I was very excited when I first heard about the cami (mosque)-cemevi project that will see Alevis and Sunnis share a worship complex, having their sermons in separate buildings but sharing a yard and using the same entrance and exit.
The idea was brought forward by Fethullah Gülen, the spiritual leader of the Gülen movement. His counterpart in the project is the Cem Foundation and its leader, İzzettin Doğan. Doğan said that the offer was made by Gülen and that he suggested the addition of a communal soup kitchen (aşevi) to the complex to ensure no visitor to the premises would be with an empty stomach. And, finally, the project became a mosque-communal kitchen-cemevi.
There was the groundbreaking ceremony for the project in the Tuzluçayır district of Ankara on Sunday. Tuzluçayır has a dense Alevi population. The ceremony was met with violent protests that were suppressed by riot police who used excessive force, including rubber bullets and other methods.
The groundbreaking project also provoked a hot debate across the country. Alevis seem to be divided into different camps on the matter. Some welcome the project, saying that the complex will promote understanding and tolerance among Alevis and Sunnis while contributing to the legal recognition of cemevis in Turkey. The other camp argues that it is a state-sponsored project that aims to assimilate Alevis. These objections have not come just from individual members of the Alevi community but also from some Alevi organizations that issued a common declaration in protest of the project.
To be honest, I find this situation really sad. Some conflicts in Turkey run so deep that even attempts at healing cannot be tolerated by some segments of society. When I look at what happened in Tuzluçayır, I cannot find an easy answer, nor am I able to offer an easy fix. It would be too simple to explain all of these incidents as caused by provocation by extremist organizations. Though they probably contributed to the violence, this does not explain everything.
When I read about the concerns that have been voiced, I thought some of them have a solid ground. Some Alevis question what will happen when special Alevi and Sunni ceremonies and sacred days coincide. One Alevi leader asked whether the communal kitchen will continue to serve food during Ramadan, when Sunni Muslims are fasting; also, what will happen when Alevi and Sunni ceremonies coincide with the adhan -- should they stop? There really may be some problems and there are questions that need to be answered by the organizers of this project. However, none of these or similar questions give anyone the right to try to hinder or sabotage projects of this kind.
Some “concerns” showed me that for some Alevis, there is a situation of us versus the Sunni-affiliated state. For example, they say this cannot be a sincere project in a country in which Alevi places of worship are not recognized, as if the Gülen movement is the state itself. This also ignores the fact that the project marks a huge step toward the recognition of their places of worship.
I can understand that the government's naming of the third bridge over the Bosporus after Yavuz Sultan Selim (a figure feared by Alevis), its inability to take positive steps for Alevis, the widespread denial of Alevi massacres and Alevi grievances at the state and societal levels may all contribute to resistance against this kind of positive steps. I am also doubtful the selected location to build this complex is the right place; maybe the organizers should have tried to better understand local sensitivities.
However, in spite of everything, I cannot stop worrying about the depth of the negative, destructive feelings I have observed in some of our Alevi citizens, who suffered through so many traumas in both Ottoman times and under the republic.
I really hope that the Gülen movement and Cem Foundation will find ways to somehow move past the negative reactions and continue to carry out this important project.
Published on Today's Zaman, 10 September 2013, Tuesday
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