by Mërgim Korça
After almost half a century when commitment to the Fatherland was
considered a crime, virtue became a sin, and knowledge was marked for
prosecution, the light of day finally replaced the nightmare of the seemingly
unending darkness of communism. In this
regard, the presidential decree signed by Albania’s President Prof.Dr.Sali
Berisha awarding his excellency Baba Rexheb the high title of - The Nation’s
Honor - corrected a gross injustice by placing the late Baba Rexheb at the high
altar of our nation side by side with the other recipient of this high honor,
with Mother Theresa, the Albanian of Calcutta.
By this presidential decree, from now
on Baba Rexheb will no longer be a “traitor of the people and a criminal whose
hands were dripping wet with the blood of the people”. Instead and in truth, he will be known as the
true saint he was. No matter how hard I
may try, I don’t think I could describe him better than Father Bellusci, the
Arberesh (Italo-Albanian) religious, who portrayed him with these words : “ …
speaking with him (Baba Rexheb) you realized you were before a sage of advanced
age who uttered only words of sainthood, dedicated to love and brotherhood
among people, words of compassion and generosity …”.
I firmly believe that the
presidential decree and Fr.Bellusci’s ringing endorsement of Baba Rexheb are
most convincing and that they dispose of the slander with which he was depicted
by Enver Hoxha’s (1) sycophants and prolific falsifiers of history. Needless to say, Enver Hoxha’s fair-haired
boys used the same mudslinging techniques against any true patriot and every
honest intellectual.
In the past, others, including this
writer, have written about Baba Rexheb both in Albania and in the diaspora
focusing principally on his personal merits.
On the occasion of the presidential decree, I believe time has come to
approach his lofty figure from a different angle by examining why his beliefs
and virtues were bound to clash with the communist dogma of class warfare
against patriots, distinguished intellectuals, and against all people of
integrity.
How do I remember Baba Rexheb
? I remember, as if it were now, his
subtle smile when he gazed at me sweetly as he proceeded to tease me :
“ … my son, it is unfortunate that you
are dealing with a traitor whose hands drip with the blood of the people”. As time went by, I began to notice that Baba
used this expression fairly frequently.
Finally, it dawned on me how deeply the communist slander had hurt him. Gradually, I also came to recognize the three
basic factors that were at the root of the communist wrath.
First,
because Baba was the quintessential patriot.
Second, because he was
virtue personified. And,
Third, because his
knowledge was almost limitless.
I believe it can be said without
exaggeration that his patriotism was unsurpassed from early youth until the day
his spirit left this earth. In 1920, he
and his spiritual guide, Baba Selim, sent this telegram to Qazim Koculi (2),
the strategist of the War of Vlora that successfully dislodget the remnants of
the Italian forces from Albania : “We
are with you in spirit. If you want us
at your side in person, let us know by dusk and we can be at Kote at your side
by dawn”.
Almost a quarter of a century later,
fully formed in character and spirit, Baba, Baba Rexheb covers the province of
Gjirokaster from end to end to stop the fratricidial war being fomented by the
Albanian Communist Party, this blind tool of Slavic interests. His other aim is to prevent the people from
being deceived by the communist propaganda of “national liberation” spread by
Bedri Spahiu (3) and Shemsi Totozani (4) that would lead to the massacre of
Grehot (5). Baba Rexheb’s untiring
efforts, his convincing arguments, his inspired religious convictions and
compassion, tirelessly opposed the propaganda of Bedri Spahiu and his
companions who were thirsting for blood.
Unfortunately, circumstances made it impossible for Baba Rexheb and the
other distinguished patriots to stop the onslaught of events that cost the
Albanian people so dearly.
What lessons can we draw from Baba
Rexheb’s virtues and humanitarian character ?
During one of my trips to Albania, I happened to see copy of a recently
published so-called self criticism by Bedri Spahiu. I will not say what I thought of it so as not
to get side tracked and simply stick to the facts. Upon my return I went to see Baba at his
monastery and after some small talk I gave him Bedri Spahiu’s writing. He asked me to read it to him and followed
every word with great concentration.
When I finished, Baba was immersed in deep thought. I waited until he spoke again. “Listen, my son”, he said, “all my life I
have been praying for Bedri Spahiu as he is in great need of prayers because of
his many crimes and sins. Usually, even
convinced atheists begin to believe in religion as they grow old. Now I feel even sorrier for Bedri that
despite his advanced age he continues to lie about events. He needs my prayers now more than ever”. Thus Baba closed the chapter Bedri Spahiu and
we changed the topic. Now I began to
understand one of Baba Rexheb’s lessons that I had heard before but had never
made my own. Baba had often spoken about
our duty to pray to God, adding that he never let a moment go to waste without
offering prayers. “You, my beloved good
people must know”, he added ‘that I pray very little for you compared to my
prayers for evil people and particularly for those who have hurt me. And the more they have hurt me, the more I
pray that God Almighty save their souls.
Good people are already close to the Lord and therefore need fewer
prayers”.
Baba held broad ecumenical views in
matter of religion. He often said that
to get closer to God we had to rise above the earthly fog and above the clouds
and only then could we see before our eyes the shining light of the one and
only Lord of the universe. This lesson
of his sheds much light on his impressive stature and deep understanding as an ecumenist whose
motto was : “All believers in a single God believe in the same Creator”.
One day Baba and I were talking
about mysticism in general and Moslem mysticism in particular. As he delved into his favorite topic of
Bektashi mysticism, he looked deep into my eyes and said : “You may think it
exaggerated that I insist ceaselessly that man must do his utmost to fight his
egoism. Believe me, egoism is like a
high mountain before our eyes and God is behind this mountain. If we cannot conquer this mountain, we will
never see God Almighty”. By now it should be clear that Baba,
as a most honorable patriot, fully deserved to be branded a “criminal and a
traitor” by the communists. Similarly,
his “guilt” as a most virtuous man was beyond question. At this juncture, we should find it easy to
recognize the many and diverse reasons that prompted his communist accusers to
consider him guilty as charged.
Baba Rexheb’s vast knowledge was
like a diamond mine appearing at first sight only like a narrow tunnel. One had to be a master in one’s own right to
penetrate into the very depths of shafts and galleries before gazing at all the
hidden treasures. I stress the need for
mastery because I am convinced that Baba Rexheb revealed only enough learning
so as not to hurt my feelings by leaving me too far behind. I have come to understand this now as I think
back to the conversations with Baba when he used to quote one of the many
maxims of the great Haxhi Bektash Veliu : “Never show your knowledge before the
uneducated because it is like standing stuffed with food before the
hungry”. One day as I was chitchatting
with Baba, I don’t remember what prompted me to ask him : “I recall that Baba Selim was your uncle and
your spiritual adviser in your formative years.
Now that you are in your nineties, how would you compare your present
knowledge with Baba Selim’s when you last saw him in 1944”? Baba Rexheb smiled, peered deeply into my
eyes, and answered : “One cannot compare
my knowledge to that of Baba Selim, my son”.
I insisted that Baba Rexheb should leave modesty aside and answer me as
if speaking of a third person. When he
understood that I was determined to seek an answer, he thought for a while and
then began to answer very quietly : “I will show you that Baba Selim’s
knowledge by far surpassed mine in many respects. Listen.
Baba Selim’s knowledge of Persian was much deeper than mine. So was his Turkish, both in its classical and
in its modern version. His Arabic was
also far superior enabling him to translate and render even its finest subtleties. Are you now convinced, my son, that Baba
Selim had a superior set of keys with which to open the doors leading to
Bektashi Mysticism ? Let me explain : According to Bektashi Mysticism, the two most
important human attributes are knowledge and kindness. Knowledge and learning pave the road leading
to God. Kindness enables one to endure
sufferings and insults inflicted by the populace. By now you should have no difficulty
understanding that the greater your knowledge and learning, the easier it will
be for you to find your way to God.
Therefore, Baba Selim was much better equipped to find the way”. It was at this point that I began to fathom
the breadth and depth of the mystical knowledge of these two masters of
Bektashi Mysticism.
I cannot end this review of Baba
Rexheb seen from a different perspective without mentioning one more
incident. Without intending to include
Ramiz Alia (6) in this article, I only want to mention that at the death of
Shefqet Peci, commander of the Fifth Partisan Division, Ramiz Alia spoke with
the same virulence about the figure of Baba Rexheb as had the slanderous
communist propaganda apparatus for almost 50 years under the very direction of
Alia. Recognizing that propaganda is
propaganda and the facts are facts, I invite the reader to form his own
judgement about Baba Rexheb who, even though of small stature was a true moral
giant and ardent patriot. I am not
surprised that almost 50 years before, sharing the defeat of Bedri Spahiu, his
comrade in arms - or rather in crime, Alia would back Spahiu whenever the
latter had the misfortune of crossing swords with Baba Rexheb. But to continue this scurrilous slander
against Baba Rexheb half a century later is hard to understand. This is perhaps what the Latin author had in
mind when he wrote : “Errare humanum est
sed perseverare diabolicum”. (To err is
human, to persist is diabolical).
On the other hand, it may be
appropriate for Ramiz Alia to continue to spew slander against Baba Rexheb as
the latter will probably have prayed for Alia just as he had for Bedri Spahiu.
Footnotes :
Enver Hoxha : Albania’s
undisputed ruler and First Secretary of the Communist Party from the end of
World War Two until his death in 1985.
Because of his crimes, he has been compared to North Korea’s Kim Il
Sung.
(1) Qazim Koculi : A graduate of the High Academy of the
Admiralty in Constantinople. During the
Vlora War, he was the strategist and military leader of the Albanian
forces. Mussolini never forgot this and,
23 years later, ordered professional killers to assassinate this distinguished
Albanian patriot.
(2) Bedri Spahiu : During the Civil War, secretary of the
Albanian Communist Party for the region of Gjirokaster; also member of the Politburo of the Central
Committee. Prosecuting attorney at the
first show trial of the political elite.
(3) Shemsi Totozani : Deputy secretary of the Communist Party for
the region of Gjirokaster.
(4) Battle of Grehot, September 14, 1943
: A battalion of the nationalist
organization Balli Kombetar, under the command of Hysni Lepenica, was on its
way to accept the surrender of the Italian Division Perugia following Italy’s
surrender on September 8. Bedri Spahiu
and Shemsi Totozani conned the italian troops into believing that the Albanian
battalion’s true intentions were to massacre the italian garrison. The Italian troops opened fire killing 35
Albanians, as well as Hysni Lepenica.
(5) Ramiz Alia : Political commissar of the Fifth Albanian
communist division during the Civil War and member of the Central Committee
Politburo for over 40 years. He assumed
Enver Hoxha’s position as First Secretary of the Communist Party at Enver
Hoxha’s death.
Translated from The Albanian by Genc Korça
