Today, October 20, 2020, on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of the passing of Naim Frashëri’s life, the Bektashi World Headquarters, under the auspices of the World Leader, His Holiness, Haxhi Dede Edmond Brahimaj and the National Historical Museum, organized commemorative activities of the “Year of Naim”.
The activities first took place at the National Historical Museum and then culminated in the Bektashi World Headquarters, the Holy See with the participation of clerics, representatives of religions and representatives of embassies accredited in Albania, personalities of Albanian letters, friends of Naim and the Headquarters of Bektashi saints, some of whom also delivered occasional speeches.
Bismilahi Rrahmani Rrahim!
In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful!
Dear brothers, clerics, representatives of religions in Albania!
Dear representatives of embassies accredited in Albania!
Many honored personalities of Albanian letters, friends of Naim and the Bektashi Holy See!
I have the special privilege and pleasure to thank you for your participation in this event and I want to wish and bless you, and your families: “May you always be close to the help of God, the twelve Imams, our Pir, Haji Bektash Veliu! May their light illuminate our path!
As you may be aware, this year, we announced the Year of the great Naim, not simply to remember him, but to shed even more light on his life and great work, convinced that these times have been connected close to the fates of our nation. Because I think that before he was a great poet, he was a great Albanian. He was simply Albanian not only because of his family genesis, but because of the love he conveyed for his native lands, although for the most part his life was spent in foreign lands.
Generations of Albanians, since the end of the 19th century, the 20th and this millennium we are living, have learned and have been praised with powerful verses:
You Albania give me Honor,
Give me the Albanian name…
And if in the past centuries these verses kept alive the legitimate pride of our biological origin, inspired our national identity, in today’s conditions they sound not at all out of date. Hundreds of thousands of Albanians today, of those who live and work at the doors of Europe, of those who contribute to this Albania we have today, still repeat with hope these verses, convinced that their motherland will not be insulted endlessly , will not be the black sheep of civilization, will not be the poor of Europe. On the contrary, we hope that with the help of the Great God and our will, we can move forward, mentioning with the deepest respect the name of Albania.
Sisters and brothers!
Our Naim has been and undoubtedly remains a shining Bektashi. He saw in this tariqat of Islam, deep devotion to the Creator, his patriotic spirit and especially the sanctity to unite all for the good of the nation. Among the first thinkers of our National Renaissance, seeing the Bektashi tolerance, he called for this faith to be given the deserved place in the lives of all Albanians.
Not without purpose, we intended to bring to this honored audience, the ideas of some poets and prominent people of today’s Albanian literature, which will reveal the literary universe of Naim Frashëri and in particular his approaches to Bektashism .
Thank you dear researchers for your research work!
God be pleased with what we are doing for Naim Frashëri!
God bless us all!
Amen!
Speech of the Bektashi World Leader,
His Grace,
Haxhi Dede Edmond Brahimaj
