Religious Diversity And The Alevi Struggle For Equality In Turkey

[rug]

An Alevi woman prays in a mosque in Hacibektash, Turkey on August 15, 2005. (TARIK TINAZAY/AFP/Getty Images)

FEB 10, 2017 @ 12:11 PM
WRITTEN BY Alev Dudek

Turkey is a country with diverse beliefs. Its religious diversity, however, is neither acknowledged nor appreciated. Instead, the country is portrayed to be homogenous, with a 99.8% Islamic population, a number that is rather more determined by the compulsory note (“Islam”) in government-issued identification documents and the historic effort to suppress diversity than by the actual status-quo of religious beliefs in the country.

Though in rather low numbers, Turkey’s population includes Christians, Jews, Greek Orthodox and other diverse religions. There is also an increasing number of progressive Turks who are agnostic, deities or atheists. However, the main religious group outside of Sunni Islam is the Alevi, a group that makes up an estimated 15-25% of the population. Alevis are also the religious group that Turkey has had the longest-lasting “struggles” with, struggles that continue to-date, as the current government continues to deny the group equal rights.

Who are the Alevis?

Alevi is a religious group in Turkey, not to be confused with Alewites in Syria. They are followers of Ali, the brother-in-law of Prophet Muhammed. Alevi is a mystical belief that is rooted in Islam and Sufism with some traditions of Christianity and Shamanism. It is a religion that is based on humanistic ideals of love and tolerance expressed in mystical poems instead of strict rules, passed on through oral tradition. Alevis have been discriminated against and persecuted in Turkey, based on dehumanizing allegations that Alevi rituals include incestual sexual orgies (“mum söndürmek”).

How are Alevis different from Sunnis?

Some of the differences between Alevi and Sunni include their places of worship. Sunnis worship in mosques; Alevis worship in cem evi. Mosques and cem evi are fully separate entities that have little to do with each other. Additional differences include that Alevis don’t separate by gender during worship, as women and men worship together, a feature of Alevi belief that has historically been one of the major sources of friction, as Sunni men and women worship in separate rooms in the mosque, allegedly making them more “pure” and subsequently justifying harassment against Alevis. Sunni men lead the prayer in the main hall of the mosque, while women worship in a smaller back room. There are, however, also differences in the form of worship. Alevi worship includes singing and Semah, a form of spiritual dance, whereas Sunnis worship via Namaz ritual. An additional distinguishing factor between Alevi and Sunnis includes that Alevis don’t fast during the major fasting period Ramadan, but instead during Muharram.

It is important to note here that some Alevis consider themselves a branch of Islam, whereas others don’t. While until recently, Alevis were not accepted as Muslims regardless of how they identified themselves, today they are denied rights and recognition as Turkish courts argue that “Alevism is a religious movement within Islam”. Apparently, in Turkey any information about Alevis can be interpreted in a way that justifies discrimination against the group.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2017/02/10/religious-diversity-and-the-alevi-struggle-for-equality-in-turkey/#ade26b55a389

[guillaumeb]

1. Recommended, as are all posts that recognize that no group of people can be treated as

adhering to a group-think. We need more nuanced posts in this group.

[rug]

2. It would be as interesting as it would be refreshing.

[Cartoonist]

3. Brother-in-law?

Religions never cease to keep my face out of my palm.

[rug]

4. I suppose, then, you don't know the difference between Shiites and Sunnis.

[Cartoonist]

5. I used to

Since it didn't get put in my IMPORTANT file, I forgot.

[rug]

6. Well, I guess you don't consider the contest between Iran and Saudi Arabia important.

Their dispute stems from Mohammad's son-in-law.

All in all, it makes a case for celibacy.

[Cartoonist]

7. No, that's important.

Not the difference, but the similarity. The only thing important about religion i is its threat to humanity.

[rug]

8. That's a rather overblown statement, don't you think?

[Cartoonist]

9. Count the dead

And tell me when it's going to stop.

[muriel_volestrangler]

10. That brings up a significant point - is this the same Ali reckoned to be the son-in-law

of Mohammed by the Shia (and, as far as I knew, the Sunni too), but the Alevis think he was a brother-in-law? Or is it a different Ali? Or has the writer made a surprising mistake? The BBC calls him the son-in-law.

[rug]

11. It's unclear to me.

The Ali the Shias see as the rightful successor was married to Mohammed's daughter Fatima. Hence. son-in-law.

The Alewi also see Ali as the rightful successor but at least one source calls him Mohammad's nephew.

http://rlp.hds.harvard.edu/faq/alevism

Another calls Ali the cousin and son-in-law of Mohammed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali

I suppose Ali could have been all three. But before this turns into a remake of Chinatown, i'm waiting for someone with a better knowledge of the language or the religion to opine.