#alevism

[casimir0]

Colorful bride and wedding guests at a traditional Yörük wedding ceremony in the eastern region of Macedonia Photographed by Robert Jankuloski, 2003

[turkicculture]

Alevism Turkish: Alevilik; is a syncretic Islamic tradition, whose adherents follow the mystical Islamic teachings of Haji Bektash Veli, who taught the teachings of the Twelve Imams, whilst incorporating some traditions from Tengrism.

📍Nevsehir, Turkiye 🇹🇷

[songs-of-the-east]

Alevis of Azerbaijan

"The centerpiece of the cem is the semah – a ritual dance performed by men and women, who whirl and spin together in circular patterns, while the pir plays and sings an Alevi poem or prayer. Often, each dancer holds one hand over his or her heart, while extending the other to the heavens. It’s an exhilarating act of choreographed rapture, which some say represents the dissolution of the individual ego in the living, divine connection between the community and the cosmos. Others say the semah is an expression of the worshippers’ love of God – and of God’s love for them. Yet others say that the dance represents the ability to magically transform into a crane - a bird sacred to Alevis as a symbol of the voice of Ali - and fly."

[teenageascetic]

Allah Allah desem gelsem/If I say Allah Allah and come.

“If I am a nightingale if I approach and come If I stand in the presence of Allah If I am a rosy red apple If I sprout on your branch, what do you say?

If you are a rosy red apple If you come to sprout on my branch If I am a silver clad crook staff If I draw and strike a blow, what do you say?

If you are a sliver clad crook staff If you come to draw and strike a blow If I am a handful of maize If I am scattered on the ground, what do you say?

If you are a handful of maize If you come to be scattered on the ground If I am a beautiful grey partridge If I gather up bit after bit, what do you say?

If you are a beautiful grey partridge If you come to gather up bit after bit If I am a young falcon bird If I seize and steal you off, what do you say?

If you are a young falcon bird If you come to seize and steal me off If I am a shower of sleet If I break your wing, what do you say?

If you are a shower of sleet If you come to break my wing If I am a wild nor’easter wind If I spurn and disperse, what do you say?

If you are a wild nor’easter wind If you come to spurn and disperse If I have a great sickness If I lie down in your way, what do you say?

If you have a great sickness If you come to lie down in my way If I am Azrâil If I take your ruh, what do you say?

If you are Azrâil If you come to take my ruh If I am a subject destined for Jannah If I enter into Jannah, what do you say?

If you are a subject destined for Jannah If you come to enter into Jannah If you find your master Pir Sultan If we enter in company together, what do you say?”

-Pir Sultan Abdal.

[heretic-child]

“Turkey is now officially described as 99% Muslim and the state actively promotes a national identity based on ethnic Turkishness and Sunni Islam which excludes other ethnic and religious minorities. This is reinforced by the national identity cards which automatically state ‘Islam’ under the category of religion unless a person specifically requests that it be removed and even then the indication of ‘Alevi’ is not allowed, despite the fact that the European Court of Human Rights granted Alevis the right to register Alevi instead of Islam. In exploring the case of the Alevis, it is interesting to see how their preferred identity is religious, but they can be both integrated and excluded within Turkish society depending on whether and how their ethnic or religious identification is articulated. While the majority of the approximately 15–20 million Alevis in Turkey are ethnically Turkish, about 3–5 million are ethnically Kurdish or Zaza and as Alevi Kurds are a ‘twice minority’. When Turkishness is emphasised as the dominant identity there is some common ground ethnically on which the Turkish Alevis can align themselves with the national hegemonic identity and thus gain limited concessions in support of their religious differences. There are also approximately 12–20 million Kurds in Turkey, of which approximately 15 million are Sunni Muslim, and so can align themselves with the national identity through religion. However, this option is not open to the Alevi Kurds who cannot be accommodated within this framing of national identity and have as a result experienced persistent persecution for their faith and ethnicity, especially since the sixteenth-century Ottoman Empire, a persecution that continues to this day.”

Alevism as an Ethno-Religious Identity

[tigristear]

[nolabballgirl]

it's an interesting and deliberate choice for the writers to have ismail/ismail's family be a part of the alevi community (and reference to dersim!), especially given that no skam remake has really ever bothered to get into the idea that there are different types of muslims or muslim sects and the intra-politics and sectarian issues between them. (not sure if eren/new writer is alevi, which that could partially explain it).

but the idea that ismail belongs to a sect that has fought and is fighting to get basic recognition as a muslim religious group (technically, classified as a shia offshoot) is an interesting parallel to ismail's own journey of self-acceptance and recognition. the alevi community is a minority group in turkey that has faced persecution, and per news reports, is only starting to achieve widespread recognition in germany too (according to a 2020 report, alevis make up about 8% of muslims in germany, almost all of whom have turkish heritage).

this is totally projecting, but in a sense because ismail's family belongs to a group that has faced their own battles for acceptance and self-recognition that the mama and papa inci and their fellow cemevi goers/community members may in a way be more accepting of ismail's own journey.