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Uzay Bulut

Uzay Bulut

Uzay Bulut is a Turkish journalist and political analyst formerly based in Ankara. She is a fellow at the Middle East Forum (MEF) and is currently based in Washington D.C. Bulut’s journalistic work focuses mainly on Turkish politics, ethnic and religious minorities in Turkey, and antisemitism.

28 Comments

  1. Maybe Ms. Uzay Bulut or anybody else who knows can answer:

    Are Alevis in Turkey ethnic Kurds or ethnic Turks?
    There are an estimated 10-12 million Alevis in Turkey: are they all Kurds? Turks? a mix of both?

    I know overwhelming majority of Kurds in Turkey are Sunni.
    I also know that Muslims consider Alevis non-Muslim heretics.
    But what is the ethnic makeup?

    • as an alevi i can tell you we re kinda mixed i know alevis which has turkish armenian kurdish and zaza roots etc i think it s also related with exiles

    • The overwhelming majority of Alevis from Turkey are ethnically Turkish, but there are also Kurdish and Zaza Alevis. The Al”Arab Alevis” from Hatay province and other regions aren’t Alevis but Alewis which belongs to a different religion/ belief system. There’s just a phonetic resemblance.

      I’m myself a (Turkish) Alevi and from my experience I can say that some Kurdish Alevis claim that all Alevis are Kurdish which is not true. Also, religious ceremonies and cem are held in Turkish by Turkish and Kurdish Alevis alike.

      “Alevism” is rather an ethno-religious identity, philosophy of life and living style than a religion like Islam, Christianity or Judaism. Also, it’s not part of (Shia) Islam. In fact, the first time it was associated with Shia Islam was when Iranian ayatollah Khomeini issued such a fatwa. So, it was more of a political nature and has no substance.
      Alevism also existed in pre-islamic times which is still noticeable in its ceremonies and customs.

  2. It’s a mix. There are Alevis among Turks and Kurds. The earlier massacres mentioned in this article are primarily directed against Kurds.

  3. Alevis are a branch of Shiia Islam. They are both Turks & Kurds, and consist of about 20% of the population of Turkey.

    • I am an Alevi Kurd on my fatherʼs side and Armenian on my motherʼs. Kurdish alevis are not a branch of Shiʼa islam. There are many ethno- cultural traits that also differ them from Turkish Alevis, who are also known as Bektashis and Tahtacis, while the Arab alevis are Nusayris.

    • That is a misconception! Not all Alevis, especially those who are Kizilbash Kurds, do not regard themselves as muslims. I am a Kizilbash Kurd and Armenian

  4. Kessabtsis have had amicable relations with Syrian Alawis for decades now. I The relations started when Kessabtsi families invited Syrian Alawis to tend their lands. Kessabtsi repatriating to Armenia in 1947, created a need for labor. The children of these Alawi families attended the Armenian schools, spoke Armenian. I do not know if reference to Alevis in Turkey is in distinction of Alawis of Syria. Alawis are distinct ethnic group. They do not have worship centers such as mosques or temples. In mid 1970’s I took a 10 days long trip into the interior of Syrian Mediterranean coast My personal impression is that the Alawis of Syria are the descendants of the crusaders and the the locals, sort of the Amerasians, accepted by neither who over the centuries grew into a community of their own with their distinct religious interpretation and ethnic affiliation. The colonial French in Syria regarded them as lost Christians and even wanted to have a homeland for them. A name that is frequently mentioned of that period is Suleiman El Murshid.

  5. It’s a mix. It’s difficult to say whether there are more Alevi Kurds or Turks, intermarriage among Turks and Kurds in Turkey is not uncommon. But the highest concentration of Alevis is in Tunceli (Dersim) where the population is overwhelmingly Kurdish (Zaza speaking mostly). I’d guess more Kurdish-speaking Alevis than Turkish, but who knows.

    The more interesting issue is what Alevis hold in higher regard, their Turkish or Kurdish ethnicity or their religion. And while my answer is based mostly on anecdotal, personal experience, I will say that in my experience, it’s been overwhelmingly the latter. I think Alevis – certainly the one’s I’ve grown up around and have met – view themselves as an ethno-religious group like (like Jews I suppose).

    When I was growing up and hearing about the hardships of the Alevis as a whole and my family’s personal hardships in Turkey it was always the Sunnis (Turks) and the Shafi’is (a sect of Sunni Islam, which the very large majority of Kurds in Turkey belong to) that did the oppressing. It’s why I don’t give Kurds a pass on things like the Armenian genocide and why I do not support an independent Kurdistan in Turkey. They’ve proven themselves just as bad as Turks.

    Alevis (especially the Kurdish ones) may feel closer to Kurds, as in a sense their struggle is our struggle too – minority rights, but – at least in my experience, there were always distinctions. Growing up, Kurds (Sunni) were referred to as “the Kurds”, never “us” or “we”. Us and we referred only to Alevis (Kurd or Turk).

    So I think whether most Alevis are Kurds or Turks is a secondary question because I think the perception most Alevis have of themselves is that Alevis are a distinct group as a whole, not just Kurds and Turks who follow a different sect of Islam. I feel the same way. If someone who knew the distinction between Turk, Kurd, and Alevi asked me what I was I would say Alevi.

    “I also know that Muslims consider Alevis non-Muslim heretics.”

    Some of that goes both way, some Alevis do consider the religion distinct from Islam. We do have a number of differences from mainstream Islam, to be fair.

    • You are wrong. The majority of Alevis are Turks. Only a small minority, possibly less than 15% of Kurds identify as Alevis. Apart from this the Kurds are Sunni Muslims in large numbers. Because, the whole question of identity is a such a sensitive issue in Turkey, it is difficult to speculate about the real ethnic origins of Alevis. What one needs to keep in mind constantly that the Turkish identity is an invention of 19th century. Hence many questions may be asked over the real ethnicity of people who identify as Turks. Because, there has been so much manipulation and social engineering that happened in that country, people are very sensitive, at times violently, about the questions over Turkish identity. There has never been enough confidence to discuss or research this particular area without being called spy or infidel or Zionist, or you name it, whatever insult they heap on people questioning or asking to know more.

  6. The majority of Alevies are Kurdish or Turkish. Although the exact ratio is not known it is estimated that over 25 Million Alevies are living in Turkey and about 40% of them are Kurdish. There are also Farsi and Arabic Alevies. In general, Alevies do not describe themselves by their ethnic origin. Alevies believes that universe come into existence from a source of pure consensus/light and the essence of ‘Hak'(God) in everything around us. A person who achieves ultimate maturity (Kamil Insan) will unify with the ‘Hak’. Their utopia is to form a society through consensus (City of consensus) through transforming individuals from an unconscious being into a person with ultimate maturity. They are therefore, egalitarian and against all form of discrimination based on gender race colour, nationality and so on.And they are against all form of violence…

    Mahmut Aydogan
    Chair Croydon Alevi Cultural centre- London UK

  7. Avery, Wikipedia quotes David Zeidan in “The Alevi of Anatolia,” 1995, that “the Alevi constitute the second-largest religious community in Turkey (following the Sunnis), and number some 25% (15 million) of the total population (Alevis claim 30%–40%). Most (?) Alevis are ethnic and linguistic Turks, mainly of Turkmen descent from Central and Eastern Anatolia. Some 20% of Alevis are Kurds (though most Kurds are Sunni), and some 25% of Kurds in Turkey are Alevi (Kurmanji and Zaza speakers).”

    It also reports that “during the period of Ottoman Empire, Alevis were forbidden to proselytise, and Alevism regenerated itself internally by paternal descent. To prevent penetration by hostile outsiders, the Alevis insisted on strict endogamy which eventually made them into a quasi-ethnic group. Alevi taboos limited interaction with the dominant Sunni political-religious centre. Excommunication was the ultimate punishment threatening those who married outsiders, cooperated with outsiders economically, or ate with outsiders. It was also forbidden to use the state (Sunni) courts.”

    See also http://islam.uga.edu/alevivanb.html

  8. Thanks to all for answers to my question re Alevis.

    With respect, I usually do not trust Wiki for controversial subjects.
    The real number of Alevis and Kurds in Turkey being a _very_ sensitive subject for the State, I am reluctant to place too much faith in Wiki numbers, because State actors can and do manipulate Wiki pages. (for non-controversial subjects Wiki is an excellent resource).

    Input from individuals such as RVDV who know the people there from personal experience is more believable to me.

    Again, thanks to all for taking the time to provide detailed answers.
    Learned something new today.

  9. Thanks for acknowledging us, Armenians and Alevi are forever brothers. We stand by you.

  10. I am seeking an Alevi in southeast Massachusetts, who could give our Jewish community an educational talk about the Alevis, origins, history, current status, current aspirations, etc. If anyone knows of someone, please reply to this comment.

  11. I’m Alewi Kurdish Kurmanji from Malatya, we never call our self Muslim,Our religion not related anything to Islam,

    • Because you are probably Armenian origin from Malatya. Don’t forget Alevi people protected Armenian neighbors and adopted their kids when they were deported. Alevi İslam is the true path. We are the followers of our prophet Muhammad Mustafa and his family. We shall never let followers of Umar,Mavya,Yezid to triumph.

    • Nothing related to Islam? We are literally on Ali’s side which was the second human who was muslim. We support the blood of our Phrophet called Ehlibeyt. We support Ali’s Wife Fatma who is also A muslim. We saiy when we pray Ya Allah, Ya Muhammed, Ya Ali. Nothing related to islam? Say that again with your whole chest I dare you this is what Sunnis think and this is why they hate us

    • I am from Kochgiri alevi tribe with mixed Armenian and Kurdish ancestry. Alevi Kurds do not consider themselves Muslim. Kurdish alevism is a syncretic belief system influenced by all great humanistic philosophies and Zoroasterianism. My Kurdish family used to visit ruins of Armenian church and graves where they prayed for their disappeared Armenian neighbors. Kocgiri was also massacred athe time of Pontus Greeks and Armenian genocides.

    • You are absolutely right! Tirki re ( path) and Kurmanji re are quite different. Kurmanc Alevis follow a syncretic path that consist of mainly Zoroaster Ezdi, Buddhist, Christian, and shaman elements, to a lesser degree of Islam

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