Alevi

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Alevis (Turkish: Aleviler) are adherents of a specific Shi'a strand of Islam, with some pre-Islamic influences. It is practised mainly in Turkey.

The terms Alawite (Arabic: Alawī) and Alevi, although they share the same etymology, refer to different religious groups. The Alawites are found in Syria.

1 Etymology
2 Alevis
3 People
4 Belief
5 Relations with other Muslim groups
6 History
- 6.1 Recent history
7 Music and poetry
8 References
9 See also
10 External links
11 Literature

[edit] Etymology

The name is derived from Ali, son-in-law of Islamic prophet Muhammad and, along with Muhammad, the central figure of Shia belief.

They are not to be confused with the Alawī of Syria, who are another specific branch of the Shīa (though also named for Alī), with distinct, although related, beliefs.

However, according to the Kurdish linguist Jamal Nebez, the word Alevi is probably derived from the word Halav or Hilav meaning tip of the fire flame. [1] Alev also happens to be the Turkish word for "flame".

[edit] Alevis

Adherents of Alevism (Alevîlik) are called Alevis. The exact number of Alevis is not known, with estimates varying from 20 to 30% of the population of Turkey alone^{[citations needed]}, i.e. 14-21 million believers in Turkey^{[citations needed]}, with perhaps as many as three million in Iran and Turkmenistan and half a million Turkmen Alevis in Iraq. Alevism has integrated many diverse religious influences over time, such as pre-Islamic religions of the Near East. Both Bektashi Alevi and Kizilbaş Alevi revere Hajji Bektash Wali, a saint of the 13th century. The Turkish language is used in Alevi rituals and while worshiping.

[edit] People

Alevis in Turkey^{[citation needed]}

Ethnic groups that have Alevi adherents include Turks, Zaza, Kurds, Turkmen, and Azeris, with a particular concentration in central Anatolia in a belt from Çorum in the west to Muş in the east. The only province within Turkey with an Alevi majority is Tunceli, formerly known as Dersim. It must be noted that the Alevis in former Dersim (present-day Tunceli), Muş, and Erzurum provinces, practice an entirely different kind of Aleviism.

In addition, many Alevi have migrated to the large cities of western and southern Turkey, as well as to western Europe, especially Germany.

Today, the Alevi community in Turkey is heavily urbanised due to mass migration (1960s to present) from their often mountainous and barren rural home districts to cities.

There are also large communities of Alevis in some regions of Iranian Azerbaijan. The town of Ilkhichi (İlxıçı), which is located 87 km south west of Tabriz is almost entirely populated by Alevis. For political reasons, one of which was to create a distinct identity for these communities, they have not been called Alevi since the early 20th century. They are called various names, such as Alli Allahi, Ahl-e-Haqq and Goran. Groups with similar beliefs also exist in Iranian Kurdistan. Interestingly both the [Dersim] (Zaza) people and the Gorani, who are both considered as belonging to the Kurds (even though their languages differ from Kurdish tongues Kurmanci and Sorani), adhere to a form of Alevi faith which resembles in many significant respects, such as the perpetuation of a caste system, the religions of the Druze or Yazidi. All of these variants of Aleviism evolved out of heterodox Shiite currents in the 13th century.

[edit] Belief

Imam Ali

The nature of Alevi faith can be hard to define, as they do not have a central authority and are based on an orally transmitted tradition, which has been kept secret from outsiders for centuries. So various descriptions of Alevism can be found by different groups.

Alevis are denounced as "pagan" by mainstream Muslims (Shia and Sunni), although some orthodox Alevis also denounce certain factions within Alevism. Their conception of Allah is varied. Though certain orthodox groups accept the idea of a creator, some factions believe that Allah is merely the good in humans^{[citation needed]}.

While the Sunnis follow the four caliphs: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali, the Twelver Shias (incl. the Alevis) recognise Ali as the first of 12 protectors of the Muslim community.

Though expressing belief in the Qur'an, most Alevis in Turkey reject practices such as polygamy. Traditionally, Alevi worship is not conducted in a mosque because Imam Ali was murdered in one, but is intimately connected with the dede (elder), cem (from Arabic jamˤ, a gathering), and the cemevi (meeting house).

[edit] Relations with other Muslim groups

As Ilhan Ataseven has noted, there is some tension between family-tradition Alevis and the Bektashi Order, which is a Sufi order founded on Alevi beliefs^{[citation needed]}. In certain Turkish communities, other Sufi orders, namely the Helveti-Jerahi and some of the Rifa'i, have incorporated significant Alevi influence. Though generally regarded as a Sunni group historically, some Rifa'is accept the Alevi identity. This is particularly common among Turkish teacher Sherif Baba's Rifa'i Marufi Order, whose worship combines elements of typical Alevi traditions with Sunni practices. They have sometimes identified with the Alevi, with whom they share secularist principles, a general scepticism of extreme orthodoxy, an emphasis on men and women worshipping together, a common group of revered saints such as Hajji Bektash Veli and Pir Sultan Abdal, and a deep devotion to the family of the Prophet Muhammad.

According to Shia belief, whoever says the Shahadah is considered a Muslim. Accordingly, Ayatollah Khomeini put an end to excluding Alevis from the ranks of muslims. He pronounced that they are technically considered Muslims even if they have differing beliefs to the Twelvers.^{citation needed}

[edit] History

Hacı Bektaş Veli

Alevis trace their origins back to the early days of Islam. After the death of Muhammad his followers were divided into who should lead the Muslim community. The modern day Sunni majority followed Abu Bakr, while the modern day Shias thought Ali, the son-in-law of Muhammad to be his legitimate successor. This rift was widened when Hüseyin, grandson of Mohammed was killed after the Battle of Karbala, an event which is memorized intensively by Alevis and Shias alike. The Alevis also recognize twelve Imams similar to the Twelver community.

An important influence to the Alevi tradition has been Sufism. The Sufi philosopher Hacı Bektaş Veli, who lived in Anatolia during the 13th century, is highly revered and generally seen as the founder of the Alevilik faith. Most of his followers belonged to the Türkmen tribes. The tribes, who tried to keep their traditional customs, often stood in opposition to the Selçuk and later the Ottoman Empire. In the late 15th century, a militant Shia order, the Kızılbaş, fought with the Safavids against the Ottomans. After they lost their power, they were assumed to have merged into the Anatolian Alevis. Kurdish Alevis are sometimes still called Kızılbaş. Even as far East as Pakistan, many Shias have "Qizilbash" as their family names, with most still having red hair in their gene pools. [2]

In the early 20th century, many Alevis supported the Turkish revolutionaries and the creation of the Turkish republic. Atatürk was seen by some as a new Hacı Bektaş, and his secularist principles as a liberation from Sunni dominance. [3]. Their expections came to be disappointed, when the Presidency of Religious Affairs was founded as an exclusively Sunni institution, and the Bektaşi orders were banned in 1925.

The Alevis have traditionally been discriminated against and persecuted in the rural areas of East Central Turkey. Their religion is tolerated in Turkey, but while compared to the Sunnis, they suffer less state intervention into their internal affairs and the contents of their teaching. On a contast though. they get less financial and organizational privileges. The Turkish state has built and financed Sunni mosques in many Alevi villages and small towns that are almost homogenous in their ethnic makeup; many Alevis consider this a deliberate humiliation against their ethnic group.

[edit] Recent history

In the 20th century, many Alevis became involved in secular left-wing politics in Turkey, both in the establishment Republican People's Party and parties further to the left, some to the point of left-wing extremism. In 1970s, Alevi-inhabited regions were a setting for violent conflicts between left-wing groups (often with an Alevi base) and MHP militants (supported by Sunni population). In 1978, confrontation between Sunni residents and Alevi immigrants (mostly Alevi Kurds, particularly from Pazarcık) in Kahramanmaraş eventually led to a massacre by the ultra-nationalist Grey Wolves of the city's Alevi population, leaving over 100 dead. The incident was of key importance in the Turkish government's decision to declare martial law, and the eventual military coup in 1980.^[1]. Alevis bore the brunt of the anti-leftwing backlash after Kenan Evren's coup in 1980, and of Islamic fundamentalist violence. The oppression reached its dénouement in Sivas on 2 July 1993, when 36 people (Alevis, leftist non-Alevi intellectuals, and a Dutch anthropologist) attending a cultural conference were burned to death in a hotel by Sunni locals. Attending the conference was a left-wing Turkish intellectual Aziz Nesin who was vastly hated amongst the Sunni Turkish community as it was he who attempted to publish Salman Rushdie's controversial novel Satanic Verses, in Turkey. The Sunni locals in Sivas, after attending Friday prayers in a near by mosque, marched to the hotel in which the conference was taking place and set the building on fire. The Turkish government sees this incident as being aimed at Aziz Nesin only, yet most agree that the target was the Alevis since many of the Alevi victims in the fire were very important artists and musicians. One musician, Hasret Gültekin, the most important and influential bağlama saz player in modern time was also killed in this fire. Gültekin is still considered a great loss for Turkish and Kurdish culture by Alevis and otherwise.

The response from the security forces at the time and afterwards was weak. The assault took 8 hours without a single intervention by the police and military. Alevis and most intellectuals in Turkey argue that the incident was triggered by the local government as flyers and leaflets were published and given out for days before the incident. The Turkish government refers to the Sivas Madımak Hotel incident as an attack towards the intellectuals but refuses to see it as an incident directed towards Alevis.

[edit] Music and poetry

Pir Sultan Abdal

Alevis have a significant role in Turkish music and poetry. Pir Sultan Abdal, a 16th century Alevi poet whose poems and songs often contain spiritual themes, is revered as a saint and hero. Important figures are the Sufi poet Yunus Emre, widely regarded as having been Alevi, and Kaygusuz Abdal. Their poems shape Turkish culture up to now, and are also performed by modern artists. Songs attributed to these poets have been embraced by left-wingers in the 20th century. The aşık bards are also influenced by Alevi tradition.

Many of the major traditional musicians in Turkey are Alevi, including Arif Sağ, Musa Eroğlu, Erdal Erzincan, Neşet Ertaş, Muharrem Ertaş, Aşık Mahzuni Şerif, Aşık Feyzullah Çınar, Aşık Veysel Şatıroğlu, Ali Ekber Çiçek, Sabahat Akkiraz, Belkıs Akkale. Other non-Alevis, such as Ruhi Su and Zülfü Livaneli, have recorded many Alevi songs. Mercan Dede, an artist whose music combines electronic and traditional sufi elements, has made some songs involving Alevi themes in cooperation with singer Sabahat Akkiraz. [4]

[edit] References

^ Zurcher, Eric. "Turkey: A Modern History". I.B. Tauris: London, 1993: 276-277

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Alevi Yolu Internet Gazetesi

[edit] Literature

John Kingsley Birge, The Bektashi order of dervishes, London and Hartford, 1937 (out of print)
Karin Vorhoff, Zwischen Glaube, Nation und neuer Gemeinschaft: Alevitische Identität in der Türkei der Gegenwart, Berlin, 1995
Irène Mélikoff, Hadji Bektach, Un mythe et ses avatars. Genèse et évolution du soufisme populaire en Turquie., Leiden, 1998 [Islamic History and Civilization, Studies and Texts, volume 20], ISBN 90-04-10954-4
Aykan Erdemir, "Tradition and Modernity: Alevis' Ambiguous Terms and Turkey's Ambivalent Subjects", Middle Eastern Studies, 2005, vol.41, no.6, pp.937-951.
Ali Yaman and Aykan Erdemir, Alevism-Bektashism: A Brief Introduction, London: England Alevi Cultural Centre & Cem Evi, 2006, ISBN 975-98065-3-3

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