Alevi Associations Protest As Houses Marked With Crosses İn Üsküdar

Known as a conservative district of the city, after some of the houses where Alevi citizens reside have been marked with a cross by unknown people on early Aug 11, Alevi and Bektaşi Associations made a statement declaring "We will not provoked, we will defend peace".

Along with Alevi Bektaşi Associations Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Istanbul members were at the protests. HDP' Istanbul Deputy Ali Kenanoğlu, an Alevi politician urged that since 2012 where Syria conflict has began, the attacks targeting Alevis have been systematized in Turkey. "However these incidents are not ordinary attack. There might be an attempt to raise the chaos. The only way to prevent these incidents is to find those people who marked the houses" added Kenanoğlu.

Alevi Baktaşi Dederation Vice President Ali Özcan added that they did not want the Alevi community to be dragged into a fight.

Ali Ekber Kartal, owner of one of the marked houses said "Yesterday morning, I heard an alarm voice at 07.00 a.m. after I woke up. When I checked outside, I noticed a package in black colour . I told my wife and we all left the house with our children. The police detonated the suspicious package. Then we found out that four other houses were marked with a cross. After these incidents, we have fear."

One of the "Alevi Grandfathers (Dedeler)" Ali Soysüren also made a statement and said "No one should forget, if fire falls over Alevis' houses, this means that the fire will also burn others. We defend peace, not war. Because our religion is love, and our kiblah is towards people…"

(Photo) - İstanbul