Alevi Bektashi Federation President Mustafa Aslan speaks to Aydın Tonga: Will the Diyanet remain silent?

Halil Konakçı, an official from the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) who frequently makes headlines with his statements, has this time targeted the Alevi Bektashi Federation.

Responding harshly to the Alevi Bektashi Federation's recent statement regarding Ramadan events, Konakçı attacked the Federation president without naming him, saying: "A man with a brush mustache made a statement. Saying, 'Ramadan events in schools are an assimilation.' Weren't you Muslims?"

In the later parts of his speech, Konakçı also questioned the beliefs of Alevis, continuing his words as follows: “Weren't you on the path of Hz. Ali? Didn't Hz. Ali fast during Ramadan, didn't he pray?”

The most controversial part of his statement was the following:

“If Hz. Ali came today and saw these statements of yours, I swear he would cut off your head with his Zulfiqar.”

Following these remarks, I spoke with Alevi Bektashi Federation President Mustafa Aslan. What does he think about these words, and how does he evaluate these statements?

Mustafa Aslan began his remarks by saying, “As is evident from Konakçı's statements, the struggle for secularism is very meaningful and valuable. The speeches of the aforementioned individual have also been an indicator of this.” “However,” Aslan said, “these words reflect not only him but a mentality, a mind that cannot tolerate Alevis. Moreover, the aforementioned individual draws this power and recklessness from the government; he makes these speeches by having the government behind him. This situation alone is a clear indicator of what the country has come to.”

In the same speech, Konakçı was also questioning the beliefs of Alevis. I reminded the Federation president of this as well. “This is clearly a trial of Alevis and an attempt to bring their beliefs into line. Alevis will not account for their centuries-old faith to the aforementioned individual. That is not his place,” he said.

In his aforementioned speech, Halil Konakçı was talking about the Zulfiqar and cutting off heads. So, what did he think about this, and would they have a statement regarding the matter?

“These words,” said Mustafa Aslan, “target not only me but millions of Alevis who think and live like me. Because we are an umbrella organization, we represent Alevis. Therefore, with these words, the aforementioned individual has actually placed Alevism in the crosshairs and created a ground for attacks against it.” Aslan continued his words: “Look, Alevis have experienced very painful experiences in this country; they have witnessed massacres and lynching attempts. Despite this, we are the addressees of such words as if no lessons have been learned from what happened. Think about it; today, someone could take duty from these words, gain courage, and attack us. They could harbor hatred and animosity towards us. In this respect, not only my life safety but the life safety of all Alevis is under threat. We have already spoken with our lawyer friends about these words, and we will file the necessary criminal complaint.”

Mustafa Aslan's statements are as follows:

At the center of all this debate lies an important question:

Halil Konakçı is a Diyanet official. Therefore, the words he utters bring institutional responsibility with them.

At this point, the question that must be asked on behalf of the public is clear:

Does the Presidency of Religious Affairs agree with these expressions of its personnel? Does it approve? If it does not agree, will a statement or administrative action be initiated regarding these words? We will wait and see.