Alevis voice demands at mass rally in Kadiköy

[Biomiast]

Hi to all,

I intended to go to the rally, and I was actually there a few hours before the rally, but I had another program with some friends. They and their parents are very scared when it comes to such rallies(not a surprise considering they grew up under a military coup, witnessing violence and torture), so as an act of external considering, I didn't push them. I heard that it was magnificent. Some claimed there were five hundred thousand people out there, it isn't too much considering the population of Istanbul which is 12 million. Well, before the rally, it was expected one million to come, but the most reliable reference I have found says there were a hundred thousand people. Many esteemed singers such as Şevval Sam and Sabahat Akkiraz supported the rally, and sang a few songs there.

The main purpose of the meeting was preventing discrimination Alevis witness. There were a few demands like abolishing Religious Affairs Directorate which only serves Sunni Muslims and neglects Alevis' rights. Alevis claim, if this is a secular state, there shouldn't be such institution. I have bolded their demands in the article.

A few points about article. Alevis don't know what they are, so calling them a liberal Shia Islam isn't exactly accurate. Some Alevis think Ali in their legends are separate from Ali, cousin of Muhammad the Prophet. After all, historically, he didn't kill dragons, he didn't transform into a bird etc.

And on a side note, Proffesor İzzettin Doğan who criticizes rally in the article is nothing but a puppet in the hands of governments that come and go, he doesn't care about the rights of Alevis as much as he cares about his supreme authority over Alevi community. He claims it comes from Islam, but there are groups that deny this, so how can he speak for the whole community? A year ago, Alevis rallied again in Ankara and at the time he claimed those who don't know anything about Alevism organizes those rallies. I guess only he knows and if we don't agree, we won't be deemed worthy. Talk about paranoid character disorder!!

Apart from their love for Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, which is not shared by all of them(especially many people from Dersim(or Tunceli) who suffered in the hand of the young republic) I thought their demands and attitudes were compatible with my personal view, I had many funny experiences with the crowd before the rally. And on a side note, somebody searched my clothes and pockets for the first time in my life! :D

President Abdullah Gül’s symbolic visit to an Alevi house of worship in Tunceli last week had little effect in silencing Alevi demands as thousands rallied in Istanbul’s Kadıköy district on Sunday for equal religious rights.

Alevis from across Turkey called on the government to abolish the Religious Affairs Directorate, eliminate compulsory religious-education classes, recognize cemevis as legitimate houses of worship, and transform the Madımak Hotel in Sivas, where 33 Alevis were killed by a fundamentalist mob, into a museum.

Last week, Gül made a historic visit to the southeastern province of Tunceli and visited a cemevi, but the visit was deemed “insincere” by Alevis. Alevis are commonly viewed as a liberal sect of Shia Islam.

“Many presidents have visited cemevis, but what difference does it make when they are not recognized as legal houses of worship?” Ali Balkiz, chairman of the Alevi-Bektashi Federation, said during his speech at the rally.

Hüseyin, a 26-year-old demonstrator who declined to give his last name, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review that nothing good could come from the initiatives the government launched. “We will continue to rally and make our voices heard until our demands are addressed,” he said.

Comparing this year’s rally with last year's rally, Hüseyin said the turnout was much greater this year. He told the Daily News this is an indication of the strength of Alevis’ strong belief in their faith.

“We cannot make our voice heard through the media and columnists,” Balkız told protesters. “It is only through these mass movements that awareness can be raised among the public and the Alevi voice can be heard. A year after our rally, nothing has changed. We will continue to rally until our demands are met.”

“What some call the ‘Alevi issue’ we call a ‘political disgrace.’ What is actually being done by the government as part of their so-called Alevi reform?” Balkız said. “We ask for visible changes to be made; we ask for our prayer houses to be legalized and for the government to pay utility and operating expenses on them.”

Splits within

Despite the large turnout, not all Alevi organizations supported the rally. Last year, Professor İzzettin Doğan, the chairman of the Cem Foundation, said those organizing the demonstrations are “trying to portray Alevism as a belief separate from Islam.” Doğan welcomed Gül’s latest visit to a cemevi, interpreting it as a sign of “symbolic presidential recognition of cemevis as legitimate places of worship.”

Kadıköy resident and bakery owner Şebnem Çiçek, who was a spectator at the rally, said the meeting was not so much about demonstrating Alevi demands as it is about targeting the government. “This demonstration is 100 percent political and about politics, nothing else,” she said.

Erdem Çolak, a local businessman, told the Daily News that the Alevi issue should be addressed more effectively by the government. “But their demand to abolish the Directorate of Religious Affairs is extreme and unrealistic,” he said.

Protesters colored the streets of Kadıköy with Turkish flags and portraits of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, while also holding placards that read, “End discrimination" and "Turkey is secular, it will remain secular." Large groups held up posters depicting the 33 Alevis who lost their lives in the July 2, 1993, Sivas massacre, while groups of Alevi dancers made their way through the crowds, singing and chanting.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=alevis-raise-their-voice-in-rally-2009-11-08


Here is a picture:

Judging from other photos and my knowledge about the place, there were many people at the smaller streets where you can't see them from this angle, maybe a photo from the sea or from the air would be better. And also the photo only covers the half of the area, I expect there is a crowd with similar size(if not more) at the back of the photographer judging from the area that was separated for them and the litters they have left after the rally!