The difficult time we are living in, and the extremist currents seek to divide it and find illegal ways, sometimes even by misinterpreting the statements of the Koran and the Holy books, to break this harmony and tolerance that we have between us, but being united and understanding towards each other, having the help of law enforcement and the state, everything has a solution.
The situation we are going through is very disturbing, the Russian war against a sovereign state such as Ukraine is unforgivable by the whole world and above all by God. We, the religious leaders, must join together in prayer that peace and ceasefire will come as soon as possible and that there will be no more loss of innocent lives. War is bad for everyone, for the Russian people and for Ukrainians.
Ghandi's statement applies very well in this case: "What difference is there between the dead of war, the orphans and the homeless, if the mad destruction is done under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of freedom or democracy? "
The war will end and the leaders will shake hands. That mother will continue to wait for her martyred son. And those children will continue to wait for their hero father. It is not known who sold the homeland, but it is seen who paid the price... if God's faithful fails, the war happens and continues.
And if we don't use faith and prayers to end war then war will end humanity. Living together in peace does not mean killing each other's children, it is justice, faith, tolerance, and the importance of human life above all!
And if all of us call it a war, it is actually an invasion of the Russian state against Ukraine, but God does not distinguish nationality, he sees the heart of the believer and the importance of prayers, it is not in the honor of religious leaders to say that "The world has a funny space short attention span. Because the world forgot the victims in Israel and Palestine, forgot Afghanistan, and soon they will forget Ukraine. The world forgets, but people's suffering continues. Don't be that world my friends, be a better world, a civilized and responsible world, with faith in God, without differences of religion, nationality, only then we will be able to prevent another crisis of Israel and Palestine, another crisis in Afghanistan, another crisis in Ukraine, otherwise these events will continue to repeat themselves.
Let's unite the prayers for a world without religious divisions, for awareness even in the wildest hearts, because only the peaceful union between leaders is the best example of a developing society.
I would like to close my speech with a saying of Imam Ali: "Every person you meet is your brother, either in your faith or in creation." In any case, he is a man. All people should be united and loving towards each other.
God bless us all!
Amen!”
During the 3-day visit to Germany, the Bektashian World Grandfather, His Holiness, Haxhi Dede Edmond Brahimaj, met with many Bektashian believers of the diaspora, businessmen, teachers, Vice President of the Essen District, and others, well integrated in the German state, who very kindly congratulated him for the worthy representation of Bektashism everywhere in the world!
At the end of the visit, the interfaith delegation met with the Honorary Albanian Consulate in Essen, at the Consulate's office. for the organization of such activities of an interreligious nature. The visit of the Albanian delegation was of a high level and was published in many Albanian media and interviews conducted by DW Deutsche Welle Germany, journalist Adelheid Feilcke.
