The Dervish Bektashi order is one of the most relevant aspects of Islamic spirituality. Since it's beginnings it has been a mystic order with secret doctrines, based on the veneration of the trinity of Allah, Mohamed and Ali. It's founder, Hajji Bektash Veili, blessed the first troops of the Ottoman empire and in doing so the Bektashi became important spiritual leaders to soldiers, gaining both respect and power. They settled mostly in central and north Albania and are the second largest Islamic community in the country outside of the Sunni community. The Bektashi cult includes many elements of other religions that they have had contact with, such as, Buddhism, Manichaeism, Judaism, Nestorianism and Christianity. They even absorbed the 'hurufilik' a sort of secret doctrine, similar to the Jewish Kabbalah. This report tells the story of the Bektashi rituals that take place in Central Albania where the tomb of Mohammed's brother in law Abaz Ali is located. Every year Bektashi from all over the world meet to honor the tombs of the five founders of the Albanian Bektashism. It is during this gathering that they offer sacrificial lambs to the slaughter as a sign of their devotion, skillfully slaughtering them by slitting their throats. At the end of a week of uninterrupted celebrations the chief elder of the sect, the Dede Baba Haxhi Reshat Bardhi speaks before his devotees, and following this, his deputy Baba Edmund meets with the faithful who question him on spiritual issues and pray with him as he waits for the day he will become the next Dede Baba.  (More) ...