Alvy community in Turkey fights for equality in country
Aug 13, 2022
Istanbul [Turkey], August 13 : Despite being a signatory of several international conventions and treaties that guarantee fundamental freedoms for all, the key fundamental rights of Alevis community in Turkey remain ignored by the country, according to a media report.
Turkey has seen several horrific experiences in recent history in which several innocent people have lost their lives due to the clashes.
Recently, several Alevi Cemevis (Alevi prayer space) and associations in Ankara were targeted in back-to-back attacks on July 30 this year.
Alevi Cemevis which is also called the Sercesme Cemevi in Batikent, the Pir Sultan Cemevi in Oran, Cankara, the Ana Fatma Cemevi in Tuzlucayir, Mamak, and the Gokcebel Village Association were targeted in the attacks, Global Strat View reported.
Resulting the attack, a woman was hospitalized after being stabbed in the attack on the Turkmen Alevi Bektashi Foundation, located in the government quarter of Kizilay, as per reports.
Similarly, another attack on the Sah-e Merdan Cemevi in the Mamak district of Ankara occurred during Jem, an Alevi religious ritual. The man who stormed the Cemevi allegedly scattered things around and threw a chair at the dede, the Alevi cleric. One person was injured in the attack.
Reports say, Alevis have never been recognized as equal citizens of Turkey and the community has seen several horrific experiences in recent history. Notably, Turkey has become sectarian, authoritarian, and intolerant under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's leadership.
According to Global Strat View, the government tries to turn Alevis, Sunnis, Kurds, Turks, and Arabs into enemies through policies that fuel ethnic and sectarian differences enacted by the AKP (Justice and Development Party) government.
Turkey's Alevi Community continues to face severe problems in terms of being officially recognized by the state and practising their religion.
Attacks on Turkey's minority community have the backing of the Islamist Sunni government.
In June last year, Turkey's mob boss Sedat Peker, once close to the ruling party but now estranged, spilled the alleged plan to attack Alevis, the minority community in Turkey.
Discrimination toward Alevi people from government authorities has skyrocketed, and physical attacks on Alevi people have become "routine" on the evening news. A recent Hubyar Sultan Alevi Culture Association annual report listed 60 incidents of discrimination towards Turkey's Alevi people, including board-marking apartments with Alevi dwellers, the Turkish state's discriminatory practices toward Alevi funerals, and arsons cases in sacred Alevi places, Global Strat View reported.
Meanwhile, with each passing day, Turkey's economic crisis is worsening and has caused many problems for the people due to food shortage, low wages, and high farming costs.
This has led to protests against the incumbent Turkish President Recep Erdogan. This is not good news for Erdogan, who is seeking another presidential term in the elections to be held next year.
Inflation in the country is at an alarming stage, the country's currency spiralling down fast and COVID-19 cases are rising here, all of these factors are likely to be detrimental to Erdogan's prospects of re-election.