Alawitesm is viewed by most as a heterodox sect of Islam, though some Alawites see it as outside of Islam. Alawites are estimated to make up around 15 percent of Turkey's population, which is predominantly Sunni. Cemevis, Alevi places of worship, are not officially recognized by the state.
The status of Alevi cemevis has been an issue of great contention in Turkey. Churches, mosques and synagogues, recognized by the state as houses of worship, are provided with utilities free of charge. However, the subject goes beyond having to pay electricity bills and is about recognition for most Alevi organizations, which have been offended by the government's oft-stated view that a cemevi can only be a complementary facility to a mosque. It says cemevis can be like cultural centers and only mosques are legitimate places of worship in Islam.
Despite a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) that gives cemevis the status of places of worship and orders the Turkish government to respect Alawites' faith, the government has ignored the ruling and similar other requests, something that has become a source of frustration for the Alevi community in Turkey.
The Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government in fact launched an initiative in 2009 to discuss the demands of the Alevi community and seek solutions to their problems. The workshops were the first of their kind in the republic's history and were held with the participation of Alevi organizations, NGO representatives, academics and commentators, but no tangible results have come out of the workshops.
Professor Niyazi Öktem, who has conducted research on Alawitesm, said the main obstacle ahead of a solution to the problems concerning Alawites is the pro-Sunni policies in Turkey. "Since Sunnis approach the issue with an assimilation [viewpoint] in mind, there is no concrete solution project. The Religious Affairs Directorate is also not very sincere [about a solution to the Alawites' problems]. There is always the idea in the back of their minds of turning Alawites into Sunnis, and this can be observed," said Öktem.
Professor Mehmet Görmez, the head of the Religious Affairs Directorate, the country's top religious body, attracted much criticism due to his remarks earlier this year suggesting that presenting cemevis as an alternative to mosques is a red line for the directorate.
In remarks that attracted widespread criticism, Görmez stated the Religious Affairs Directorate has two “red lines” with regard to the demands of the Alawites: “One of them is defining Alawitesm as a path separate from Islam since its 1,000-year-old history refutes this claim. The second is presenting cemevis as an alternative to mosques and as the place of worship of another belief."
The second reason, Öktem said, is the failure of Alawites to confront themselves, while thirdly, there are difficulties stemming from Alevi dedes (wise men) and leaders seeing Alawitesm as an element of power and interest and trying to shape it in the way they want.
According to Öktem, if the AK Party government really wants to resolve the problems of the Alawites, it needs to change the current Constitution. "This means overhauling the coup-era laws. If some solution methods are developed other than this, they will be rejected by the Constitutional Court," he said.
Compulsory religion classes another problem
According to Doğan Bermek, the president of the Federation of Alevi Foundations, Alawites' main problems concern the status of cemevis and compulsory religion classes. He said the state needs to allocate land to cemevis and provide them financial assistance.
"It is a must for the rights granted to the places of worship in relevant regulations to be valid for cemevis as well," he said.
As for religion classes, he said the content of these lessons needs to be changed, they should no longer be compulsory and they should really be about religion and moral education, as their name suggests.
In a decision made in September 2014, the ECtHR ruled that Turkey's compulsory religion course violates the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) article on the right to education, and urged Turkey to switch to a new system in which students would not be required to take such a class.
The ECtHR announced its verdict regarding an appeal filed in Ankara in 2011 by 14 Turkish citizens who are members of the Alevi faith regarding the compulsory Religious Culture and Moral Knowledge course given at Turkish schools. Stating that the latest changes made to the class' course books are not enough to keep the class from violating the ECHR, the court reminded the Turkish state of its “obligation to be neutral and impartial” regarding religious issues.
"Every belief group should be allowed to open schools to raise their own leaders. The curriculum of the theology faculties need to be changed. Courses on Islamic history need to be taught in a more objective way. There should be more courses on Kalam [theology] and studies on other faiths at theology faculties. Theology education should not only be about Islam but should be open to all religions," Bermek said.
With regards to the role of the country's Religious Affairs Directorate, he said the directorate is now servicing only Sunni citizens but it needs to be equally fair to all faiths.
"If the Religious Affairs Directorate is offering religious services, it has to even offer cremation services to those who say, 'I would like the body of [my family member] to be cremated.' It cannot say, 'I just accept the Sunni belief and reject the others'," Bermek explained.
‘Alawitesm is diverse'
There is no one single form of Alawitesm, just as there is no one single form of Sunni belief. Selahattin Özel, who for many years has worked in Alevi civil society organizations and has acted as the founder and president of the first Alevi organization, the Foundation for Introduction of Hacı Baktaş Veli Culture, said there are differences in Alawitesm between the religion that is observed in Anatolia and the one observed in Europe but this is not a problem.
"The main goal of Alawitesm is to become a man of perfection. … There could be some who think differently than us. We will not show them disrespect. Kurds, Arabs, Turks could view Alawitesm differently. There could even be difference in the performance of the sema [a ritual dance performed by Alawites]; this is richness, the essence is the same," said Özel.
Considering the fact that the state tries to justify its objection to fulfill Alevi demands with the fact that Alawitesm has different interpretations, Özel said if these differences do not matter to Alawites, they should not matter to the state either.
"They just talk about something like, 'atheist Alawites.' There cannot be such a thing. If someone does not believe [in God], they just don't believe. They could come from a Sunni family as well as from an Alevi family," said Özel.
He also explained that Alawites were able to use the name "Alevi" in the names of civil society organizations only after 2002 within the framework of laws Turkey enacted as part of its efforts to harmonize its legislation with that of the EU.
Until 2002, Alawites used to use names such as "Hacı Bektaş Veli Foundation" or "Sema Foundation" for their civil society organizations.
The popular movie actor Turgay Tanülkü, who comes from an Alevi background, said Alawites need to express themselves better to society for social reconciliation. "We need to speak up more about the solidarity in the Alevi culture and peace. We will achieve peace by understanding and embracing each other. This is our legacy that we will leave to our children," Tanülkü said.
Some Alawites still keep their roots secret
Alawites complain that they have been subjected to discrimination in this country for years. They say they used to secretly gather in makeshift cemevis in the past and conduct their prayers in fear of police raids. Today, they are able to meet in cemevis freely, and even some top state officials visit cemevis from time to time and attend Alevi iftars as gestures of good will to the Alevi community.
However, when it comes to applying for state jobs, some Alawites still feel the need to keep their Alevi roots secret, fearing that they may be rejected or discriminated against. Folk poet Veli Aykut, an Alevi dede who uses the pen name "Dertli Divani," said Alawites have been discriminated against and massacred for centuries.
Aykut, who was proclaimed a Living Human Treasure by UNESCO in 2009, said the pressure on the Alevi belief and Alevi places of worship continues today. He said in the Alevi belief, people are taught to live together in peace by acknowledging and respecting each other's differences.
Documentarian Nebil Özgentürk, who also comes from an Alevi background, now laments the fact that he avoided revealing his Alevi identity when he was in middle school.
Özgentürk comes from a Nusayri (Arab Alevi) family. He said there are big differences between Arab Alawites and Anatolian Alawites, and although he is not really a practicing Alevi, he has always deeply felt the pain experienced by the Alawites.
He recalls how his father used to warn him every morning not to reveal his Alevi roots at school.
"During my childhood, I saw how sectarian conflicts and ostracism deeply affected my family. I did not reveal my sect. My father did not want me to experience exclusion. Families in the Adana, Antakya and Hatay regions, where most Arab Alawites live, all experienced this. I regret that I could not proudly say, ‘I am an Alevi,' when I was in middle school. I feel real sorrow about that," he said.
Life at a cemevi
The Seyit Seyfi Cemevi in İstanbul's Pendik district is surrounded by tall buildings and huge apartment blocks. A man named Kalender Sune welcomes visitors at this cemevi. Sune also cleans and organizes funeral ceremonies at the cemevi.
He lives with his wife and his two sons in a one-story house in the cemevi complex. There is a room for the cem, a conference hall, a kitchen, a lounge and classrooms in the cemevi complex. Courses on the Quran, the sema and bağlama, a traditional stringed instrument, are offered in the classrooms.
Various kinds of food and halva are cooked in the cemevi's kitchen to be served to people after the funeral service.
"In Alevi tradition, food is offered to people after someone has been laid to rest. Food is also prepared on the seventh, 40th and 42nd days after their death," Sune said. Referring to the huge amount of interest in the cemevi, he said at least 100 people join the cem rituals held on Thursdays.
"People love praying. They exercise their belief freely. There is no pressure on us. Everyone comes here of their own will and prays," he said.
The large number of visitors to the cemevi is sometimes overwhelming for Sune.
He said he is dealing with funeral services, arranging food for people in need, making sure the cemevi is properly heated, arranging cem rituals as well as acting as secretary and manager of the cemevi. Sune said that if the state provided some support to the cemevi, he would not have to deal with so many tasks on his own.
Sune's wife, Özlem, also helps him with the work at the cemevi. She said they moved house to the cemevi complex one year after their marriage 15 years ago, and although she was a bit anxious about funerals being held there, she got used to it over time.
"I try to help my husband in many ways. When food is served here, I wash the dishes. The cemevi is always crowded and we always have things to do," she said.
Alawitesm empowers women
İlknur Kaplan is a TV presenter on Cem TV, an Alevi TV station. She has been working for Cem TV for more than 17 years and also worked on a TV program about Alawitesm called "Muharrem Sohbetleri" (Muharrem Conversations), when at the time there were no programs like it on television. Muharrem is the first month of the Islamic calendar.
Kaplan, who was raised in the Alevi faith, highlights the powerful role of women in Alevi belief.
"In Alawitesm, women are valuable and precious just as it is mentioned in the hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad. What did the Prophet Muhammad say? ‘Fear God in [the affairs of] women, for you have taken them by the oath of God.' Giving value to women is at the center of our belief," she said.
With regard to women and men performing the cem ritual together in Alawitesm, Kaplan said Alawites, who she said are representatives of a humanist movement, pray together as men and women.
"Everyone is equal. We, women, are the most special flowers that make a garden beautiful. Being aware of this, the Alevi belief has liberated and empowered women," Kaplan said.
Despite the social distance and differences in faith-related issues between Alawites and Sunnis, marriages between Sunni and Alevi individuals have led to the intermingling of Alawites and Sunnis, according to Gazi Cemevi Dede Veli Gülsoy.
Gülsoy said he has played a role in many such marriages, and he thinks people do not care very much about sectarian differences.
Recalling one particular example, he said: "A Sunni family wanted an Alevi woman, who was a teacher, to marry their son. The woman's father asked me about what to do. They were a bit anxious about the other side's Sunni roots. I told them there was no problem, and that the important thing was that the man was a good person."
Gülsoy, who also talked about the importance attributed to women in Alawitesm, said women are not seen as slaves at home, and both men and women are supposed to value each other and share responsibilities in married life.
Source: todayszaman.com
