Seeking for peaceful coexistence: Abant Platform

Begüm Burak

Since Friday, distinguished writers, journalists and academics having different ideological orientations and religious beliefs have been in Abant in order to seek the methods and policies for the establishment of a common future for Alevi and Sunni citizens.

The 30th Abant Platform has taken the issue of how Alevi citizens and Sunni citizens can live together in a peaceful way. To this end, five different sessions have been held in order to cover important points concerning the relationship between Alevi and Sunni citizens on the one hand and Alevi citizens and the state on the other hand.

The first session was held on Friday, dealing with the historical background of religion-oriented relations in both Turkey and Middle East. Historian Ahmet Yaşar Ocak addressed key events shaping state-religion relations in Turkey from a historical point of view. The second session was one of the most salient sessions in the sense that it underlined the social toll which has been a product of long-lasting polarizations among different religious sects.

The third session dealt with the issue of freedom of religion and emphasized the significance of equality in terms of rights and liberties. In this context, the question “How can Turkey become a real liberal democracy?” has been at the center of lively debates.

On the other hand, during writing the final declaration, conflicting voices have arisen. However, all the conflicting views have contributed to the preparation of the final declaration in a democratic way.

In a nutshell, the 30th Abant Platform has again provided a fruitful ground for putting forward important ways in order to produce a liberal environment while solving the problems originating from unfair state policies directed against Alevi citizens. Indeed, the Abant Platform has also shed light upon the ambivalent attitude prevailing among some Sunni citizens towards specific key issues like the status of the Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı (Directorate of Religious Affairs). So the drafting of the final declaration has witnessed hot debates.

In brief, it can be said that nongovernmental initiatives like the Abant Platform provide a fruitful ground for debating important issues which cannot be discussed in a free way under the shadow of official state discourse. Thanks to NGOs and their praiseworthy efforts, important problems like that of the Kurdish issue or Alevi citizens' problems have been covered in a civilian platform.

Published on Today's Zaman, 16 December 2013, Monday