’Others,’ ’us’ and little in between

Secularists, Kurds and Alevis are exposed to social pressures in Turkey’s conservative Anatolian heartland that force them to hide who they are, revealed a recent report by the prestigious Boğaziçi University in Istanbul.

In the report, the social pressure was defined as neighborhood pressure, or "mahalle baskısı" in Turkish. It is a concept akin to "peer pressure" that was introduced into the Turkish lexicon two years ago by renowned sociologist, Şerif Mardin, to denote social pressure on a person by one’s environment to abide by the norms. It was used to explain the alleged increase in the number of women who wore headscarves. The argument was that individuals who did not conform to their environment’s standards, be it wearing the headscarf or not wearing it, or fasting during Ramadan, felt implicit pressure to follow the rest.

Compared to different social pressures in urban Turkey, in rural Anatolia and towns that dot the landscape, Alevis, Kurds, secularists and youth who want to lead a modern life, face a serious backlash. Alevis are a liberal Muslim sect that does not follow the traditional Sunni rules of praying in mosques and do not fast during Ramadan.

The study, "Being Different in Turkey: Those who are made to be like others based on religion and conservatism," was conducted by a team of academics lead by Binnaz Toprak and supported by Boğaziçi University and the Open Society Institute.The CHP has renewed its party program and party bylaws. The powers of the secretary-general have been trimmed, while the number of deputy party chairpersons has been increased, according to the renewed bylaws. The program has put an emphasis on the "ethnic identity."

"Different ethnic identities are a richness. Different ethnic groups’ rights to learn, teach and broadcast in their mother tongues will be safeguarded. Alevis will be represented at the Religious Affairs Directorate," it read. While the party pledges "family insurance" in the fight against poverty, it promises "zero tax" to those earning minimum wage. The party program also contains reforms in education and agriculture.

At the party congress, Baykal did not comment about his recent surprise ahead of next year’s local elections to open up to conservative voters who wore black chador. However, some deputies in the CHP uneasy with their leader’s "chador" initiative took a rather critical tone. "The chador is the sort of attire imposed on women by political Islam. The CHP grassroots are deeply concerned," said the CHP’s former Istanbul deputy, Ali Kemal Kumkumoğlu.

’Confront realities’
Baykal said he asked the prime minister concrete questions about the sale of Telecom, Sabah-Atv tender, Ceyhan refinery and Lighthouse e.V. during the budgetary discussions in Parliament and noted that they went unanswered.

"There is a media controlled by the prime minister. Apart from that, there are two (media) groups and one of them was boycotted by the prime minister," said Baykal, referring to Erdoğan’s recent boycott call on all Doğan media publications.

"Now he says ’shut down’ the other group," said Baykal. "The problem of the prime minister having an ill-tempered discourse will not end by closing newspapers. The facts are around and he must face with them. These facts will continue to cause problems to him," Baykal said.

The CHP leader said they had left in-party fighting behind and made assurances the members of his party were acting responsibly. Meanwhile, CHP deputy parliamentary leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, well-known for challenging ruling party members and deputies in corruption cases, said he would not run for mayor in Istanbul.

The study was based on interviews with 401 people from 12 towns around Anatolia and two neighborhoods in Istanbul, where migrants from Anatolia are dominant.

The traditional and conservative structure of rural Turkey is not a new phenomenon, however, the advent of the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, and the growth of the Gülen movement have made neighborhood pressure that much more severe.

The Gülen Movement, led by Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, sets up schools and dormitories around the world. Gülen’s opinions on education, science, Darwinism, the economy and social justice are a source of controversy.

The rise of the AKP and the Gülen movement has transformed the status of Alevis, secularists and Kurds into that of "others" within society, claimed the report.

Respondents in Erzurum, in the east of the country, criticized the cronyism of the AKP and said state tenders in the region favored AKP supporters who were not even local. They argued that attending Friday prayers and fasting during Ramadan was the key to a successful business career in the province.

The head of the research team, Binnaz Toprak, noted there were scenes of men vacating their seats on commuter buses to girls wearing headscarves rather than to older woman who were not. "This is something new and visible in Istanbul’s Bağcılar district and in Anatolian cities," she said.

Increased pressure
"The results were surprising for us, we didn’t expect that much pressure," said Toprak, who did the research with İrfan Bozan, Tan Morgül, and Nedim Şener

Toprak has in the past been involved in studies analyzing the pressures on religious conservatives and that was why reactions from AKP supporters and Islamists were not included in the report, she said.

"Alevis are the group that is mostly excluded, insulted and exposed to social pressure in Anatolia," Toprak said in a meeting discussing the report last Friday.

Alevi women interviewed in Erzurum wore the headscarf outside, though they do not wear it when interviewed by a man, she said.

The women interpreted their actions as, "the traditional structure of Erzurum" and they did it only to feel comfortable on the streets.

Some Alevis told questioners they sacrificed animals during Kurban Bayram but some of their Sunni neighbors to whom they sent meat, would throw it to the dogs, saying, "The animal slaughtered by an Alevi cannot be eaten."

University students
Many university students in Turkey leave home to study. Those attending universities in Anatolian cities face many obstacles.

While male and female students are told by landlords not to bring home members of the opposite sex, Kurds are forced to hide their origins, resulting in many claiming to be from Istanbul or Ankara. Kurdish students refrain from speaking their mother tongue for fear of a backlash.

A Kurdish student, who went to the Black Sea province of Trabzon to study, said he only felt comfortable at home.

Although it claims to be a philanthropic and religious community of volunteers, the Gülen movement is seen as a pressure group by seculars, Alevis and others.

The Gülen movement’s popularity seems to stem from its function of filling a gap in the field of education and social services, said the report.

Students who took university entrance exam in those dormitories linked to the movement said once they were accepted to a university, members of the movement took them to the city where the university was and handed them over to a local movement member.

Some students who had links to the movement said they did not see themselves as pressured while staying in Gülen dormitories, however, they noted they needed to abide by certain rules, such as no members of the opposite sex in their rooms, only watching conservative television channels or forbidding girls to wear jeans.

The dorms give suggestions and encourage students to change their lifestyles in a more religious way, the students said.

The methodology of the research has been criticized by some for not giving significant data and numbers and not including Islamist respondents. Yeşim Arat, an academic, said the research sample had to be composed of secularists, Alevis, and "others" in Anatolia because that was the focus.ü,

ALEVIS MARCH FOR RIGHTS
Tens of thousands of Alevis marched in Ankara early last month to demand recognition from the state and ask for respect of their rights. The demonstrators called on the government to abolish the Religious Affairs Directorate, remove compulsory religious courses at schools and legalize the community's "cemevi" prayer houses.

The Justice and Development Party, or AKP, came under fire for not listening to Alevi problems. They say that despite its advocacy of broader religious freedoms, the AKP government has done little on promises for reconciliation with the Alevis.