16 Facts About Dervish Hima

Dervish Hima, born Ibrahim Mehmet Naxhi, was a 19th-century Albanian politician and one of the delegates who participated at the Albanian Declaration of Independence.

Dervish Hima was born in Struga to an Albanian landowning family, which spoke the Albanian language in the Tosk dialect.

Dervish Hima gave speeches to enthusiastic audiences against pan-Islamic influences coming from the Young Turks and called for Albanian national unity, which resulted in an attempted assassination in Korce by the Ottoman government.

Dervish Hima writing in the fortnightly called for the unification of the Albanian vilayets and autonomy for Albania within the Ottoman Empire.

The Italians shut down his journal Albania-Arnavudluk which promoted Albanian nationalism and Dervish Hima planned to restart publishing activities at Geneva.

For Ottoman authorities Dervish Hima's journal was seen as being only a revolutionary appeal.

In Paris, Dervish Hima was a delegate at the Congress of Ottoman Opposition organised by Prince Sabahaddin.

Dervish Hima's committee was active in Romania and symbolised a Romanian-Albanian rapprochement while the group held anti-Slav and anti-Greek positions.

Dervish Hima was a follower of Ibrahim Temo and was instructed by him to write in Young Turk journals with the aim of achieving reconciliation between the Young Turks and Albanian opponents of the sultan.

Dervish Hima outlined that the publication was aimed at enlightening Albanians, raising their levels of intellect and culture along with encouraging cooperation and an understanding of Ottomanism, the Ottoman system, empire and its peoples in relation to them toward improving their situation.

Dervish Hima highlighted Albanian sacrifices and contributions to the empire, claimed that Albania was "the cradle of freedom" and defended use of the tribal law of Dukagjin among Albanian highlanders.

Dervish Hima advocated for a unitary province of Albania, Albanian-Turkish language schools, and locals undertaking military service within five provinces in the Ottoman Balkans.

On 13 December 1910 Dervish Hima raised concerns in Arnavud about Ottoman "militarization" of placing army officers into civil administration positions in Albania instead of qualified bureaucrats and protesting the use of force to resolve local problems.

Dervish Hima stated at the time that he received assistance for his publishing activities from Albanians within the empire.

Dervish Hima's book highlighted the narrative of Albanian loyalty and sacrifice to the empire and he stressed the development of an "Albanian national literature" as important for Albanians.

Dervish Hima was one of the signatories of the Albanian Declaration of Independence.