Turkey’s Alevis losing hope for broader freedoms
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12/12/2010
SIVAS — Turkey’s Alevis, a distinct moderate sect of Islam, have put government support for religious freedom to the test by pressing for broader rights in a country where they are often seen as heretics.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has launched a rare dialog with the sizeable community.
But after several meetings between the two sides since 2007, Alevi leaders question Ankara’s sincerity and hold out little hope that their demands will be met.
The government “does not go beyond listening to our problems... We do not expect any improvement soon,” Ali Balkiz, a leading Alevi activist, told AFP.
The Sunni majority’s prejudice against Alevis is deep-rooted: Apart from the broad theological differences, there is the history of Alevi rebellions and their bloody supression.
Like Shiites, Alevis worship the Prophet Ali, the last of the first four C... MORESource: The Daily Tribune
URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20101212com7.html
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