What percent of Turkey is Alevi?

Alevis make up between 15 and 20 percent of Turkey’s 80 million people, while most Turks are Sunni Muslims.

Are Alawites and Alevis the same?

Despite semantically similar names — both Alawites and Alevis derive their names from their reverence for Ali, a close relative of the Muslim prophet Mohammed — Alevis and Alawites represent different strains of Islam. Alevis are not Alawites, just as Protestants are not protestors.

Are Alevis Shia?

Alevis follow a belief system that incorporates aspects of both Shi’a and Sunni Islam and draws on the traditions of other religions found in Anatolia as well. Alevis in Central Anatolia base their beliefs on 12er Shi’ism.

What language do the Yazidis speak?

Most Yazidis speak Kurmanji (Northern Kurdish) with a small minority speaking Arabic. Most Yazidis consider Yazidism both a distinct ethnic and cultural identity and do not identify as Kurdish.

What is the origin of Yazidis?

The Yazidis were first recorded historically by Muslim historian ‘Abd al-Karim al-Sam’ani (d. 1167 CE) as a community in Iraq during the 12th century CE. He wrote of a community called al-Yazidiyya in the region of Hulwan in northern Mosul, Iraq.

What is a Turkish Alevi?

Alevi is the term used for a large number of heterodox Muslim Shi’a communities with different characteristics. Thus, Alevis constitute the largest religious minority in Turkey. Linguistically, they consist of four groups: Azerbaijani Turkish, Arabic, Turkish and Kurdish (both Kormanje and Zaza).

Who started Druze?

The Druze faith originated in Egypt as an offshoot of Ismaʿīlī Shīʿism when, during the reign of the sixth Fāṭimid caliph, the eccentric al-Ḥākim bi-Amr Allāh (ruled 996–1021), some Ismaʿīlī theologians began to organize a movement proclaiming al-Ḥākim a divine figure.

What is the origin of Alevism?

Alevism ( / æˈlɛvɪzəm /; Turkish: Alevilik, Anadolu Aleviliği or Kızılbaşlık; Kurdish: Rêya Heqî ‎) is a local Islamic tradition, whose adherents follow the mystical Alevi Islamic ( bāṭenī) teachings of Haji Bektash Veli, who is supposed to have taught the teachings of Ali and the Twelve Imams.

What is the difference between Turkish Alevi and Kurdish Alevis?

The Alevi beliefs among Turkish Alevis and Kurdish Alevis diverge as Kurdish Alevis put more emphasis on Pir Sultan Abdal than Haji Bektash Veli and Kurdish Alevism is rooted more in nature veneration. Alevism is the second-largest Islamic denomination in Turkey, with Sunni Hanafi denomination being the largest.

Who are the Alevis in Syria?

Erdoğan is an outspoken critic of President Bashar al-Assad and frequently mentions that Assad is an Alawi. While Alawites and Alevis are both Shi’a minority groups, they are distinct; nonetheless the political rhetoric has associated Turkish Alevis with their Syrian neighbors.

What is the religion of Alevi?

Journalist Patrick Kingsley states that for some self-described Alevi, their religion is “simply a cultural identity, rather than a form of worship”. Many teachings are based on an orally transmitted tradition, traditionally kept secret from outsiders (but now widely accessible).