Does Alevis follow Quran?

Unlike Sunnis and Shia, Alevis do not regard interpretations of the Quran today as binding or infallible, since the true meaning the Quran is considered to be taken as a secret by Ali and must be taught by a teacher, who transmits the teachings of Ali (Buyruk) to his disciple.

Can Alevis drink alcohol?

Differences Between the Sunni Faith and Alevism Specifically, the BBC outlined that: [t]he man they worship, Ali, son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammed, was slain in a mosque, so they don’t pray in them. Alcohol is not prohibited, and Alawite women don’t cover their heads.

Can Alevis eat pork?

No. At least, not as a custom. If they go abroad, less religious Turks of all formal confessional backgrounds may decide to eat pork as per their conscience but there is no specific Alevi teaching making pork religiously acceptable.

Are Alevis Kurds?

While the majority of Alevis are ethnically Turkish, twenty per cent, which is about five million, of them are ethnically Kurdish, and this makes them a ‘twice minority’.

When did Islam come to Turkey?

Islam is the most practiced religion in Turkey. The established presence of Islam in the region that now constitutes modern Turkey dates back to the later half of the 11th century, when the Seljuks started expanding into eastern Anatolia.

Do Muslims drink?

Although alcohol is considered haram (prohibited or sinful) by the majority of Muslims, a significant minority drinks, and those who do often outdrink their Western counterparts. Among drinkers, Chad and a number of other Muslim-majority countries top the global ranking for alcohol consumption.

What is Turkish Alevi?

Alevi is a religious group in Turkey, not to be confused with Alewites in Syria. They are followers of Ali, the brother-in-law of Prophet Muhammed. Alevi is a mystical belief that is rooted in Islam and Sufism with some traditions of Christianity and Shamanism.

What happened to the Alevi Kurds in Turkey?

The victims were Alevi Kurds of the province. The ruling party at the time was the CHP, which ruled Turkey from 1923 to 1950, and the president was Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey. In the summer of 1938, the residents of a group of Alevi villages in the city of Erzincan were exposed to another massacre.

Is there religious persecution of Alevis in Turkey?

Oppression of Alevis in Turkey is legal. A law enacted by the founding government of Turkey, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), in 1925—which is still in effect in Turkey today—banned the religious centers of Alevis, including their houses of prayer, otherwise known as cem houses.

What happened to the Alevis?

At least 105 Alevis were murdered in the city of Kahramanmaras, or Maras, in December 1978 by Turkish nationalists (otherwise known as Grey Wolves) and other fundamentalist Muslims. “The actual perpetrators of the killings were not a small group of conspirators,” wrote Emma Sinclair-Webb, senior Turkey researcher with the Human Rights Watch.