When I attempted to take the ferry to the European side this morning, I was met by a large group of policemen at the port. This was the reason why:
The Alevis are a group whose members stem from Anatolia and, to a lesser extent, the Balkans. They are characterized by their strong emphasis on the mystical side of Islam: the idea that a part of God lies within all human beings, and that appropriate ethical conduct is more important than any strict following of the orthodox rules of faith. This they sometimes encapsulate by drawing a contrast between the “five pillars” of Sunnī Islam in Turkey, and their “three conditions”: “Be master of thy hands, thy tongue, and thy loins” (i.e., do not steal, do not tell falsehoods, and do not commit adultery). Known as edep, this prescription is known widely within Turkish mystical Islam. What is notable about the Alevis is the priority that edep is given within their religious culture: everyone—men and women—is part of this mystical tradition by virtue of being born into it.
Until recently, the Alevis have inhabited primarily rural, often mountainous locations, predominantly in the central and eastern regions of Anatolia, that is, the provinces of Tokat, Yozgat, Sivas, Amasya, Erzincan, Erzurum, Kahramanmaraş and Tunceli, though they may be found also in the west, notably Balıkesir. There is no single overarching Alevi organization. However, many Alevis, particularly those toward the central and western regions, are influenced by the Bektaşi brotherhood, whose tenets they may regard as following theirs very closely. Locally, leadership is usually conferred through hereditary patrilineages (known variously as dede, lit., grandfather or pir) whose founder or later descendants are regarded as being sacred by virtue of being favored by God with a miraculous sign. The hierarchical relationship between dede and their followers is crucial to Alevi life: the dede has a duty to teach the tenets of the Alevis (Alevilik) to his followers, to advise them in times of difficulty, to lead collective religious ceremonies within the community, and to act as mediator in times of dispute.
The principal Alevi ceremony is the cem, which usually takes place during the winter months. Held at night, it is a complex and rich ritual whose central rite marks the passing of God 's secrets to ῾Alī, from whom they are believed to have been passed to his martyred children Ḥasan and Ḥusayn, and their descendants down to the Alevi community. The congregation collects in a large room, men and women together, grouped around a central space which is known as ῾Alī 'smeydan. If there are disputants, they are called to this space, and until their problem is resolved, worship cannot take place. The dede leads the ceremony, and is accompanied by a minstrel (aşık), who plays a prominent role, singing laments celebrating the twelve imams and otherwise accompanying the unfolding ritual. The culmination of the ceremony is the sema or sacred dance of the forty. There are different versions of this sema, but it usually consists of two or three pairs of mature, married couples, dancing in a circle in unison. Traditionally, outsiders were not permitted at this ceremony, though among the migrant communities abroad, such a prescription is often lifted.
Though clearly influenced by Shiism, the Alevis themselves do not typically regard themselves as Shī῾ī. The word Alevi itself appears to be of comparatively recent origin, dating perhaps to the end of the nineteenth century. It is best to conceive of them as a number of disparate groups, perhaps not clearly defined, that have gradually, as the Turkish republic has taken shape, come to see themselves as being part of a similar religious tradition. Though there is no one text that unites all Alevis, many refer to a work known as the Buyruk or decree, said to be written by Imam Ja῾far. This exists in different versions, but is thought to have been compiled in the sixteenth century in the time of Shāh Ismā῾īl, perhaps as an attempt to create support against the Ottomans. Alevi traditions may draw upon older forms of Islam too: many may refer back to eastern schools, such as those of Ahmad Yasavī at Khorāsān. There may also be an affinity with the Mevlevîs, or with Anatolian figures such as Yunus Emre.
The Alevis have never quite been accepted within the Turkish state, as their highly devolved organization and culture often creates an uneasy relationship with authority, particularly in the tribal east. Nevertheless, relations with the republic have often been good, and the Turkish Alevis, and at least some of the Kurdish Alevis, strongly supported Atatürk and his secular reforms. Indeed, the history of the left-wing Republican parties in Turkey could hardly be written without including the role of the Alevis, who regarded them as a defense against the re-Islamification of the public sphere.
There is no accurate idea of the population of Alevis. Estimates range from as low as 10 percent to as high as 30 percent of Turkey 's population. In recent decades there has been rapid migration from the countryside, whether to urban centers within the republic or further abroad, particularly Germany, Holland, and Austria. In these new milieux there is a strong intellectual movement toward the reformulation or codification of Alevi tradition, often led by young intellectuals who are not necessarily themselves of dede descent. In terms of modern ethnicity, Alevis may be both Turkish and Kurdish. In Germany at least, this ethnic distinction may become apparent in the form of Alevi religion that is regarded as most appropriate for the community to pursue, and can give rise to lively internal debate. The current situation is fluid, and as the republic itself moves away from secularism and toward the acceptance of a form of political life based on Sunnī Islam, it is potentially tense.
