Cemevi

A Cemevi (pronounced and sometimes written as Djemevi) means literally a house of gathering in Turkish and is a place of fundamental importance for Turkey's Alevi-Bektashi populations and traditions. According to Presidency of Religious Affairs of Turkey, it is not a place of worship in the strict sense of the term despite Alevi organizations' such as Hacı Bektaş-ı Veli Anadolu Kültür Vakfı demands cemevi as places for worshiping to be officially recognized. The accent is laid on its aspect as lieu of assemblage (cem; pronounced djem). Historically, the Cems were usually held outdoors, using candles and torches to light up the place of gathering when it got dark. Often, people from nearby places would come to a cem to have a collective meal. The participants would often bring along food, which they would then distribute during the meal. Nowadays, some of these customs are still preserved. Men and women conduct cem activities and rites together.

The structuring of cemevi as into their present characteristics and rites owes much to the Bektashi tradition within various historical currents of Turkey's Alevi culture. Urbanization of many Alevis also brought changes in the conception of cem. In larger towns in Turkey today, cemevi are multifunctional buildings where a broad range of cultural activities take place. In Turkey, it is always problematic for a cemevi to get off the ground, due to strict state interference in religious matters, and cases of discrimination against the Alevis, which results in the founding of each cemevi acquiring political dimensions and necessitating case-by-case lobbyism.

The Sunnite Muslim majority in Turkey labels Alevi communities as de facto Muslims, a view shared by mainstream Alevis themselves. The issues between Sunnites and Alevis often center around, either historical grievances, or the present efforts consistently pursued by authorities for assimilating them into an official perception of mainstream Islam in Turkey. Many Alevi villages nowadays have mosques built by the state with attached clerics paid by the state. Compulsory religious education in the last decades has attracted adverse reactions by many Alevis, since the teaching presents an orthodox interpretation of faith, often excluding Alevi practices and teachings.