The International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF) is preparing for its 37th World Congress in Albania in September 2027, hosted by the Bektashi World Headquarters in Tirana. The Congress will bring together free and liberal religious people and communities from around the world for dialogue, friendship and shared reflection across religious traditions.
The Congress theme and registration details will be announced soon.
A continuing tradition of encounter
Founded in Boston in 1900, IARF grew out of an international movement of liberal religious thinkers and communities. Its first Congress took place in London in 1901. Since then, its Congresses have offered a meeting place for people from different religious and cultural backgrounds, united by a commitment to religious freedom and openness to one another.
The 2027 gathering will continue this tradition in a new setting. Explore the history of our World Congresses.
A partnership built over many years
IARF’s relationship with the Bektashi community has developed through international gatherings and support for freedom of religion or belief. The Dedebaba, Haxhi Dede Baba Edmond Brahimaj (Baba Mondi), attended the 2010 IARF World Congress in Kochi, India. The Macedonian branch of the Bektashi Order became an IARF member in 2012. IARF also took part in a Bektashi symposium in Tirana that year. An IARF delegation’s visit in 2015 combined dialogue with advocacy concerning the community’s legal recognition and religious sites.
In 2016, Tetovo hosted IARF’s Europe and Middle East regional conference on Religion and Conflict Prevention, in cooperation with the Bektashi community. Arben Sulejmani, head of the community in North Macedonia and Director of External Relations at the Bektashi World Headquarters, has helped sustain the relationship. Hosting the Congress in Tirana will build on these years of cooperation.
Robert Ince's visit
Preparations for 2027 were a central focus of IARF President Robert Ince’s recent visit to North Macedonia, Kosovo and Albania. The Bektashi World Headquarters’ account describes the journey as focused on freedom of belief, interfaith dialogue and peaceful coexistence
. It also provided an opportunity to consider the organisation and facilities needed to welcome an international Congress.
In Tirana, Robert met Baba Mondi and representatives of Albania’s Bektashi, Muslim, Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant communities, together with the Chair of the State Committee on Cults. Robert was also introduced to the Headquarters’ staff, museum and wider activities.
The Bektashi World Headquarters’ report describes the discussions:
The meeting provided a broad forum for discussing Albania’s experience of religious coexistence, relations between state institutions and religious communities, and the role of interfaith dialogue in strengthening mutual understanding and social cohesion. The prospect of the IARF Congress in Albania was also central to the exchange: how Albanian religious communities might participate in and contribute to an international gathering bringing together representatives of different religious traditions from around the world, alongside professionals and academics in the social sciences and philosophy.
Bektashi World Headquarters, translated from Albanian
Encounters across the region
In Kosovo, meetings with Bektashi, Jewish and Protestant representatives brought attention to community life, interfaith relations and questions of registration and recognition. In North Macedonia, the visit included Harabati Baba Tekke in Tetovo, a place with particular significance for IARF’s Bektashi partners and the history of cooperation in the region.
Visits to historic sites in Albania also allowed consideration of a possible cultural programme alongside the Congress, offering participants an introduction to the host country’s history and heritage.
The Bektashi report looks ahead to the Congress:
placing interfaith dialogue, freedom of belief and Albania's tradition of coexistence on a wider international stage
Bektashi World Headquarters, translated from Albanian
The Congress theme and registration information will be announced soon on the IARF website.
Read the full report
Download the full English report (PDF, 14 pages, 2.7 MB), translated from the original Albanian account published by the Bektashi World Headquarters on 13 October 2026. The quotations above are translated from the same source.