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Turkey's most dominant heterodoxy with the largest number of
followers is Alawiism. It has a history of more than 1,400 years
with its roots in the Shiite branch of Islam. The Alawis, over the
centuries never split into segments or experienced internal
conflict aside from the difficulty that geographical conditions
brought and some small differences that had their roots in the
groupings known as hearths and in applying rules. They never felt
themselves to be a minority or a foreigner in this country. They
became one of the most important issues on the agenda in the
European Commission's Progress Report on Turkey. However, whether
or not it was a different faith from Islam was never clarified.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, “If Alawiism means to
love Ali, I, too, am an Alawi.” Discussions on Alawiism and Islam
have recently become a current issue again when Religious Affairs
Directorate head Ali Bardakoğlu said, “Alawiism is a sub-culture
of Islam. If Alawis are regarded as a minority, as in the progress
report, all mystic organizations right up to the Aczimendis may
regard themselves as a minority.” People from different circles
expressed their view on this issue to the Turkish Daily News.
Ali Bulaç (Journalist-writer): “We can say that the prime
minister's statement is not satisfactory, because every person who
loves Ali is not an Alawi. Alawiism has a certain interpretation,
culture, identity and color. The Alawites have some demands. The
problem is how we will consider these demands. The progress report
says that Alawis can be defined as a minority but I do not approve
of this definition, because a minority is an ethnic, cultural or a
language group that is deprived of some rights. Even if Alawis
have some rightful demands, these demands are not a reason for us
to see them as a minority. There is no minority in our culture or
history. The concept of minority came to us from Europe in the
19th century. A minority group cannot have the same rights as the
majority. Moreover, not every one can become a minority. The legal
situation of a minority is not obvious in Europe now.
The concept of minority took shape in Europe after World War II
by considering Jews. That has to say, people of another culture
and faith were not given the same status. Alawiism may be a
sub-group of Islam and offer a different interpretation of Islam,
but in Islam, it is impossible for a Muslim to be a minority
vis-à-vis another Muslim. This is a basic rule and this right
should not be violated. The fact that Alawis are regarded in the
progress report as a minority is advantageous in the sense that we
started to discuss these issues. I think that we will arrive at a
good point by debating it more. Alawis felt ill at ease because
they were defined as a minority.
“I don't agree with the view of the Religious Affairs
Directorate head. The government and Religious Affairs Directorate
will have problems in the aftermath of Turkey's EU negotiations.
Although it is claimed that Turkey is a secular country there is
such an establishment like the Religious Affairs Directorate in
the country. This is contrary to the soul of secularism. The
directorate should be abolished. All religious services should be
offered by religious communities as in the Ottoman Empire period.
If the Religious Affairs Directorate continues to be affiliated
with the state, then other groups including the Alawis should be
represented in this department. The Religious Affairs Directorate
at present does not offer a solution to Alawis. It says, ‘These
are a minor religious group.' If the Aczimendis have people in
this country, then let them be represented. Are there drawbacks?
If it is very difficult, what should be done is to abolish the
Religious Affairs Directorate and transfer all religious affairs
to nongovernmental organizations and religious communities.
However, the Aczimendis are not a community. Tarikats -- mystic
religious sects or dervish lodges -- are forbidden in accordance
with the law on Dervish Lodges. If we define Alawiism as a sect,
then it should be represented in the Religious Affairs
Directorate. However, if we regard it as a tarikat and not a sect,
then since other tarikats are forbidden, Alawiism, Cem houses and
the Haci Bektashi Veli and Pir Sultan Abdal associations should be
forbidden. Here the problem is caused by the state and it cannot
find a solution.”
Mehmet Metiner (Journalist-Writer): I do not believe they have
the right to interfere with its citizens belonging to any
particular faith. Alawis and Kurds are not a minority but Alawis
are our citizens who have a different identity and faith. I think
Alawis should have the right to follow their own culture and
traditions freely. Our Constitution and laws should provide this
guarantee for our Alawi citizens. There needs to be in this
country a constitutional citizenship to make all of us free and
equal. If this is achieved, discussions about minorities will be
meaningless. Nevertheless, the people who think that their right
to practice their own culture and faith is violated will feel
excluded. Alawis and Kurds are sometimes among these people.
Therefore, I believe that discriminatory laws should be urgently
abolished to remove this feeling. We need a constitutional
citizenship that regards all Alawis, Sunnis, Kurds, Turks, Greeks,
Armenians and Jews as equal citizens. Turkey and the Justice and
Development Party (AKP) are sincere about putting democratic
reforms in place during the EU process. However, even if the prime
minister has good intentions, even if there is a well-intentioned
approach that gives priority to embracing and drawing near to the
Alawis, I do not believe that setting about recognizing the Alawis
from outside is correct. I do not approve of the statement by
Bardakoğlu, who is an intellectual person. Why is Alawiism lower
than Sunniism? I think we should not accept this category. There
are no lower or higher identities in Islam. Does it mean that
Sunnis are regarded as a higher identity just because they are the
numerical majority? Alternatively, are Alawis regarded as a lower
identity just because they constitute a numerical minority in the
world of Islam? This approach is not reconcilable with democracy.
In addition, the approach that identifies Alawiism with the
Aczimendis cannot be accepted. The Religious Affairs Directorate,
which is a Sunni organization, cannot represent the Alawis. This
is impossible in secular democracy. That's why Alawiism should be
represented like Sunniism.”
Professor Hüseyin Hatemi: “I don't understand why the concept of
Alawi minority is given two-sided and provocative meanings. I do
not think Alawis were regarded as a minority in the progress
report with evil intent. Here, they are not talked about as an
ethnic minority. This concept is used to protect the rights of
Alawis. Alawis say that they are not a minority. There are people
among Alawis who react when it is said that Alawiism is a
different religion from Islam because all Alawis do not adopt the
same opinion. Everyone defines Alawiism the way they want. For
example, the Cem Foundation says one thing but the Alawi Bektashi
Associations say another. Alawis living in Turkey up until the
Iranian Revolution would say, ‘We are Shiite Muslims. Our sect is
that of the 12 Imams, the Imam Jafari Sadik sect. We don't fast or
perform namaz for historic reasons but our sect is Shiite Muslim.'
However, after the Iranian Revolution, some focal points tried to
separate Turkey and the Islamic world by engaging in various
manipulative activities. They were the cause for three or four
definitions of Alawiism appearing by saying that the Alawis were
members of a different religion. Today in Turkey, one cannot talk
about a homogeneous structure like Anatolian Alawiism. Most
Turkish Alawis accept that they were the continuation of
Shamanism, and most of the Kurdish Alawis accept that they were
the continuation of the Mani or Zoroastrian religion. Those, who
came to Islam from Christianity, were shown the Bektashi tarikat
as a continuation of Christianity. Actually, Alawiism and
Bektashiism were confused with each other. In addition,
Materialist Alawiism (Alawiism without Ali) appeared. In the book
called, ‘Aleviligin Gizli Tarihi' (The Hidden History of
Alawiism), ‘Alawis should be saved from Ali. Alawiism is not
related to Ali.' Given such confusion I don't understand why there
has been such a reaction shown to the statement of Europeans that
Alawis are an Islamic minority as the Alawis are not the majority
in Turkey.”Tomorrow: Part Two will look at reactions to the EU
Progress Report from another point of view.
http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=3010
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