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Government set to launch Aleviinitiative, leaders cautiously

optimistic0

Cemevis, Alevi houses of worship, will reportedly receive the status of places of worship as part of a new government initiative.(Photo: Todays Zaman, Mehmet Ali Poyraz)23 June 2013 /AYDIN ALBAYRAK, ANKARA

The government is set to launch an initiative for people of the Alevi faith in an effort to resolveAlevi issues and keep them from feeling alienated, but Alevi leaders remain cautiously optimistic,having some misgivings about the government's sincerity.

As part of the initiative, which is reportedly in draft form at present, cemevis -- Alevis' places of

worship -- will actually be considered as places of worship, and municipalities will be required to

provide land free of charge to Alevis for the construction of cemevis, two dailies, Trkiye and

Habertrk reported on the weekend.

If what is said in the reports is correct, this is a step taken in the right direction, zzettin Doan,

chairman of the Cem Foundation, told Today's Zaman. But Doan is cautious, noting that there

have been no clear official statements so far on the issue. He also has some misgivings, As

almost no promises have been kept so far [about similar steps]-- aside from the fact that Alevis

now prepare chapters on the Alevi faith in books taught at religion classes in secondary schools

-- it's too early to express a definite opinion, Doan said.

Justice and Development Party (AK Party) officials will reportedly meet this week to work on and

finalize the contents of the initiative, which represents a huge step forward for Alevis whose

cemevis have so far just been seen as cultural centers by the state instead of places of worship.In a fairly recent case, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy Sinan Aygn's
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December request to the Parliament's Speaker's Office that a cemevi be built on the grounds of

Parliament was denied. Alevism is not a separate religion, but a development that originated in

Islam and a cultural treasure that emerged during the course of Islamic history. Islam's places of

worship are mosques, Parliamentary Speaker Cemil iek said in his response, which, he noted,

was based on the official view of the country's Directorate of Religious Affairs.

Although Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoan hasn't said anything definite about the details of

the Alevi initiative, The minister of labor and social security [Faruk elik] has had very good,

fruitful consultations [with Alevis]. I hope we will take even more benevolent steps. Turkey is the

common land of us all, Erdoan said at his party's rally in Kayseri on Friday.

In his speech, in which he also called on Alevis not to be misled by the efforts of provocateurs

against the government, he said, For some time, some people have been making efforts to play

dirty tricks on Alevis in Turkey, maintaining that some CHP deputies and foreign circles are

involved in these tricks.

As per the reports, the government will prepare a bill regarding religious and cultural foundations,

thanks to which cemevis will be able to serve as religious and cultural centers. The government

will also take steps so that the Foundation of Hac Bekta Veli (Bektashi) -- a beloved figure for

Alevis who established the Bektashi order of dervishes that is central to Alevi faith and practices

-- gets funding from public sources. Efforts to get all Alevi and Bektashi associations and

foundations connected to the Foundation of Hac Bekta- Veli will be made in a bid to pave the

way for them to get funds from the state.

Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozda also gave hints on Saturday of an Alevi initiative that the

government is preparing to launch. It's also our duty to resolve the problems of our brothers who

follow the Alevi-Bektashi tradition. We are aware of that, and we are going to take some serious

steps on the issue in the following period, he said during a visit to Yozgat. After details get

clearer, we will share them with the public, he added.

But still, Ali Kaim, general secretary to the Hac Bekta- Veli Culture Association based in

Nevehir -- where the tomb of the Hac Bekta- Veli is -- prefers to take a cautious approach.

We need to see how sincere the government is, he told Today's Zaman, noting that what's

reported in stories also needs clarifying.

As part of the Alevi initiative, two universities will be named after leading Alevi figures. The name

of Nevehir University will be changed to Hac Bekta Veli and Tunceli University will be given the

name of Pir Sultan Abdal, a legendary Turkish Alevi folk poet who lived in the 16th century. A

chair on the faith of Alevis is to be established within the Hittite University in orum, another

province where a considerable Alevi population lives.

No official invitation to take up the issue with government officials has yet been made to Alevi

leaders. But Doan hopes that when Erdoan will get together with members of the Wise People

Commission -- formed to tell people around Turkey about the settlement process the governmentlaunched to resolve the Kurdish issue -- on Wednesday he will touch on the issue given that


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reports the Wise People have presented to the prime minister also underline that resolving the

problems of the Alevi community in Turkey is also a sine qua non for establishing peace in

Turkey.

As per Law No. 677, no dervish lodges -- closed down following the foundation of the Turkish

Republic -- are allowed to function in Turkey. But for cemevleri to remain active as religious and

cultural centers they will have to be considered outside the scope of the law.

The government is also planning to offer Alevi religious figures (dede) a salary after providing

them with a certificate of religious leader. After going through training in which representatives

of Alevi convents will also take part as instructors, the dede will, after obtaining a certificate, be

posted at cemevis as religious leaders.

The country's Alevi population, estimated to be around 10 million, uses houses of worship known

as cemevis rather than mosques as centers of worship and prayer. While the government doesnot formally recognize the status of cemevis as houses of worship, state leaders have given them

implicit recognition with visits -- including a cemevi visit by President Abdullah Gl in the

predominately Alevi city of Tunceli in 2009. In Turkey today, there are more than 400 cemevis,

while the number was 106 when the AK Party first came to power in 2002. In our term, about 300

cemevis have been built, Bozda recently said in Tokat.

Alevis, who have been saying for years that they don't enjoy full rights as citizens nor do they

receive equal treatment from the state, were deeply hurt by a recent announcement that the third

bridge to be built over the Bosporus would be named after Yavuz Sultan Selim, an Ottoman

sultan who allegedly ordered the execution of tens of thousands of Alevis in Anatolia in the 16th

century.

Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Glen recently emphasized in a speech broadcast on herkul.org

last week that bridges are currently being built between Alevis and Sunnis of Islam, and that the

name of the third bridge should not overshadow the many bridges between us [Alevis and

Sunnis] in terms of our connection with God, the Prophet and the Quran. "There are also bridges

that stem from our common values, such as [Sufi thinkers] Ahmet Yesevi, Mevlana [Jalaladdin-i

Rumi] and Yunus Emre.

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