My Personal Experience with the
First Albanian Bektashi Teqe in America

Honorable Clerics,
Distinguished Guests,
Dear Friends,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

- Taylor, Michigan - Good evening! "The House of Haxhi Bektashi is the house of all men." This is how Naim Frasheri, one of our great forefathers, eloquently expressed what a Teqe is. This genuine Bektashi tradition was faithfully practiced by His Eminence Baba Rexheb, the beloved founder and spiritual shepherd of the First Albanian Bektashi Teqe in North America. As he would frequently state, "Bektashism is a mystical-liberal sect of Islam, which inspires the deepest feelings of goodwill and brotherhood among all men." Also, "the doors of the Teqe are open to all." As a testimony to these truths, I, a devout Catholic Christian, born in Belgium and descending from Malesia e Madhe in the region of Shkodra, can firmly verify this testimony as absolute truth because I have personally experienced it.

Because of this blessed connection, it is certainly a great personal honor for me, that I am given this opportunity to express with you all how much this place of worship, this place of reflections, and this bastion of Albanian nationalism means to me. How solemn it is to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the First Albanian Bektashi Teqe in America! This is truly a House that God built through one of His faithful servants - our dearly beloved Baba Rexheb! Let us always remember what makes this place so special and unique is and will always be - Baba Rexheb himself. For we all must be deeply aware that his spirit along with Haxhi Bektashi most definitely continues to watch over this holy place, even when the future is uncertain. It is precisely at these times that the Footprints in the Sand poem is reassuring. We are not alone.

Indeed, the memories are countless, not only for me but also for all who have been blessed with the good fortune of knowing, cultivating and sustaining a personal relationship with Baba Rexheb. However, what I will briefly focus on is my experience with the Teqe itself.

My first visit to the Teqe came in June 1975. Mr. Ekrem Bardha along with the entire Bardha clan invited our families (maternal uncles and mine) to the Teqe as a means of honoring a fellow Balli Kombetar member who had recently arrived from Brussels, Belgium - my uncle Palok Martini. At that time, the Teqe did not have its modern look as it does today. Instead it was a typical farm setting consisting of sheep, chickens, and what seemed like a giant red barn on the outer premise of the apple orchards. I can still vividly remember the family cookout that day, astounded by the shearing and roasting of the lamb, prepared via Albanian style, and the ensuing playfulness of Dervish Arshiu (now Baba Arshiu) chasing Agroni, Iliri and myself from the tree situated in front of the barn. Besides making new and enduring friends, like Petrit Butka (a true Albanian patriot who loved me like a son), two old friends were also reunited that day: Our host Ekrem and my father, Llesh Luket Grishaj who, as young men, both served in the same army unit in Albania - Reparti i Punes 7710 in Tirana.

In retrospect, little did I know, that my first visit to the Teqe would have such a lasting and profound impression. As a family we regularly attended the celebration of the fests of Nevruz and Ashure. As I got older, I began to drive myself to the Teqe and spend quality time with Baba and also enjoyed the quiet tranquility that the Teqe provided for me. Gradually the spiritual allure of the Teqe had made me one of her honorary members. The culmination of my experience in the Teqe came when the gold medal award of "Nderi i Kombit" was posthumously bestowed on Baba Rexheb for his religious, patriotic and cultural services (Baba's humility almost certainly would have made him uncomfortable with this most deserved award). To overcome fifty years of communist slander, condemnation and filthy epithets, how fitting it was for the Republic of Albania, during the commemoration of Albanian Flag Day 1996, to send an official delegation headed by Deputy Uran Butka, the son of Baba's dear friend Professor Safet Butka (Balli's first martyr). As a footnote, I was also humbled when asked to speak at that historic occasion as a friend of Baba Rexheb.

In conclusion, the reason English was chosen to share my experience with the Teqe, is because I would like the youth of the Teqe to begin to comprehend the inherent beauty and uniqueness in being a part of something so awe-inspiring; and this is through the eyes of a non-Muslim Bektashi friend and brother. Because numerous prayers and intentions have been benevolently and mysteriously answered through the will of the Almighty Himself, I would also like to encourage you to actively participate, as your parents have, to keep the legacy and aspiration of Baba Rexhep well and alive. May you continue to thrive.