After he broke with Essad Pasha, he defected and became a leader in the sectarian, reactionary[2] and clerically tinged pro-Ottoman revolt against the new Albanian state's authorities.
[3] After the revolt was shattered by a makeshift alliance consisting of Mirdita Catholics, local resistance, Kosovar Albanians led by Isa Boletini and some foreign volunteers mainly from Romania, he was found guilty of orchestrating the slaughter that occurred during his revolt against supporters of the Albanian national movement as well as Bektashis and Christians, and he was executed on July 7, 1915.
In exchange, Essad Pasha agreed to neutralize a large group of about 20,000 kachaks led by Albanian nationalist Isa Boletini from Kosovo and Macedonia.
Essad Pasha agreed to help the Kingdom of Serbia acquire part of the coastal areas north of Black Drin.
[3] When Essad Pasha captured Tirana, he threw out Refik Toptani, the previous prefect of the region, and installed Qazimi in his place.
[3] On 17 May 1914,[4] a revolt broke out in the countryside nearby Tirana, led by the charismatic sheikh Haxhi Qamili and a group of other Muslim clerics.
[4] On 3 June after capturing Shijak, the rebels convened and decided that landowner Mustafa Ndroqi and cleric Haxhi Qamili were the public leaders of the movement; however, Musa Qazimi had the most power behind the scenes.
[3] Prince Wied called for help from anyone who could provide it; however, forces in South Albania were occupied resisting Greek attempts to annex the area, so help could only come from Durrës itself and the north.
[3] Wied tried to make a deal with the rebels led by Qazimi, Ndroqi and Qamili, but they refused all his offers, saying that they would only recognize the legitimacy of a Muslim prince under the Ottoman Sultan's suzerainty.
[3] Frustrated by their inability to obtain a victory in Durrës, Qazimi's rebels retreated, and concentrated on surrounding areas in Central Albania.
On 23 June Elbasan fell to the rebels[3] despite some local resistance, and during the summer other cities followed in succession: Lushnjë, Berat, Fier and Pogradec.
[11] In front of a crowd of Berat citizens, Musa Qazimi had his men beat Babe Dud Karbunara, and ripped his beard out from his face.