Thousands of Alevis rally for rights in Kadiköy

[Emre]

Thousands of Alevis rally for rights in Kadiköy



Sunday, November 8, 2009
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News



Thousands of Alevis from across Turkey gathered in Istanbul’s Kadikoy district on Wednesday to demand equal religious rights from the government.


About 1 million demonstrators are expected to call on the government to abolish the Religious Affairs Directorate; eliminate compulsory religious-education classes; recognize Alevi houses of worship, or cemevis; and transform the Madımak Hotel in Sivas, where 33 Alevi intellectuals were killed by a fundamentalist mob, into a museum.


Leading the rally, Alevi-Bektaşi Federation Chairman Ali Balkız told the gathering that the main aim of the demonstration was to create a mass movement and create public awareness so that Alevi issues could be solved. “A year on since our first rally what has changed? Nothing,” he said.
Alevi protesters took to the streets with Turkish flags and portraits of Turkey's secularist founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, holding placards with slogans including "End discrimination" and "Turkey is secular, it will remain secular."

[Emre]

I just got back from the demonstration. There were so many people I couldnt even estimate. This was without a doubt the most vibrant and largrst demonstration I've ever been on in my life. I cannot post links, but if you Google Alevi there is a lot of information.

The left parties also had a big presense today. Communist Party of Turkey around 1000, EMEP 400, Maoist orgs had around 600 and they distributed hundreds of Mao Tse-Tung and İbrahim Kaypakkaya flags to the crowd. But most of the partcipants were non-aligned Alevis. There was also participation from Kurdish groups such as the Democratic Society Party and the mothers of murdered Kurdistan Workers Party martyrs.

I marched with my party, EMEP, we had the chants -

'Long live people's brotherhood'
'Work, bread, freedom'
'We are following Deniz, Huseyin and Yusuf' (Martyrs of one of EMEP's forerunner organisation'
and 'Death to America' :)

I took over 100 pictures so I will upload those and translate into English of the articles of our party and mass press on the Alevi situation as they appear.

[Devrim]

"Turkey is secular, it will remain secular."

It is interesting, isn't it, Emre? I used to live in the UK and it is officially a religious state. It has an established church and the Queen is the head of it. Yet the clergy have to be paid for by the church, not the state.

Here we are secular, yet we have the Dırectorate of Religious Affairs, and Imams, of course not Dedes are state employees, and mosques, of course not cemevi are built by the state.

Turkish secularism isn't the separation of 'church' and state. It is the domination of state over 'church'.

Devrim

[Emre]

I agree Devrim. Also consider ID cards in Turkey, why is it necessary to specifiy religion on it if Turkey is secular?

[Leo]

Alevi protesters took to the streets with Turkish flags and portraits of Turkey's secularist founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, holding placards with slogans including "End discrimination" and "Turkey is secular, it will remain secular."Is this the same demonstration with the one with the TKP, EMEP, DTP etc. ?

[Emre]

Is this the same demonstration with the one with the TKP, EMEP, DTP etc. ?According to the article it was Wednesday, but there were a few people with pictures of Atatürk today, a small group from the Republican Peoples Party were also in attendence and there was a portrait of Atatürk on stage.

[Devrim]

I agree Devrim. Also consider ID cards in Turkey, why is it necessary to specifiy religion on it if Turkey is secular?

Yes, I agree. Mine says 'dinsiz' though :)