"No Compulsory Religious Education with Alevis"

The President of the Alevi Bektashi Federation (ABF), Ali Balkız, said that including Shiism in the curriculum would not help to solve the problems of the Alevi in any way.

"We wanted religious education not to be compulsory any more according to the constitutional obligations, principles of secularism, freedom of religion and conscience and also the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights. We did not want Shiism to become part of a compulsory subject. But this has not been mentioned at all. [...]"

Sunni propaganda and the assimilation of Alevis

State Minister Faruk Çelik said that Shiism would be included in the curriculum. Balkız assessed this suggestion as a "game" and said that they had never been that close to the solution of the Alevi question. In an interview with bianet he said:

"We do not understand from this whether the Madımak Hotel will be turned into a museum, the cem houses [Alevi places of worship and assembly] will be recognized and reach a legal status and whether the Department of Religious Affairs will be abolished. Will policies regarding the building of mosques in Alevi villages be lifted and will the prayer leaders appointed to these places be called back?"

"They will continue with spreading Sunni propaganda and pursuing assimilation by using Shiism and Alevi values. This is nothing else but one of their new games".

"They will depict Hacı Bektash as a follower of the Sharia"

"They will continue teaching the students Sunnism as well as Arabic and the prayers. And by letting it appear as if they cared about some Alevi values, they will teach a Shiism that was transformed into Sunnism while calling it Shiism".

"They will talk about the [dervish] Hacı Bektash but they will create a Hacı Bektash that is dressed as a follower of the Sharia, that went to the pilgrimage and prays". (BT/VK)