My favorite Turkish album is Pir Sultan Abdal by Kizilirmak.Pir Sultan Abdal (ca. 1480 – 1550) was a legendary Alawi poet, whose beautiful verses led him to become a classic in Turkish (folk) litterature. Pir Sultan Abdal reflected the social, cultural and religious life of the people; he was a humanist, and wrote about resistance, love, peace, death and God. He was also rebellious against authoritarian rule which led him into problems with the Ottoman establishment.
For latter day Turkish poets and musicians such as Kizilirmak, Pir Sultan is a symbol of resistance against authoritarian rule in general, and the shortcomings of the Turkish Republic in particular.
The Alawi are a religious, sub-ethnic and cultural community, primarily in Turkey and Syria, numbering in the tens of millions. Alawi view of Islam is heavily influenced by Tengriism, the ancient Turkic pre-islam beliefs. Alawi is classified as a branch of Shi'a Islam, however there are significant differences in Alawi beliefs, traditions and rituals when compared to other orthodox sects. Alawi worship takes place in assembly houses (cemevi) rather than mosques. The ceremony (cem), features music and dance (semah) and both women and men participate. Instead of Arabic, the respective native language is predominant during rituals and praying.
Key Alevi characteristics include:
- Love and respect for all people
(“The important thing is not religion, but being a human being”) - Tolerance towards other religions and ethnic groups
(“If you hurt another person, the ritual prayers you have done are counted as worthless”) - Respect for working people
("The greatest act of worship is to work”) - Equality of men and women, who pray side by side. Monogamy is practiced.
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