Good and bad news for Kurds and Alevis

While Turkey is going through a period where exceptional measures such as dawn raids on homes, arrests, and travel bans are becoming commonplace, it is also discussing initiative after initiative.

In a country where dissidents can easily be imprisoned, the ruling party now appears more daring in recognizing identities and granting rights. Affiliations that were previously rejected, ignored, or subsumed under the umbrella of other identities are now recognized as the color and richness of the country. Furthermore, positive responses are being given to demands that have been voiced for years.

Devlet Bahçeli is the leader of these initiatives within the ruling bloc. The MHP leader made noteworthy statements regarding Alevi citizens at yesterday's parliamentary group meeting. Bahçeli said, "The cemevi is as much ours as the mosque . The cemevi is ours, the semah is ours, and the obligations of faith and Islam are ours. We must be assertive in registering the cemevi as a place of worship and demonstrate the courage to remove the obstacles one by one."

A few days ago, we read the news that the first phase of the Khorasan Erenleri Dervish Lodge Cemevi Complex, built on land donated by Bahçeli in the Hacıbektaş district of Nevşehir, had opened. Bahçeli also touched on this project in his statement yesterday, saying, "I pray to God that the Khorasan Erenleri Dervish Lodge Cemevi Complex, the largest cemevi project in the world and in our country, will become a symbol of our national unity and solidarity."

Bahçeli was visited by Yavuz Bingöl for this gift. Bingöl thanked Bahçeli and personally recited the "Çeke Çeke" chant, explaining that he was "paying this visit to thank His Excellency as an artist of Alevi Bektaşi origins" and that he also gifted Bahçeli his bağlama. So, the showcase part of the work was thus fulfilled. Of course, the extent of Bingöl's remaining prestige within the Alevi community is a separate matter of debate.

The Cemevi issue should be interpreted as a new phase in Bahçeli's initiatives. On July 21st, he outlined the scope of these initiatives by stating that one of the president's assistants could be Kurdish and the other could be Alevi. Although these words contained the hidden implication that "the president must definitely be Sunni Turk," they also demonstrated the MHP's broadening of its acceptance of identities and their access to critical positions within the state.

The process being carried out (or not) with the Kurdish movement, the goodwill displays towards Alevis, and even the "unity" poses at the opening of Parliament on October 1st are all reflections of the regime's new policy. While the government is shaping the political landscape through force and judicial power, it is also trying to expand its own camp by including the opposition. Including the opposition involves not only recognizing and rewarding it but also softening it and confining it to a specific area.

The most significant difference in the new paradigm is the recognition of the cultural rights of identities that have been marginalized and victimized until now. Behind this lies the idea of ​​engaging the political movements and tendencies representing these identities within the established order, placing them in a position that neither problems the regime's existence nor prioritizes its change.

In other words, a period is being envisioned in which identities are recognized in proportion to their level of influence and their representation in the state is increased, but the freedom to demand executive power—the most fundamental condition of democracy—or to advocate for a change in that power is criminalized. In a sense, the government is giving Kurdish and Alevi citizens the good news, "From now on, we will recognize you by your identity," but also stipulating: "Do not be among those who seek change."

Kurds and Alevis, who have resisted this government for many years, have become among the most important components of the social opposition. They possess sufficient historical awareness to see that democracy and freedoms can be achieved not by compromising with a mindset like the AKP-MHP government, but by fighting it. With this awareness and honorable stance, they will thwart all political calculations to the contrary.