Cemevi

Three workers were killed in an accident in an Alia?a Iron and Steel Plant in the Aegean province of ?zmir on Jan. 14.

Executives and representatives of Alevi associations in Turkey have submitted a legal complaint against the head of Turkey's Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) for his recent remarks on not seeing cemevis, the Alevi places of worship, as equal to mosques. 

Granting a legal status to Alevi worship houses, known as cemevis, is a "red line" for Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet), its head Mehmet Görmez has said, stating that "cemevis cannot be considered an alternative to mosques." 

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu has outlined a set of comprehensive action plans for the fulfillment of pre-election promises to different segments of society, particularly on the status of Alevis. 

Having almost completed its planned legislative program before officially taking over as the newly elected 64th government of Turkey, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) is expected to prioritize a fresh "Alevi opening" to address the status and rights of Alevi citizens.

Anti-Semitism has risen in recent years in Turkey, a U.S. State Department report has said, adding that the Turkish government has continued to discriminate against its non-Sunni Muslim citizens.

The Charity Commission for England and Wales has accepted the British Alevi Foundation (BAF), an umbrella body of 12 Alevi centers in the United Kingdom, as a religious charity, giving the community a legal recognition that is denied to it in Turkey.

Kenan Ceylan who died in uniform in Hakkari ?emdinli is an Alevi from Tokat. That's why two separate funerals were held. The first one was held in a cemevi (an Alevi house of worship), according to his faith and the official funeral was held in front of the building of the provincial governor.

The Turkish state should cover the expenses of cemevis, Alevi houses of worship, a chamber of the Supreme Court of Appeals has ruled, in a move which could mark a watershed on an aspect that many have seen as discriminatory toward the Alevi community.

Alevi organizations have issued a joint press statement after the threatening recent ?X? marking of a number of Alevi homes in Istanbul?s Üsküdar district, saying ?a country where Alevis are threatened will be safe for no one.?