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ALEVI ISSUE CANNOT BE RESOLVED UNLESS SUNNIS ARE ON BOARD
Today's Zaman, Turkey
May 29 2014
ORHAN MÄ°ROÄ~^LU
May 29, 2014, Thursday
Even though it has many problems, the ongoing settlement process on
the Kurdish issue obviously points to an irreversible path.
There is now a solid base for nonviolent resolution. At this stage,
a number of Alevi youths have died in street protests, including
the Gezi incidents; this attracted everyone's attention to the Alevi
issue. It is a common mistake: We talk about a Kurdish issue, but it
is actually a Turkish issue; the cost of this amnesia is huge. Now, we
also forget that the Alevi issue is actually a Sunni problem. Turkey
is now facing a serious problem, whose solution is easier than the
settlement of the Kurdish issue; however, unless it is resolved,
this problem may lead to graver repercussions. Regardless of why,
some Alevis died in the recent street protests. If good answers to the
question of why only Alevis die in street protests are not forthcoming
and this issue continues to be viewed as a manipulative provocation
by marginal groups acting alone, nobody will be able to prevent the
emergence of a new violent conflict in Turkey.
The Kurdish issue was actually a Turkish issue, because the Turkish
identity as the preferred identity of citizenship was constructed upon
the denial of Kurdish identity. The government and the prime minister
defer to the Religious Affairs Directorate (DÄ°B) in the case of the
status of the cemevis, Alevis places of worship; this deference is
important, as it confirms that the Alevi issue is actually a Sunni
problem.
Obviously, the Alevi issue will not be resolved as long as the DÄ°B
and the vast majority of Sunnis, including government officials,
believe that Alevism is not a separate religion, that cemevis cannot be
recognized as official places of worship and that such a recognition
would divide Muslims; the problem will remain complicated, especially
if the Alevis insist on the fulfilment of their demands regarding
the status of the cemevis.
The Kurds were told that they were Turks; thousands of them died;
they took this risk to prove that Kurds are not Turks.
Now the Alevis are told that they are not Alevis; the state still
relies on the attitude it adopted vis-a-vis Kurdish identity in the
case of the recognition of Alevi identity. With this attitude, the
state objects to Alevis self-identifying as such.
The problem is that the thinking of the state overlaps with the Sunni
mindset once again. In our political tradition, signals of change
start in institutions that try to use the state as a shield against the
people and then the political establishment allows the change to take
place. However, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a political
leader who has dramatically transformed this political tradition on
a number of issues. Erdogan has given the signal of change over the
last decade on many issues, including the Kurdish problem, with the
state institutions and the people have supporting this process of
change. The successes of the AK Party, including in discussions on the
Sept. 12 referendum, military guardianship, the Kurdish issue, Dersim
and the Armenian question could be attributed to the prime minister. He
offered an official apology to the victims of the Dersim massacre; he
offered condolences to the descendants of the victims of the Armenian
tragedy; he said the Kurdish problem is his own problem. So the whole
process makes advances with these statements and remarks.
Prime Minister Erdogan is the only political leader who could win
the Sunni people over regarding the Alevi issue. It was argued that
the Kurdish issue would have been resolved if Erdogan had wanted
to resolve it; the same now applies to the Alevi issue as well. If
Erdogan wants to, he can resolve the Alevi issue. As far as I can see,
there is no reason for him not to take action to address this issue.
The only thing that needs to be done is to offer some solutions
so that the Sunnis are reassured about their worries regarding the
partitioning and division of the country.
Turkey cannot tolerate a new violent conflict over the definition of
Alevi identity like the one that emerged from the Kurdish issue.
From: A. Papazian
Today's Zaman, Turkey
May 29 2014
ORHAN MÄ°ROÄ~^LU
May 29, 2014, Thursday
Even though it has many problems, the ongoing settlement process on
the Kurdish issue obviously points to an irreversible path.
There is now a solid base for nonviolent resolution. At this stage,
a number of Alevi youths have died in street protests, including
the Gezi incidents; this attracted everyone's attention to the Alevi
issue. It is a common mistake: We talk about a Kurdish issue, but it
is actually a Turkish issue; the cost of this amnesia is huge. Now, we
also forget that the Alevi issue is actually a Sunni problem. Turkey
is now facing a serious problem, whose solution is easier than the
settlement of the Kurdish issue; however, unless it is resolved,
this problem may lead to graver repercussions. Regardless of why,
some Alevis died in the recent street protests. If good answers to the
question of why only Alevis die in street protests are not forthcoming
and this issue continues to be viewed as a manipulative provocation
by marginal groups acting alone, nobody will be able to prevent the
emergence of a new violent conflict in Turkey.
The Kurdish issue was actually a Turkish issue, because the Turkish
identity as the preferred identity of citizenship was constructed upon
the denial of Kurdish identity. The government and the prime minister
defer to the Religious Affairs Directorate (DÄ°B) in the case of the
status of the cemevis, Alevis places of worship; this deference is
important, as it confirms that the Alevi issue is actually a Sunni
problem.
Obviously, the Alevi issue will not be resolved as long as the DÄ°B
and the vast majority of Sunnis, including government officials,
believe that Alevism is not a separate religion, that cemevis cannot be
recognized as official places of worship and that such a recognition
would divide Muslims; the problem will remain complicated, especially
if the Alevis insist on the fulfilment of their demands regarding
the status of the cemevis.
The Kurds were told that they were Turks; thousands of them died;
they took this risk to prove that Kurds are not Turks.
Now the Alevis are told that they are not Alevis; the state still
relies on the attitude it adopted vis-a-vis Kurdish identity in the
case of the recognition of Alevi identity. With this attitude, the
state objects to Alevis self-identifying as such.
The problem is that the thinking of the state overlaps with the Sunni
mindset once again. In our political tradition, signals of change
start in institutions that try to use the state as a shield against the
people and then the political establishment allows the change to take
place. However, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a political
leader who has dramatically transformed this political tradition on
a number of issues. Erdogan has given the signal of change over the
last decade on many issues, including the Kurdish problem, with the
state institutions and the people have supporting this process of
change. The successes of the AK Party, including in discussions on the
Sept. 12 referendum, military guardianship, the Kurdish issue, Dersim
and the Armenian question could be attributed to the prime minister. He
offered an official apology to the victims of the Dersim massacre; he
offered condolences to the descendants of the victims of the Armenian
tragedy; he said the Kurdish problem is his own problem. So the whole
process makes advances with these statements and remarks.
Prime Minister Erdogan is the only political leader who could win
the Sunni people over regarding the Alevi issue. It was argued that
the Kurdish issue would have been resolved if Erdogan had wanted
to resolve it; the same now applies to the Alevi issue as well. If
Erdogan wants to, he can resolve the Alevi issue. As far as I can see,
there is no reason for him not to take action to address this issue.
The only thing that needs to be done is to offer some solutions
so that the Sunnis are reassured about their worries regarding the
partitioning and division of the country.
Turkey cannot tolerate a new violent conflict over the definition of
Alevi identity like the one that emerged from the Kurdish issue.
From: A. Papazian