Draft:Anti-Alevism

Anti-Alevism or anti-Alevi sentiment refers to the historical and contemporary systemic marginalization, political exclusion, and social discrimination experienced by the Alevi minority within the Republic of Turkey, a state apparatus culturally and structurally dominated by Sunni Islam.

When the Turkish Republic was founded in 1923, the state historically engineered a national identity heavily intertwined with Sunni Islam, particularly through institutions like the Presidency of Religious Affairs, thereby excluding other secterian groups like the Alevis. Consequently, Alevis have faced non-recognition of their distinct religious spaces (cemevis), forced assimilation policies such as mandatory religious education classes, and severe historical instances of targeted communal violence and political discrimination.^[1]

History

The history of Alevism is rooted in a complex synthesis of early Shi'a Islam, particularly the veneration of Ali ibn Abi Talib, combined with pre-Islamic Central Asian shamanic traditions and Anatolian mysticism.^[2]

Historically, the formative identity of Alevis crystallized following the pivotal Battle of Karbala in 680 AD, an event that deeply shaped their collective consciousness and mourning traditions regarding the persecution of the Ahl al-Bayt. During the 13th century, this tradition took a definitive shape in Anatolia through the mystical teachings and fusion promoted by figures such as Haji Bektash Veli and other Sufi-oriented clerics. Under the Ottoman Empire, Alevis—often historically associated with the Qizilbash groups—faced severe political marginalization and religious persecution by the Sunni Ottoman administration, which viewed their heterodox beliefs as a threat. Following the fall of the Ottoman Empire, many Alevis initially supported the secular reforms of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk,^[3] which dismantled the Caliphate and offered greater religious freedom, though the new state structures also officially dissolved traditional Alevi orders and tekkes.In contemporary times, Alevism has evolved to encompass diverse identities, ranging from those who view it as a mystical, esoteric interpretation of Islam to diaspora communities advocating for a secular, humanistic identity.^[4]

1923 onwards

The Situation of Alevis Since the Formation of Turkey in 1923:

Since the establishment of the modern Republic of Turkey in 1923, the Alevi community has faced systemic legal non-existence, religious exclusion, and a long history of violent persecution. Although the foundational ideology of the Turkish Republic championed secularism, state-led reforms institutionalized the cultural and religious dominance of Sunni Islam, effectively marginalizing the Alevis who possess their own distinct esoteric traditions, rituals, and communal institutions.^[5]

Legally, the Turkish state has consistently refused to grant official recognition to Alevism as a legitimate religious identity. A pivotal blow to their communal autonomy occurred with legislation enacted in 1925—which remains in effect—banning Alevi houses of worship, known as cem houses, and forcing their religious centers underground. Because Alevis have been legally unrecognized, they have been subjected to state-directed assimilation policies, denied government funding for their places of worship, and excluded from official demographic censuses. This marginalization was further exacerbated in later decades by the rise of state-backed identity frameworks such as the Turkish-Islamic Synthesis, which tightly welded Turkish national identity to Sunni orthodoxy.^[6]

Beyond institutional erasure, the post-1923 era has been marked by severe, recurring waves of mass violence, pogroms, and massacres against Alevis. In the early years of the republic, uprisings and resistance movements in heavily Alevi-populated regions—such as the Kocgiri rebellion (1921) and the Dersim massacre (1937–1938)—were met with brutal military campaigns and mass killings. Throughout the turbulent decades of the late 20th century, Alevis were repeatedly targeted during periods of political polarization. Major massacres occurred in Malatya (1978), Sivas (1978 and 1993), Kahramanmaraş (1978), and Çorum (1980), where hundreds of Alevi citizens were killed, properties and businesses were destroyed, and entire neighborhoods were displaced. Later, urban protests like the Gazi Quarter incidents in Istanbul in 1995 similarly resulted in deadly crackdowns by security forces. Despite these traumatic historical episodes and ongoing demands for equal citizenship, religious freedom, and the official accreditation of cem houses, Alevis in Turkey continue to struggle for basic constitutional recognition and protection.^[7]

Conflicts involving Alevis in Kemalist Turkey

The Alevi community has experienced significant periods of marginalization, tension, and direct violence throughout the history of modern Turkey, intersecting heavily with the sociopolitical trajectory of Kemalist reformism and the legacy of Sunni-dominated Ottoman structures. Although early Republican Kemalism promised secular liberation from historical Ottoman persecution, structural alienation and severe conflicts periodically erupted. Among the most prominent historical and social conflicts involving the Alevi population are the Dersim massacre in the late 1930s—where thousands of Alevi Kurds were killed by state military campaigns—alongside later urban and communal tragedies such as the Corum Massacre in 1980, the Sivas Massacre in 1993, and the Gazi Quarter riots in 1995.^[8]^[9]

These events underscore a complex history wherein Alevis largely embraced Kemalism as a shield against rising Sunni conservatism, yet simultaneously suffered profound state-led violence, socio-political exclusion, and ongoing cultural friction regarding the official recognition of their unique religious identity, houses of worship (cemevleri), and rituals.

Massacres against Alevis

References

↑ https://www.iemed.org/publication/religion-in-laic-turkey-the-case-of-alevis/
↑ https://www.alaturka.info/en/culture/religion/6292-alevis-on-the-history-of-their-origins-and-beliefs&%20%20%20%20
↑ Erman, Tahire, and Emrah Göker. "Alevi politics in contemporary Turkey." Middle Eastern Studies 36.4 (2000): 99-118.
↑ https://www.munzurvalley.com/alevism
↑ https://armenianweekly.com/2016/11/21/alevis-in-turkey-a-history-of-persecution/
↑ https://www.iemed.org/publication/religion-in-laic-turkey-the-case-of-alevis/
↑ https://www.iemed.org/publication/religion-in-laic-turkey-the-case-of-alevis/
↑ https://www.orfonline.org/research/turkeys-alevi-issue-implications-for-sectarianism-in-the-region
↑ Göner, Özlem. "The transformation of the Alevi collective identity." Cultural Dynamics 17.2 (2005): 107-134.

[1] ttps://www.iemed.org/publication/religion-in-laic-turkey-the-case-of-alevis/

[2] ttps://www.alaturka.info/en/culture/religion/6292-alevis-on-the-history-of-their-origins-and-beliefs&%20%20%20%20

[3] Erman, Tahire, and Emrah Göker. "Alevi politics in contemporary Turkey." Middle Eastern Studies 36.4 (2000): 99-118.

[4] ttps://www.munzurvalley.com/alevism

[5] ttps://armenianweekly.com/2016/11/21/alevis-in-turkey-a-history-of-persecution/

[6] ttps://www.iemed.org/publication/religion-in-laic-turkey-the-case-of-alevis/

[7] ttps://www.iemed.org/publication/religion-in-laic-turkey-the-case-of-alevis/

[8] ttps://www.orfonline.org/research/turkeys-alevi-issue-implications-for-sectarianism-in-the-region

[9] Göner, Özlem. "The transformation of the Alevi collective identity." Cultural Dynamics 17.2 (2005): 107-134.

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