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ALEVI GROUPS ESCHEW IFTAR WITH TURKISH PRESIDENT, OPT FOR ANTI-CAPITALIST MUSLIMS
18:44 23.07.13
An Alevi association has announced plans to reject an offer from
President Abdullah Gul to attend an iftar at Istanbul's five-star
Polat Renaissance Hotel in favor of breaking the fast with the
Anti-Capitalist Muslims group, The Hurriyet Daily News reports.
The Central Office of Alevi Cultural Associations and the Hubyar
Sultan Association said brotherhood between Alevis and the government
could not be secured only at iftar tables, noting that Alevi citizens'
problems and requests have been ignored by the government for years.
While important government figures were playing "brotherhood" at
five star hotels, the groups have decided to share the table with
the Anti-Capitalist Muslims, who share Alevis' sorrow and recognize
the community as it is, rather than attempting to define the group.
"We believe brotherhood cannot be secured merely by eating and drinking
at a table in an environment where cemevis are still not counted as
houses of worship, compulsory Sunni education is continued for Alevi
children, children are forced to choose elective Sunni religion
classes, Alevi houses of worship, especially the Hacı BektaÅ~_
Dervish lodge, which was extorted by the government, have not been
given back to Alevis and the Madımak Hotel has been converted into
a memorial house where the murderers' names are also found instead of
[being converted into] an exemplary museum condemning the [1993 Sivas]
massacre," the foundation said in a statement yesterday.
"Alevis don't have equal rights in all fields as should be in a
democratic country, and the government does not cease defining
and describing faiths, their prayers and houses of worship," the
statement said.
"We don't believe that brotherhood can be secured at a dinner table
while all these requests by Alevis have been ignored and the prime
minister governing the country is trying to impose on us a definition
of Alevism on one side and a 'perfect Alevi' definition on the other,"
they said.
The groups also highlighted their stance against the government's
decision to name the third Bosphorus bridge after Yavuz Sultan Selim,
even though Alevis say the 16th-century Ottoman sultan killed at
least 40,000 of their community.
Armenian News - Tert.am
18:44 23.07.13
An Alevi association has announced plans to reject an offer from
President Abdullah Gul to attend an iftar at Istanbul's five-star
Polat Renaissance Hotel in favor of breaking the fast with the
Anti-Capitalist Muslims group, The Hurriyet Daily News reports.
The Central Office of Alevi Cultural Associations and the Hubyar
Sultan Association said brotherhood between Alevis and the government
could not be secured only at iftar tables, noting that Alevi citizens'
problems and requests have been ignored by the government for years.
While important government figures were playing "brotherhood" at
five star hotels, the groups have decided to share the table with
the Anti-Capitalist Muslims, who share Alevis' sorrow and recognize
the community as it is, rather than attempting to define the group.
"We believe brotherhood cannot be secured merely by eating and drinking
at a table in an environment where cemevis are still not counted as
houses of worship, compulsory Sunni education is continued for Alevi
children, children are forced to choose elective Sunni religion
classes, Alevi houses of worship, especially the Hacı BektaÅ~_
Dervish lodge, which was extorted by the government, have not been
given back to Alevis and the Madımak Hotel has been converted into
a memorial house where the murderers' names are also found instead of
[being converted into] an exemplary museum condemning the [1993 Sivas]
massacre," the foundation said in a statement yesterday.
"Alevis don't have equal rights in all fields as should be in a
democratic country, and the government does not cease defining
and describing faiths, their prayers and houses of worship," the
statement said.
"We don't believe that brotherhood can be secured at a dinner table
while all these requests by Alevis have been ignored and the prime
minister governing the country is trying to impose on us a definition
of Alevism on one side and a 'perfect Alevi' definition on the other,"
they said.
The groups also highlighted their stance against the government's
decision to name the third Bosphorus bridge after Yavuz Sultan Selim,
even though Alevis say the 16th-century Ottoman sultan killed at
least 40,000 of their community.
Armenian News - Tert.am