Alawi religious leaders battle for recognition

The employees demanded the Religious Affairs Directorate recognize them as a religious community, respect their rights and that the body be reorganized to accommodate the changes.
They said that they would be applying to the European Court of Human Rights if all the domestic legal remedies were exhausted. Alawis noted that this case was not only about being accorded state employee status, but was a fight for their identity.
Lawyer Kemal Kırlangıç said there were more than 20 million Alawis in Turkey, but legally they didn’t exist. He said: “No law mentions this community. Those who work at the Cemevi are not recognized as religious staff and that’s why they don’t have any rights. Our fight will continue.”

Cemevi Dede Cemal Sevin said: “What we want is not an identification card. We are citizens of Turkey. Wherever we go, we encounter problems. For example, when I want water to be connected to the Cemevi, they tell me we are not included in the law and that’s why they cannot do it. Sunnis have their mosques, we have our Cemevis. Let them recognize us.”