Turkey's Alevis Disillusioned By Erdogan-Style Democracy
Broken promises of democratic reform are a dangerous gamble in today’s Middle East, writes Jody Sabral. Turkey is a mosaic of ethnicities and faiths not unlike Syria, and Turkish minorities have for some time now become disillusioned with Erdogan's style of democracy.
Turkey’s support for the Free Syrian Army and its hawkish stance against the Syrian president, an Alawite Muslim, is stirring unrest in its own minority communities. Turkish Alawites of Arab origin who live in the border province are upset with the security situation and look unfavorably on the influx of thousands of Sunni Muslims being given refuge by the Turkish government. Further afield many are unhappy that fighters are allowed to organise and train on Turkish soil.
"It’s as if the government has declared war on Syria. It should immediately stop the transit of foreign mercenaries coming from other regions to fight there. The minority communities in Turkey and Syria are extremely disturbed. Turkey will surely be condemned in years to come because of today’s policies," Dogan Bermek, president of the Federation of Alevi Foundations, told Al-Monitor.
There are fears that a prolonged conflict in Syria could put added pressure on an already highly polarized Turkish society. In recent weeks, 15 homes occupied by Alevis in Istanbul’s Kartal district were marked with painted blue crosses that appeared in the dead of night by unknown hands. A cultural center was torched. Considered an offshoot of Shia Islam, Alevis have a close spiritual bond with Alawites but their religious rituals differ.
Bercan, a non-Alevi pro-democracy youth activist who grew up in Kartal, says this is a worrying development: "Nearly half the population there consists of Alevis. In order to prevent the efforts of those aiming at conflict between Alevi and Sunni Muslims, we have to defend our brotherhood. Kartal is especially important considering the population dynamics."
