Naz
21.04.2006, 20:13
Alevis (عَلَوي) are adherents of a branch of Islam, related to Shia Islam (Although some Alevis claim that it is a completly separate religion form -and predates Islam) and practised mainly in (majority Sunni) Turkey, among both Turks, Zazas, and Kurds.
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/9858/400pxalevis6zf.png (http://imageshack.us)
Alevis
Adherents of Alevism (in Turkish Alevîlik) are called Alevis. The exact number of Alevis is not known, with estimates varying from 20 to 30% of the population of Turkey alone, i.e. 14-21 million believers in Turkey, with perhaps as many as three million in Iran and Turkmenistan and half a million turkmenic Alevis in Iraq. Alevism has integrated many diverse religious influences over time, such as ancient Turkish Shamanism and pre-Islamic religions of Near East. The Bektashi Sufi holy order is a significant element in Alevism. Both Bektashi Alevi and Kizilbaş Alevi revere Hajji Bektash Wali. Turkish is used in Alevi rituals and while worshiping.
People
Alvis can be ethnic Zazas, Turks, Kurds, Turkmens and Azeri or Azerbaijani with a particular concentration in mid-Eastern Turkey in a belt from Çorum in the West to Muş ( a city in Turkey) in the East. In the Balkans, especially in Albania there is a further large Alevi-Bektashi community. There are also many Alevi who have migrated to the large cities of Western and Southern Turkey, as well as to Western Europe, especially Germany.
Today, Alevi community in Turkey is heavily urbanised due to mass migration (1960s to present) from their often mountainous and barren rural residence to cities. When compared to general Sunni population, on average, they have significantly higher rates of literacy, higher education, and female employment and a lower fertility rate.
There are also large communities of Alevis in some regions of Iranian Azarbaijan. The town of Ilkhichi (İlxıçı), which is located 87km south west of Tabriz is almost entirely populated by Alevis. For political reasons, one of which was to create a distinct identity for these communities, they have not been called Alevi since the early 20th century. They are called various names, such as Alli Allahi, Ahle Hag and Goran. Groups with similar beliefs also exist in Iranian Kurdistan.
Belief
Alevis are followers of the Twelvers, a Shia sect. Belief in Allah is varied. Though some accept the idea of a personal creator, many believe that Allah is merely the good in man. This is expressed by the Alevi saying "insan Hakta Hak insanda" (man is in God, God is in man).
While the Sunnis follow the four caliphs Omar, Uthman, Abu Bakr and Ali, the Alevis recognize only one of the caliphs, Ali ibn Abi Talib and his two sons, Imam Hussain and Imam Hassan, just like the Shia Muslims.
Though expressing belief in the Qur'an, most Alevis in Turkey reject concepts like polygamy, jannah (Turkish: cennet) and jahannam (Turkish: cehennem), salat (Turkish: namaz), fasting (Turkish: oruç), and hajj (Turkish: hac). Traditionally, Alevi worship is not conducted in a mosque, but is intimately connected with the dede (elder), cem (a gathering), and the cemevi (meeting house).
Hajji Bektash Wali, who lived in the 13th century, is just one of the Alevi's principal theologians. Yunus Emre and Pir Sultan Abdal are two other teachers. Like the Sufis, the Alevis also use religious music and dance, called semah, to show their belief in Allah. Modern Alevi theology has been profoundly influenced by humanism and universalism. Thus, while many of the older generation view Alevism as a religious belief, many of the younger generation prefer to term it a philosophy. In Turkey, there is an ongoing discussion about whether Alevism is part of Islam or not.
Further, relations with other Muslim groups must be considered. As Ilhan Ataseven has noted, there is some tension between family-tradition Alevis and the Bektashi Order, which is a Sufi order founded on Alevi beliefs. In certain Turkish communities, other Sufi orders, namely the Helveti-Jerahi and some of the Rifa'i, have incorporated significant Alevi influence. Though generally regarded as a Sunni group historically, some Rifa'is accept the Alevi identity. This is particularly common among Turkish teacher Sherif Baba's Rifa'i Marufi Order, whose worship combines elements of typical Alevi traditions with the practice of zikr, commonly associated with the Sunni Sufi orders. This pattern can be traced to a traditional fluidity between non-orthodox Muslim practices and also to the polarity between secular and religious worldviews in contemporary Turkey. Though to many contemporary Turks the line between tarikat (traditionally meaning a Sufi order, but since the 1980s used by Turkish journalists to describe militant Muslim groups such as Hizbullah) and Alevi seems vast, in other areas of the world and even in Turkey until recently, the Arabic word "tariqa" referred to Sufi orders, such as the Mevlevi. Such groups shared many principles with the Alevi, though membership was by initiation rather than familial ties. Most notable among these was the Bektashi, whose identity has been virtually fused with the Alevi, even at a popular level. Smaller orders such as the Rifa'i Marufi, have sometimes identified with the Alevi, with whom they share secularist principles, a general scepticism of extreme orthodoxy, an emphasis on men and women worshipping together, a common group of revered saints such as Hajji Bektash Veli and Pir Sultan Abdal, and a deep devotion to the family of the Prophet Muhammad. That said, such groups stand a bit ouside of the main body of Alevi culture in significant ways.
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/9858/400pxalevis6zf.png (http://imageshack.us)
Alevis
Adherents of Alevism (in Turkish Alevîlik) are called Alevis. The exact number of Alevis is not known, with estimates varying from 20 to 30% of the population of Turkey alone, i.e. 14-21 million believers in Turkey, with perhaps as many as three million in Iran and Turkmenistan and half a million turkmenic Alevis in Iraq. Alevism has integrated many diverse religious influences over time, such as ancient Turkish Shamanism and pre-Islamic religions of Near East. The Bektashi Sufi holy order is a significant element in Alevism. Both Bektashi Alevi and Kizilbaş Alevi revere Hajji Bektash Wali. Turkish is used in Alevi rituals and while worshiping.
People
Alvis can be ethnic Zazas, Turks, Kurds, Turkmens and Azeri or Azerbaijani with a particular concentration in mid-Eastern Turkey in a belt from Çorum in the West to Muş ( a city in Turkey) in the East. In the Balkans, especially in Albania there is a further large Alevi-Bektashi community. There are also many Alevi who have migrated to the large cities of Western and Southern Turkey, as well as to Western Europe, especially Germany.
Today, Alevi community in Turkey is heavily urbanised due to mass migration (1960s to present) from their often mountainous and barren rural residence to cities. When compared to general Sunni population, on average, they have significantly higher rates of literacy, higher education, and female employment and a lower fertility rate.
There are also large communities of Alevis in some regions of Iranian Azarbaijan. The town of Ilkhichi (İlxıçı), which is located 87km south west of Tabriz is almost entirely populated by Alevis. For political reasons, one of which was to create a distinct identity for these communities, they have not been called Alevi since the early 20th century. They are called various names, such as Alli Allahi, Ahle Hag and Goran. Groups with similar beliefs also exist in Iranian Kurdistan.
Belief
Alevis are followers of the Twelvers, a Shia sect. Belief in Allah is varied. Though some accept the idea of a personal creator, many believe that Allah is merely the good in man. This is expressed by the Alevi saying "insan Hakta Hak insanda" (man is in God, God is in man).
While the Sunnis follow the four caliphs Omar, Uthman, Abu Bakr and Ali, the Alevis recognize only one of the caliphs, Ali ibn Abi Talib and his two sons, Imam Hussain and Imam Hassan, just like the Shia Muslims.
Though expressing belief in the Qur'an, most Alevis in Turkey reject concepts like polygamy, jannah (Turkish: cennet) and jahannam (Turkish: cehennem), salat (Turkish: namaz), fasting (Turkish: oruç), and hajj (Turkish: hac). Traditionally, Alevi worship is not conducted in a mosque, but is intimately connected with the dede (elder), cem (a gathering), and the cemevi (meeting house).
Hajji Bektash Wali, who lived in the 13th century, is just one of the Alevi's principal theologians. Yunus Emre and Pir Sultan Abdal are two other teachers. Like the Sufis, the Alevis also use religious music and dance, called semah, to show their belief in Allah. Modern Alevi theology has been profoundly influenced by humanism and universalism. Thus, while many of the older generation view Alevism as a religious belief, many of the younger generation prefer to term it a philosophy. In Turkey, there is an ongoing discussion about whether Alevism is part of Islam or not.
Further, relations with other Muslim groups must be considered. As Ilhan Ataseven has noted, there is some tension between family-tradition Alevis and the Bektashi Order, which is a Sufi order founded on Alevi beliefs. In certain Turkish communities, other Sufi orders, namely the Helveti-Jerahi and some of the Rifa'i, have incorporated significant Alevi influence. Though generally regarded as a Sunni group historically, some Rifa'is accept the Alevi identity. This is particularly common among Turkish teacher Sherif Baba's Rifa'i Marufi Order, whose worship combines elements of typical Alevi traditions with the practice of zikr, commonly associated with the Sunni Sufi orders. This pattern can be traced to a traditional fluidity between non-orthodox Muslim practices and also to the polarity between secular and religious worldviews in contemporary Turkey. Though to many contemporary Turks the line between tarikat (traditionally meaning a Sufi order, but since the 1980s used by Turkish journalists to describe militant Muslim groups such as Hizbullah) and Alevi seems vast, in other areas of the world and even in Turkey until recently, the Arabic word "tariqa" referred to Sufi orders, such as the Mevlevi. Such groups shared many principles with the Alevi, though membership was by initiation rather than familial ties. Most notable among these was the Bektashi, whose identity has been virtually fused with the Alevi, even at a popular level. Smaller orders such as the Rifa'i Marufi, have sometimes identified with the Alevi, with whom they share secularist principles, a general scepticism of extreme orthodoxy, an emphasis on men and women worshipping together, a common group of revered saints such as Hajji Bektash Veli and Pir Sultan Abdal, and a deep devotion to the family of the Prophet Muhammad. That said, such groups stand a bit ouside of the main body of Alevi culture in significant ways.