A joint initiative of the Presidency of the Republic of Albania and the Special Ambassador of the State Department for Religious Freedom in the United States, have made possible today the unification of the highest state and religious representatives of the Balkans. The idea of this conference was in essence the real contexts and challenges that the region faces in terms of the exercise of Religious freedoms. After the greetings of the President of the Republic Mr. ILIR META to Ambassador Brownback of the US State Department like other state leaders, the world leader of the Bektashi His Grace Haxhi Dede Edmond Brahimaj spoke and said:
To remain a model of religious brotherhood
Honorable President of Albania, Your Excellency, Ilir Meta!
Dear American Ambassador for Religious Freedom, Sam Brownback!
Dear brothers, leaders of religions and beliefs in Albania!
Dear present!
It is fortunate and proud that I am present at the conference on "Religion as an instrument for peace", because "Religion is the mind, who has no mind has no religion" and let me bring the congratulations of millions of Bektashi believers from Asia to Europe, from Australia to the United States! May the Almighty God help us all, illuminating our paths with His light, bestowing on us His knowledge, wisdom and prosperity!
Throughout the centuries, human history has proved, among other things, that at every stage of its existence since birth, it has traveled with the pagan or superstitious belief, true or not, this belief is determined by historical-geographical contexts, being in any case, alongside certain moral and spiritual systems or models. Seen as an existential necessity since the creation of the human world, faith has had and will have its deserved place at all times. The spirit that has layered this human dimension since the creation of man, remains without the slightest doubt, that of the Creator of the worlds.
Without wishing to delve into religious history, I think that every human being has initially focused his perception on research on the material world, instinctively following previous patterns. But during this journey, coming to the astonishing standards of civilized development, he certainly had to manifest the wonderful human features to discover the hidden forms of important phenomena, he is the most perfect creature in terms of knowledge. And in these evolutionary processes, there has always been a sense of devotion to the Creator, embodied by an extraterrestrial world, by an almost divine message.
In particular, nowadays, more and more, it is found vulnerable to secularist tendencies, the indifference of globalization, the fading of human solidarity as well as the attempts to put the wonderful harmony of nature in complete control of the technical machinery, denying its Creator.
Unfortunately, religions and beliefs are labeled today, labels of the most diverse, of the most feared, as if they are the ones who incite wars, cause waves of violence and terror, who are bearers of demons, born to send this world out of one fratricidal war, in the other.
Paradoxically, the influence of the media in this wonderful cycle of mixing cultural and identity stereotypes, of historical messages coming from the Crusades, of human dramas ostensibly because of their transcendental paths has been in the opposite direction to the sincerity and substantial mercy of religion. Indeed, from our One Creator Himself, from all the holy books, from the poets and apostles of all times, we have received and transmitted only the holy spirit, the reasons for optimism, the dignified attitude towards every human being, regardless of color. The creator brought the colors for the fragrant bouquet and not for blind antagonisms.
Dear present!
I believe that we all share here the opinion that the religious brotherhood in Albania has been and remains a rare jewel in the historical contexts of the Balkans and beyond. We have proved this not simply with those messages of respect and human love displayed over the centuries, but especially in the spiritual standards where homeland and faith were considered inseparable and quite unique in their time travel. None of the oases of peace among us, neither the Sunnis, nor the Catholics, nor the Orthodox Christians, nor the Bektashis, at any moment of coexistence have declared the exclusive ownership of truth, convinced that the only truth belongs to the Creator and He alone, before any differences or grief we preferred unity. In the cultural fabric of the Albanian believers, this axiom is deeply ingrained.
Our perfect religious model shone especially in the years of the most severe obscurantism, 1967-1990, when the most brutal dictatorship of Eastern Europe did what it could to replace the sanctity of the Creator, ostensibly with the sanctity of the party-state according to the most inhumane models in history. Even in these conditions, when hundreds of clerics of the four traditional religions in Albania were exiled, imprisoned and killed, our believers never lost hope in the Supreme God. There are hundreds of examples of self-sacrifice to the point of sacrifice, when the Bektashi ashes were secretly distributed in the schools of Kruja, halva was distributed in the houses of Tirana on good nights and the colorful eggs of Christians were distributed all over the country on Easter days. This secret human solidarity could only be perceived by feelings charged with divine love.
I take this opportunity to cite the excellent example of the two World Leaders of Bektashism, Dede Ahmet Myftari and Dede Reshat Bardhi, who were interned in an abandoned tekke in the village of Drizar in Mallakastra, just because they were not agreed with the measures taken by the state of the time, for the eradication of religion. They, with devotion and unwavering faith in God, turned the Drizari tekke into a place of spiritual rest for the Bektashi believers not only from Albania, but also from Kosovo and Northern Macedonia. Their sacrifice has been and remains unique in the entire religious history of Albania.
With the same spirit of holiness and patriotism, these two Bektashi leaders, in the midst of the greatest dangers, continued the noble mission of keeping alive the faith of Haxhi Bektash Veliu, actually keeping alive the hopes of thousands of Bektashi believers. They wanted to transmit to the illegal army of their followers, not just the substance, rites and traditions of our mystical path, but the deep patience to face situations, the great hope that the "truths" of systems come and go, while the Truth of God is eternal. I am personally lucky to have been born and raised with their spirit.
It is something else that I believe should not be overlooked in this auditorium. Among the main reasons of our religious brotherhood ,, is undoubtedly the preservation of tradition, its illumination in the identity mosaic, the enrichment with such elements that suit the era we are going through. Our ancestors, but also us leaders and clergy today, have tried to harmonize within our ethical and religious codes the external expressions of faith with the infinite richness of traditions, preserving in the most satisfactory way possible, the substance of historical values. Thus we can say that we have succeeded even against some religious tendencies that come to us from outside, but that this battle will continue to be long, in the vortex of events in the future.
In this context, I would like to add again that an important branch of the traditionalist attitude is Sufism, which in itself synthesizes the message of Islam for peace and universalism. With Sufism, one arm of which goes as far as the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, tradition can never be ignored even after the stratification of extra-religious factors. There are many theologians today who think that despite the new journeys to be taken, Sufism has been and remains the wealth of Islam.
The Bektashi order to which I belong is the most obvious model of the continuation of the tradition. It is undoubtedly the will of God, as are the vision and wisdom of the clergy of yesterday and today. But it is worth remembering that at the core of this faith are spiritual humility, love for one another, and brotherly spirit, regardless of one's race or ethnicity. Technical or religious backgrounds have always been viewed by Bektashis in terms of bringing communities from Asia to present-day America closer together. In more than eight centuries of existence, we have been able not only to preserve our identity, but through it to deliver the great message: love for all! This is why every day more and more we conquer new spiritual territories.
Finally, what I think to encourage together is the idea that in the endless worries and sorrows manifested in today's civilization, whenever we sit at geo-political tables to overcome crises, we should call on God for help. Because, no matter how wonderful the machine of financial mysteries, no matter how open-minded a politician in the East or another in the West, no matter how accurate calculations we have about the riches of this world on earth and under it, we will never be able to , without unwavering faith in God. Imam Ali, one of the leading leaders of the orders of Islam, has explicitly said: "God did not separate His slaves, something to be valued more than intelligence." By learning about the Most High God, we highlight intelligence for the sake of peace and goodness throughout the world.
Thank you all!
Speech of the Bektashi World Leader,
His Grace
Haxhi Dede Edmond Brahimaj
