Alevism

Not to be confused with Alawites or Alids.
This article is about the religious group mainly in Turkey. For the religious beliefs pertaining specifically to Kurds, see Kurdish Alevism.
Alevism
Alevilik
ScriptureQuran, Nahj al-Balagha, Makalat and Buyruks
LeaderDede
Teachings of
[9]
TheologyHaqq–Muhammad–Ali
RegionTurkey
LanguageTurkish, Azerbaijani, Kurdish, and Zazaki[10]
LiturgyCem, Sama
HeadquartersHaji Bektash Veli Complex, Nevşehir, Turkey
FounderHaji Bektash Veli
Origin13th-century
Sulucakarahöyük
Part of a series on the Alevis
Alevism
Beliefs
Practices
The Twelve Imams
Leadership
Important figures
History
Islam portal
Haji Bektash Veli Complex

Alevism (/æˈlɛvɪzəm/; Turkish: Alevilik; Kurdish: Elewîtî[11][failed verification]) is a syncretic[12] Islamic tradition, whose adherents follow the mystical Islamic teachings of Haji Bektash Veli, who taught the teachings of the Twelve Imams, whilst incorporating some traditions from Tengrism.[13] Differing from Sunni Islam and Usuli Twelver Shia Islam, Alevis have no binding religious dogmas, and teachings are passed on by a spiritual leader as with Sufi orders.[14] They acknowledge the six articles of faith of Islam, but may differ regarding their interpretation.[10] They have faced significant institutional stigma from the Ottoman and later Turkish state and academia, being described as heterodox[15] to contrast them with the "orthodox" Sunni majority.

The term “Alevi-Bektashi” is currently a widely and frequently used expression in the religious discourse of Turkey as an umbrella term for the two religious groups of Alevism and Bektashism.[16] Adherents of Alevism are found primarily in Turkey and estimates of the percentage of Turkey's population that are Alevi include between 4% and 25%.[10][17][18]

  1. ^ a b Markussen, Hege Irene (2010). "Alevi Theology from Shamanism to Humanism". Alevis and Alevism. pp. 65–90. doi:10.31826/9781463225728-006. ISBN 978-1-4632-2572-8.
  2. ^ Procházka-Eisl, Gisela (5 April 2016). "The Alevis". Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion. doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.013.101. ISBN 978-0-19-934037-8. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  3. ^ "Alevism-Bektashism From Seljuks to Ottomans and Safavids; A Historical Study". Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  4. ^ Yildirim, Riza (2019). "The Safavid-Qizilbash Ecumene and the Formation of the Qizilbash-Alevi Community in the Ottoman Empire, c. 1500–c. 1700". Iranian Studies. 52 (3–4): 449–483. doi:10.1080/00210862.2019.1646120. S2CID 204476564. Retrieved 14 April 2023 – via www.academia.edu.
  5. ^ Mete, Levent (2019). "Buyruk und al Jafr Das Esoterische Wissen Alis" [Buyruk and al Jafr The esoteric knowledge of Ali]. Alevilik-Bektaşilik Araştırmaları Dergisi: Forschungszeitschrift über das Alevitentum und das Bektaschitentum [Alevilik-Bektaşilik Araştırmaları Dergisi: Research journal on Alevism and Bektashism] (in German). 19: 313–350. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  6. ^ Karakaya-Stump, Ayfer (2019). "5 Mysticism and Imperial Politics: The Safavids and the Making of the Kizilbash Milieu". The Kizilbash-Alevis in Ottoman Anatolia: Sufism, Politics and Community. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. pp. 220–255. doi:10.1515/9781474432702-012. ISBN 9781474432702.
  7. ^ Karolewski, Janina (2021). "Adaptation of Buyruk Manuscripts to Impart Alevi Teachings: Mehmet Yaman Dede and the Arapgir-Çimen Buyruğu". Education Materialised. pp. 465–496. doi:10.1515/9783110741124-023. ISBN 9783110741124. S2CID 237904256.
  8. ^ Karakaya-Stump, Ayfer (2010). "Documents and "Buyruk" Manuscripts in the Private Archives of Alevi Dede Families: An Overview". British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies. 37 (3): 273–286. doi:10.1080/13530194.2010.524437. JSTOR 23077031. S2CID 161466774.
  9. ^ [2][3][4][5][6][7][8]
  10. ^ a b c "Alevis". World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples. Minority Rights Group. 19 June 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  11. ^ Gültekin, Ahmet Kerim (2019), Kurdish Alevism: Creating New Ways of Practicing the Religion (PDF), University of Leipzig, p. 10
  12. ^ Selmanpakoğlu, Ceren (11 February 2024). The formation of Alevi syncretism (Thesis). Bilkent University.
  13. ^ Markussen, Hege Irene (2010). "Alevi Theology from Shamanism to Humanism". Alevis and Alevism. pp. 65–90. doi:10.31826/9781463225728-006. ISBN 978-1-4632-2572-8.
  14. ^ Tee, Caroline (29 January 2013). "The Sufi Mystical Idiom in Alevi Aşık Poetry: Flexibility, Adaptation and Meaning". European Journal of Turkish Studies. Social Sciences on Contemporary Turkey. doi:10.4000/ejts.4683. ISSN 1773-0546.
  15. ^ Karolewski, Janina (2008). "What is Heterodox About Alevism? The Development of Anti-Alevi Discrimination and Resentment". Die Welt des Islams. 48 (3/4): 434–456. doi:10.1163/157006008X364767. ISSN 0043-2539. JSTOR 27798275.
  16. ^ "The Amalgamation of Two Religious Cultures: The Conceptual and Social History of Alevi-Bektashism". 12 May 2022.
  17. ^ "TR100". interaktif.konda.com.tr. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  18. ^ Kızıl, Nurbanu (31 December 2021). "Govt signals action for Turkey's Alevi community amid obstacles". Daily Sabah. Retrieved 12 March 2023.