"Kanuni i Leke Dukagjinit" which is where BESA originates, was the first attempt at governing the life of northern tribes in Albania at a time when a government

"Kanuni i Leke Dukagjinit" which is where BESA originates, was the first attempt at governing the life of northern tribes in Albania at a time when a government did not exist. These tribes, even long after Albania was ruled by the Ottoman Empire, remained Catholic, which holds true to this day with regions such as Mirdita still inhabited by Catholics. This suggests that besa does neither relate to or derive from Islam.