Two years since its foundation, a landmark government institution has strived to reach out to the long-neglected Alevi community of Türkiye.
Alirıza Özdemir, head of Alevi-Bektashi Culture and Cemevi Presidency, said they endorsed 176 civic society organizations and responded to requests from Alevi and Bektashi organizations, as well as cemevis or houses of gathering for the community. “We supported social and cultural activities and responded to more daily requests. So far, we have acted upon requests of 355 cemevis and this number may increase to 500 by next year,” he told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Monday.
The presidency, launched with a presidential decree under the Culture and Tourism Ministry, mainly helps cemevis to cover maintenance and repair fees, as well as utility use fees, such as water and electricity.
The Alevi faith is defined as a combination of Shiite Islam, the Bektashi Sufi order and Anatolian folk culture rather than as a separate religion.
In Türkiye, Alevis make up a large community with approximately 20 million followers, though official figures are unavailable.
The community has a list of concerns about various issues, including the public recognition of their identity, the legal status of cemevis and funding, as well as the prerogative for Alevi students to be excluded from compulsory religion classes in elementary and high schools.
The cemevis are currently regarded as foundations under the Interior and Culture and Tourism Ministries rather than recognized as houses of worship, which would legally entitle them to receive state funding like mosques, churches and synagogues of recognized religious minorities in the country.
Some 80% to 90% of all cemevis in the country were built during the successive ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) governments since 2002.
The 2022 move to establish the Cemevi Presidency was a landmark decision for Türkiye as it was enshrined in legislation by Parliament to officially address the needs of the Alevi community for the first time in the republic’s history. The law also granted cemevis the right to receive discounted or free water access provided by municipalities and their subsidiaries.
There had been previous attempts at improvement of the state of the community. In 2009, the first “Alevi initiative” was launched during the term of then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Alevi leaders and representatives attended several workshops with the government over a six-month period.
Later, in 2011, Erdoğan issued an unprecedented apology on behalf of the Turkish state for the Dersim Massacre. The tragedy took place in 1937 when 13,806 people were killed following a military campaign after the predominantly Alevi Zaza Kurdish tribes who opposed the 1934 Resettlement Law passed by the single-party regime of the time.
Another “Alevi opening” initiative was launched in 2014, and a council was formed to discuss issues in 2016. But no concrete developments followed until 2021, when Erdoğan’s government began conducting visits to some 1,585 cemevis across the country for an extensive report, and the “research of Alevi-Bektashi culture and conducting business and operations related to cemevis” has added to the duties and authorities of the Culture and Tourism Ministry.
Özdemir said they have been conducting national and international activities for the community and were in touch with Alevi-Bektashi community leaders. “We sent out experts across the country and reached out to 2,102 cemevis. We received more than 1,000 petitions for maintenance and reparation of cemevis,” he said. He added that they also covered lighting expenses of 837 cemevis so far.
He said that their work covered all cemevis without any discrimination and they launched social and cultural activities for the community. “We recently organized a singing contest and arranged trips for tombs of Alevi community leaders abroad. In addition, we are conducting scientific studies and are working on an Alevi-Bektashi encyclopedia,” he said. Özdemir also highlighted their work for historical written sources of the community to be translated into modern-day Turkish. “We set up a journal for Alevi-Bektashi studies and organized numerous workshops and panels. We will increase the number of these activities next year,” he said.