ABSTRACT
This chapter is based on original field research, and describes the situation of the Albanian Bektashi Sufi order, the Turkish and Kurdish Alevi-Bektaşi movement, and the Iranian-Kurdish Ahl-e Haqq phenomenon. The author discusses in detail the origins and past associations of these religious movements, all of which began in Islam, and all of which are now involved in debates over whether they should remain within the fold of Islam or declare themselves to be separate religions from Islam. The Albanian Bektashis have long been recognized legally as a separate institution from Sunni Islam in Albania and Kosovo, and the Turkish and Kurdish Alevi-Bektaşis have separate legal status in a number of European countries with significant immigration from Turkey, though not in Turkey itself. The Iranian Ahl-e Haqq are split between a group recognized as legitimate by the Iranian authorities and a group subjected to repression as “heretics.” The situation of these religions’ legal standing, especially that of the Albanian Bektashis, is aggravated by internal contradictions.
