The Peoples' Democratic Congress (HDK), the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), and Alevi organizations organized a conference titled "Alevis on the 100th Anniversary of the Republic" on Sunday (February 25) in İstanbul.
The conference, held at the Cemil Candaş Cultural Center in Şişli, İstanbul, was attended by HDK Co-Spokespersons Esengül Demir and Cengiz Çiçek, Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Co-Chair Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar, along with DEM Party Co-Chair Tülay Hatimoğlulları.
Alevis have faced numerous massacres, assimilation, and oppression throughout the history of the Republic stated Hatimoğlulları, speaking at the conference, according to the report by Mezopotamya Agency.
Hatimoğulları indicated that Alevis have been resisting against these impositions for a century, stating, "We are soldiers in the struggle against the massacres and oppression imposed on us for 100 years, against the racist and supremacist understanding in Turkey, and so are you."
Highlighting the ongoing efforts by the current government to continue assimilation policies against Alevis through different methods, Hatimoğulları said:
"The AKP government recently tied Djemevis (Alevi houses of worship) to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism through a omnibus bill. We need to also mention ÇEDES, the "Environmental Awareness, Protecting My Values Project Collaboration Protocol" implemented at schools. Alevism is a belief. Djemevis are not places to be tied to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. They are the places of worship for Alevis. Apart from the genocidal and assimilationist policies implemented against Alevis so far, they are now trying another method by giving cement to cemevis as gifts, depositing money into their bank accounts, and assigning dedes (Alevi spiritual leaders) salaries like imams. Alevis will never stoop to this method, they will never accept these."
Religious group members attempt to disrupt protest against appointment of imams to schools
"Service in Alevism is done with consent"
Hatimoğulları, emphasizing that service in Alevism is done for justice and with consent, continued as follows:
"We derive this consent from our belief community. We don't seek this consent from the state's official ideology or the ministry, nor from any bureaucracy. We will never accept the government's attempt to undermine this consent. We must acknowledge that we are facing a great danger. Everyone in this room knows very well the purpose behind the ÇEDES project. We are well aware of how the ideology developed through the 100-year-old Turkish-Islamic synthesis manifests in education; we are paying the price for it. We must never accept that this ideology, through the ÇEDES project, subjects our children to such pressure and assimilation in education. We must vigorously fight against this. As we enter the second century of the Republic, secular life and belief groups are under threat due to the government's understanding of 'closing the parenthesis of the Republic.' We must engage in important efforts to uphold a libertarian secularism that allows us to freely practice our beliefs and protect secularism in these lands. DEM Party and HDK defend a democratic republic. We are well aware that the Republic does not offer freedoms to beliefs and diversities. We all know that throughout the history of the Republic, there was no pluralistic understanding and beliefs have not been able to freely coexist in these lands. It is our duty to strengthen our democratic republic thesis from here and ensure that all beings can live on the basis of equal citizenship."
At the conference, presentations were made under the titles "Political system and Alevis from the early Republic period to the present," "Opposition and Alevis in the context of social change dynamics," "Quests for political participation, being a political subject, participation in local governments and representation," and "What kind of future do Alevis want and current issues."
Alevis meet in 'Democratic Turkey Meeting' in İstanbul
(VC/PE)
