The report, a culmination of seven workshops on the issue held between June last year and January of this year, was submitted to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan last week. According to the report, all participants agreed on the necessity of granting the cemevis a legal standing. The report however, said Alevis would have to be satisfied with this as the state cannot define these structures as places of worship, for this could be potentially problematic and even offensive to other Muslims. The report advocated giving cemevis the same privileges given to religious associations or foundations without referring to them legally as places of worship.
Four hundred people, mostly Alevis, participated in seven workshops held at different times between June 2009 and January 1010. The workshops were looking to understand the fundamental problems faced by Alevis and find suggestions for solutions. Academics, theologians, members of some civil society groups and politicians got together late in January to make a general assessment. The report relayed to the prime minister notes there are many differences of opinion among Alevi and Bektaşi representatives themselves about the definition of Alevism and the Alevi identity. It also notes that the sensitivity of Alevis in defining their beliefs was mostly related to their fear of a state attempting to impose its own categorization of their religion. The report strictly noted that Alevism is “a path of wisdom” under Islam, although some Alevi groups challenge this understanding.
The report also stated that a majority of the Alevi community eyed the Religious Affairs Directorate critically and suspiciously, and called on the government to abolish this institution for a better and consistent application of secularism. However, the report said all sides had agreed that this would not be a rational expectation under the current circumstances.
The report said in the workshops even those who were most adamant about abolishing the directorate agreed that this cannot be done overnight. It noted, however, that the directorate should be given a more autonomous character that includes all versions of Islam and then should change taxation for religious services to a voluntary pattern, which they emphasized would contribute to peace between different organizations.
The report also said that the workshops saw heated discussion on canceling compulsory religion courses in Turkish high schools, and added that all sides agreed that teaching the culture of religion in a way that suppresses all sects, beliefs and religions was a necessity for all religions. However, the expression “compulsory” causes unease for Alevis for political and cultural reasons, the report said. The sides all agreed that the curriculum for this class should be penned in a neutral language that would be accepted by all segments of society.
One of the most important segments in the report is about the fate of the Madımak Hotel in Sivas, where 34 Alevis were burnt to death by a religious fundamentalist mob in 1993. The Alevi community has long demanded that the hotel, currently serving as a restaurant, should be turned into a museum. However, the report said most of the Alevi participants understood the potential danger in turning Madımak into a museum, and agreed to demolish it and turn the grounds into a park commemorating the dead.
Some Alevi groups have criticized the report and the workshops, accusing the government of trying to create a Justice and Development Party (AK Party)-style Alevi. Ali Balkız, head of the Alevi Bektaşi Federation, who has refused to attend any of the workshops, earlier had stated that the government’s unwillingness to turn Madımak into a museum meant an implicit approval of the 1993 massacre. The report said participating Alevis reported they were subject to discrimination at all levels of life, noting that addressing these problems demanded care and effort on both sides.
CHP demands Parliament research on Alevis
Meanwhile, the Republican People’s Party (CHP) has submitted a motion requesting a parliamentary commission be established to look into problems faced by Alevis. CHP Adıyaman deputy Şevket Köse and some of his fellow deputies submitted the motion, stating that Alevis have consistently been victims of human rights violations due to their beliefs. The motion also noted that places of worship have been denied for a long time. The motion said Alevis had shown in various protests and demonstrations that they are well-meaning and cooperative in solving their problems. The motion also said that “there is serious discussion in the public on whether some recent efforts that are supposedly being made to address Alevi problems are being made in the hope of garnering more votes.”
Benzer Haberler 
National
