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| Turkish Alevis Today Almost every single guidebook or encyclopedia I have ever read describes Turkey as 99% Sunni Muslim. But the world is slowly learning of the existence of a large group in Turkey called Anatolian Alevis (Anatolia is a name for the part of Turkey which lies in Asia). The name Alevi sometimes appears in English as Alawi, Alawite, Alouite, or Alevi-Bektashi. Alevi faith and culture is called Alevism (Alevilik). Finding objective and easily-understood material about Turkish Alevis in a language other than Turkish is very difficult. In fact, Alevi leaders asked me to write this guide because they lack any introductory material in English which they can give to their foreign visitors. My single purpose is to briefly, clearly, and objectively explain the beliefs and practices of Alevis and the issues they face today in a way that a reader with minimal knowledge of Turkey and Islam can understand. Let start with saying that alevism is a humanistic minority belief from Anatolia (Turkey). This belief or way of live also appears in other parts of the Middle East, Central Asia and the Balkans. With the mass immigration gulfs of modern times alevism may also found strongly in the Western-European countries. The people who adhere this belief are called alevi's [turkish: alevi (singular), aleviler (plural) ], their belief is called alevism [turkish: alevilik]. We speak of a minority belief cause the people who adhere this belief are less in number than the people following the main faith in a country. Alevism is a heterogeneous beliefsystem. There is no one alevism (just like any other belief). It isn't founded by a particular prophet or founder, but grow to its present form. Nor it has any Holy Scriptures or commandments. Nor it is an offspring of other religions or submovements. It is a fusing of different cultural values and views. Therefore it would be improper to give a concrete definition. You will have the best picture of it by reading the following sections. To understand alevism we must start unfolding historic-anthropological settings. |
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