Prime Minister's Consultant For Alevi Affairs Resigns

Reha Çamuroğlu, a Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputy of Alevi origin and formerly Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s consultant in matters related to Turkey’s Alevi community, resigned yesterday from his post as consultant within the party, claiming that the promises about the Alevis were not kept. However, he did not resign from the party itself.

Esat Korkmaz, the chief editor of the periodical “Nefes” and the author of many books about Alevi perspective, had told Bianet in January 2008 that the AKP was trying to discipline Alevis by bringing them to ‘the official world’ and that through Alevi-Bektaşi  bourgeoisie, it addresses those who are disorganized and further away from the Alevi identity.

Similarly, Erdoğan Aydın Tatlav, an author and a researcher, told Bianet that “the Alevi perspective [of AKP] is not an effort for Turkey’s democratization and secularization in the real sense, but an attempt to form a base for the party and manipulate the Alevi potential by pulling them into Islam.”      

In his statement Çamuroğlu said, “In the Alevi perspective that we have been watching closely, surely the words of our Deputy Prime Minister and some of the deputies from our party against us and the perspective have made us uncomfortable. Moreover, we are worried that some of the bureaucrats who are in the field of religious affairs and services have developed definite attitudes in a political discussion carried on rather hurriedly and sensationally. (…) However, the two incidents that occurred last week have finally forced us to opt for decisive messages and attitudes. But, I cannot agree with those approaches wishing to present me as the deputy who left the struggle in the middle of it.”

According to the newspaper “Sabah”, three incidents paved the way to the resignation:

The words of Mustafa Çağrıcı, the mufti of Istanbul, that “From the perspective of Islam, it does not seem possible to see Cem Houses, Alevi place of worship, equivalent to mosques and to let them function as places of worship.”

The argument between the Minister of Interior, Beşir Atalay, and Elazığ Deputy, Fevzi İşbaşaran, during the AKP camp at Kızılcahamam about the Alevi girls in YİBO dormitories at the district of Karakoçan in the province of Elazığ in eastern Turkey, who could not get any service.

The words expressed by Cemil Çiçek that “In the mosque, one performs the ‘namaz’ and in the Cem House, one performs the ‘semah’. Alevis are Sunni, Sunnis are Alevis”.

Çamuroğlu’s reform package:

A Directorship for Alevis attached to the Prime Minister.

An Alevi institute.

Clarification of the status of the Cem Houses and the payment of their water and electricity bills by the state, as in the case of the mosques.

Giving Alevi ‘dede’s, the heads of Alevi religion, the social status they need and to put them on salary.

Ending the obligatory religion classes in schools, including in schoolbooks information about Alevis.

Reactions from the Alevi community

According to the newspaper “Milliyet”, İzettin Doğan, the president of Cem Foundation, said that he had warned Çamuroğlu that the Alevi perspective was a deception, the Prime Minister would not develop this perspective, the Religious Affairs would not allow it.

Ali Balkız, the president of Alevi-Bektaşi Federation, said “He went, he saw, he returned. It was obvious that this would result. The AKP wants democracy for itself. The freedom of belief is a mask covering the kind of Turkey they have in mind. If Reha could not do this, nobody can.”

Fevzi Gümüş, the president of Pir Sultan Abdal Cultural Association, said, “He must have finally seen AKP’s real intention. (NZ/TB)