Cemevi leader appreciates president’s visit

Mert Gökhan Koç - ANKARA

The religious leader of Hüseyin Gazi Cemevi, an Alevi house of worship, where President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with the Alevi and Bektashi associations on Aug. 8, has appreciated the visit, which came after five different attacks on Alevi institutions in the capital Ankara.

“Erdoğan said the attacks on the cemevis will not be hushed up and vowed whatever forces are behind the incident to be followed to the end and be given the heaviest punishment,” said Hüseyin Öz.

Reiterating the participation of Vice President Fuat Oktay, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu and Culture, Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy and presidential spokesperson İbrahim Kalın in the program, said that the visit was highly important for the Alevi community.

Öz also pointed out that he conveyed the Alevi community’s demands regarding cemevis to be given the status of places of worship, the state to cover the expenses such as electricity and water, and the recognition of the rights granted to other places of worship.

“He answered positively and instructed the preparation of reports on this subject through his advisors. He has already taken a step by coming here, I think that it will continue,” Öz said.

Noting that the decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and the Turkish judiciary has not been implemented, this visit may turn the tables, Öz hopes.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended the Muharram iftar with the representatives of the Alevi community at Hüseyin Gazi Cemevi in Ankara late on Aug. 8.

In the month of Muharram, the Alevi community commemorates the killing of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad.

“Hussein and his friends, who fought the biggest and most difficult struggle in the history of humanity, are an example for everyone without exception in the struggle for rights and justice,” Erdoğan said at the event.