1983 FEATURE Photo: Alan Denney The building used until 1983 as a theatre and cinema was purchased for £80,000 and transformed into Aziziye mosque UP UNTIL 1993, ALEVI FUNERALS WERE HELD AT A MOSQUE IN WHITECHAPEL Some, but by no means all, of the Alevi believe their faith to be a branch of Islam. Another major difference between Alevism and Sunni Islam is their place of worship. While Sunnis pray in mosques, Alevis meet at the cemevi. Unlike mosques, there is no gender segregation in a cemevi and the manner of prayer is different too: whereas a hodja or imam leads a service in a mosque, a cem service will see music, song and a form of spiritual dance known as the semah. The songs that are performed, often to the accompaniment of a guitar-like instrument known as the bağlama, are centuries-old and well-known amongst Alevi. One such song goes: “Learn from your mistakes and be knowledgeable, “Don’t look for faults in others, “Look at 73 different people in the same way, “God loves and created them all, so don’t say anything against them.” Turkey’s Alevi population has routinely been subject to discrimination and the target of massacres. “Up until 1993, Alevi funerals were held at a mosque in Whitechapel largely used by the Pakistani community,” says Tugay Hurman, recalling how the cemevi he leads today, at 89 Ridley Road, came to be founded. “Alevi funerals were generally regarded as second class and when one particular event experienced disrespectful behaviour, the Alevis realised they were not temporary visitors to this country and needed to establish a cemevi of their own.” Dalston’s cemevi has four thousand members and the building acts both as a cultural centre and a place of worship. Like Sunni Muslims, Alevis observe a fasting but they do this during the month of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, rather than the month of Ramadan. It is observed to mark the Battle of Karbala, in which Ali’s son Huseyin and his family members were abandoned in the desert and tortured for failing to give allegiance to the caliphate of Yazid I. Alevis mark the anniversary of this 680 CE battle with theatre and discussions on human values and Alevi teachings. It culminates in the festival of Ashura, where a special dish prepared from a variety of fruits, nuts, and grains is made. It is also known as Noah’s pudding and is shared not just within the cemevi but among family, friends and neighbours. There are three mosques in the Hackney region used by Turkish-speaking people not just for worship, but for advice and cultural events. One such site is at 117 Stoke Newignton Road, where the building used until 1983 as a theatre and cinema was purchased for £80,000 and transformed into Aziziye mosque. The local hodja Fahri Baltan tells the story: “When I first came here from Turkey I thought I would be leading services to hundreds of people, like in Sultanahmet [the site of Istanbul’s famous Blue Mosque]. But before Aziziye’s building was purchased, we used a flat on the upper floor of a building just nearby. There would be five or six people praying with us and I was deeply disappointed. The Turkish Alevi community dancing semah, a form of spiritual dance at Alevi Culture Festival at Oxford University “But then this building was purchased in 1983 and it took its present form in 1997. We have a lovely mosque now.” There are two important dates on the calendars of observant Muslims in the Turkish-speaking communities. One is Eid al-Fitr, known as the Ramadan Bayram in Turkish, which takes place over three days after the 30-day Ramadan fast. The other is Eid al-Adha, Kurban Bayram. Both are festivals where new clothes are purchased and families come together. In a ritual ceremony, the younger generation visit their elderly relatives to kiss their hand and touch it with their foreheads. Children get money, sweets and presents in return. Homemade baklava, nutty desserts, make the festival sweet, while stuffed vine leaves, soups, salads, meaty meals and rice dishes ensure the whole family have a hearty meal together. It’s not just families, either: friends will pay visits to one another. Alevis mark the festival in the same way, and just about every member of the Turkish-speaking communities echo the same refrain: it’s just not like it was back in Turkey. 20
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