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President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has responded to recent statements made by Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader and his rival in the upcoming May 14 presidential election, regarding Turkey's Alevi religious minority.
In a Twitter video he released on April 18, Kılıçdaroğlu had emphasized the importance of protecting one's identity and demanded an end to the "divisive" system in Turkey.
As an Alevi himself, he had called for equal citizenship rights for the Alevi minority and for Alevism to be recognized by the state. The video was viewed nearly 30 million times, becoming one of the most watched videos on Twitter in Turkey.
Responding to these statements at a rally, Erdoğan said, "This nation's essence is strong, and on May 14, this nation will give you the necessary lesson with Allah's permission. We do not have a Sunni, Alevi, or Shia religion; our religion has only one name, and that is Islam. Our religious identity has only one name, and that is being a Muslim."
Erdoğan further questioned why Kılıçdaroğlu had "suddenly" felt the need to publicly identify with his religious sect at the age of 74, and why nobody had previously questioned his beliefs or identity.
While Kılıçdaroğlu openly spoke about his Alevi identity for the first time in last week's video, it is worth noting that Erdoğan has emphasized his own Alevi identity several times in the past, which has drawn condemnation from the Alevi community. Ahead of the 2011 parliamentary elections, Erdoğan mentioned Kılıçdaroğlu's Alevi identity at seven separate rallies, which was often followed by booing from the crowds.
Alevism is a heterodox Islamic tradition with roots in Anatolia, but not all Alevis identify as Muslims. The Alevi community in Turkey has long been calling for equal rights and recognition by the state, with estimates of their population ranging from 5 to 15 percent. The community has faced atrocities in recent history, including massacres and attacks on their places of worship and homes.
Turkey is set to hold dual parliamentary and presidential elections on May 14, with Kılıçdaroğlu seeking to end Erdoğan's two-decade-long rule. The election is expected to be highly contested, with both sides rallying their supporters and exchanging jabs at each other in public speeches and interviews. (RT/VK)
