Alevism (Topical Term)

Harvard Divinity School Religion and Public Life website, Mar. 23, 2022 (Alevism. Alevism is a branch of Shi'a Islam that is practiced in Turkey and the Balkans among ethnic Turks and Kurds, and is related to--though distinct from--Alawism in Syria. Alevis make up 20% of Turkish Muslims and comprise Turkey's largest religious minority community. Alevism emerged in Turkey during the 10th century. Like other Shi'a Muslims, Alevis believe that the Prophet Muhammad's nephew 'Ali Ibn Abi Talib was his rightful successor, and they reject the leadership of the first three "rightly guided caliphs" following the Prophet's death. Alevism is also strongly influenced by Sufism, and maintains close connections with the Safavi and later Bektashi Sufi orders, and its organization closely mirrors Sufi brotherhoods, led by dedes instead of a Sufi sheikh. However, Turkish Alevism also contains traces of Buddhism, Manichaeism, Zoroastrianism and Shamanism and rejects some basic tenets considered to be normative in Islam, such as the pilgrimage to Mecca, the five daily prayers, and fasting during Ramadan. Alevis gather for religious services in cemevis instead of mosques, which are not recognized by the Turkish government)

Islam Wiki, Mar. 23, 2022: Alevi (The Alevi are a religious, sub-ethnic and cultural community in Turkey, numbering in the tens of millions. Alevism is considered one of the many sects of Islam. However, Alevi worship takes place in assembly houses (cemevi) rather than mosques. The ceremony, âyîn-i cem or simply cem, features music and dance (semah) which symbolize the main planets around the Sun (by man and woman turning in circles) and the putting off of one's self and uniting with God. In Alevism, men and women are regarded as equals, and pray side by side. Unlike most other Muslim practices, Alevi rituals are conducted mostly in Turkish, and some in Kurdish)

The Alevis of the Munzur Valley, via WWW, Mar. 23, 2022 (Alevism is often defined as a mystical, or syncretic, or heterodox form of Islam; Alevis regard Mohammed, the Prophet of Islam, as a saint, and have even greater reverence for Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of Mohammed, who became the fourth caliph of the Muslim world and remains the primary figure in Shia Islam. Alevis remember the slaying of Ali's son, Husayn, at Karbala, as a catastrophe--as all Shia and many Sunni Muslim communities do--and numerous elements of Islamic myth, symbol, and history are inseparably intertwined with Alevi beliefs and practices)

Alevism : persecuted subculture, via Fanack.com, Mar. 23, 2022 (A religion with great local and transnational importance in Turkey, Syria, Iran and the Balkans, Alevism is not widely known outside this corner of the world; A branch of Shia Islam, Alevism is practiced by an estimated 20 per cent of Turkey's population, a group around 25 million strong spanning local Arabs, Turkmen and Kurds; Unlike most Muslims, Alevis pray in Turkish, even many who come from the Balkan or Kurdish regions; A subsect of Islam, Alevi beliefs are distinct from both Sunni and mainstream Shia Islam; Ali ibn Abi Talib, Prophet Muhammad's cousin whom Alevis, like other Shias, believe to be Muhammad's rightful successor; like other Shias, Alevis reject the leadership of the first three "rightly guided caliphs", who represent a key differentiator of Sunni beliefs. However, it would be wrong to categorize Alevis as Shias (whereas Alawites fit more neatly into this category), given their relatively unstructured interpretation of Islam and the religion's syncretic nature, at times respecting some Christian or even Shamanistic traditions; Like Sufis, Alevis believe the Koran has both an open and hidden meaning, access to which is through religious practice that is unavailable to the uninitiated; Alevis consider themselves Muslims and their beliefs are firmly rooted in the teachings and lessons of the Koran. However, they do not adhere to several key pillars of Islam)

Established July 2022.