Alevis Bektashis of Thrace: Why their recognition annoys Turkey

Stefanos Nikolaidis

August 2025. A decision where writes story to Thrace: the Greece officially recognizes their Alevia religious communitya ‘minority within the minority“, As it is said, with centuries of delivery and deep roots in culture of the area.

What does this mean decision; What are they roots and the deliveries her community; And how can it affect the balance to Greek -Turkish relations;

Talking to podcast of SKAI and in skai.gr Professor of International Law and ND MP, Angel Syrigosanalyzes both historical route of Alevite Bektashis and meaning her state recognitionas well as the reactions in Greece and Turkeyas well as the extensions for the policy and social life her Thrace.

Through examples; personal observations and historical dataMr Syrigos puts us in interior of a community where for centuries stayed in margin – and now gets official voice.

Who are the Alevis Bektashis

Such as in Christianity there are several doctrines (Orthodox, Catholics, protesting), so in the Mohammedanism There are various religious directions.

OR sovereign direction her our area is the Sunni Islamthe Sunnis. OR Turkey is a Sunni country, the Saudi Arabia is a Sunni country, the Egypt It is a Sunni country. There are and Shiitewho follow a different doctrine. OR sovereign Shiite her wider area is the Iranwhile Shiite groups there are scattered in various points in Islamic world and to some countries are and majority.

But the rule is that majority is the Sunni Islam.

Beyond that, there are various other groups which have been historically resulted from various syncretation tendencies. Syntax is called the attempt to draw religious elements from religion where coexist in the area.

In this case, these all started with a person called Hatzi Bekki. We do not know if it is historicalthough there is the his grave to Turkey. Was a one monk who lived at the point that was the boundaries between the Islamic and the Christian world.

So he made a doctrine, Bektashismwho is Islamic doctrine clearly but has quite elements and by other religions.

For example, such as we We have the three -dimensional deity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), they have the trituration her their own deity (Allah, Mohammed and Ali). As we have their 12 apostleshave their respectively 12 imams. OR woman’s position in Bektashism It is much stronger than in Islam in general.

Still have some ceremonies with a strong element of communism. For example, at regular intervals (per 8 months or 1 year) is gathered the whole community to prayer spaces their and there everyone asks forgiveness by others for the errors he has done, even accepting review. That is, we are talking about things that are in line with small communitieswhich from the 14th century were at the bounds of the two worlds (Islam & Christianity).

In relation, that is, with the rest of Muslim her Thracethe Alevi is Muslimsbut have the their own doctrine.

Also they don’t go to mosquito with minaretslike the rest of the Muslims. Their spaces are called tequers and there they go and men and women together. Is not separated between them.

It is characteristic that the ceremonies accompany them with mandolinwhere they sail and they sing.

We must understand that these doctrines are created in areas that exists mixing. Many times it was also a attempt to pull these people from the Old Religion (Christianity) to their new religionoffering something that was close enough to them.

Characteristic of the example of jerk. The jet they were born Christiansthey didn’t make them Sunni Muslimsbut Bektashis, precisely because they thought they were close enough to their old religion. In fact, something that is not particularly well known: the jet they had Flag (Bayraki) with Saint Georgeas the Saint George and the Prophet Elias is two saints where are recognized in Bektashism.

So taking them from young children by Christianitythe Ottoman they led them to something pretty close to their previous religionbut on the side of Islam.

Their great problem In recent years it is that they belonged to battalions. These battalions were put into persecution to Turkey after Kemal And then, due to the change of conditions, the same thing happened in other areas of the Balkans.

The Beaches were traditionally found in Turkey and in Balkans. Is Turkish -speaking and Albanian -speaking. Before exchange of populations there were Albanian -speaking Bektashis and at Greece. For example, there is one tears near Tempiwho is protected by the Ministry of Culturewithout working anymore.

In its area Thrace We have Turkish -speaking Bektashism. We are talking about 3,000 – 4,000 people which mainly reside in Evros.

From the elements of the area we can imagine that they existed in other areas. That is, we see tequers with graves in Various areas her Thrace. However, the bulk them at the moment are in apart in northern Evros.

THE second sacred place of concrete worldwide it is in Roussa village. THE first place is the grave of Hatzi Bekki to Turkey, with a yet difference: is museum And it doesn’t work.

On the contrary, the opium den her Roussa is the single religious point of Bektashis where has not ceased to work from the 1400 made. In fact, inside it has a small black stone which during delivery has been detached from Mecca.

The big step of recognition

To Thrace We often have the impression that there is something monolithic and compact. OR Muslim minority ie Turkey Want to consider that they are all Turkish -speaking and all Sunnis. In fact, a portion of them is Turkish -speakinga section Pomaks and another Roma.

The Alevi Well they were treated with reservation and with discrimination On the Turkish side.

For example, If a Bektassis Alevite diedif he stated his identity, did not allow him to be buried in the cemetery of the rest of the Muslims. And was at the beginning of the 2000 case deadly exhum.

Therefore, these groups are characterized by side International law “minority within the minority”

What does this mean?

As a rule, a minority is in danger of being assimilated and to disappear by dominant majority group. In this case, they are not at risk of dominant majority group of Christian of the area but by the dominant within the minority group.

Those Pomaks and Roma are at risk of Turkish -speakingand Alevis by the main volume of Sunni Islam.

There was one incidentagain during the decade 2000where the Sunnis they had abolished the teke her Roussatrying to make him Sunni pilgrimage.

Now Greek state recognizes the their existence.

Recognizes the their religious institutionsmade a Vakoufian Committee who will deal with exclusively with them their own spaces and Children of Bektashis they will be able to schools to have priests to learn about the their own doctrine within Islam.

Turkish and Greek reactions

The 2020 We first recognized Alevito Bektasidiko. That is, we said that this space is for their Alevis Bektashis, again to these apart to Thrace.

Then there had been reaction by Turkeybut with weird way. Or Turkey had said that these movements They have no responsebecause they are trying to break down the minority. And Bektashis of Turkey (7 to 10 million) They had stated their enthusiasm, saying that ‘Greece recognizes us, while the country we live in ignores our existence. “

Immediately after the recognition by the Parliament early August 2025, on the 5th of the month the Minister of Education Sofia Zacharaki was accompanied by the Angel to Central Feast of Alevis Bektashis out of teke her Roussa.

In this event the event representatives her Greek state were accepted by the community with emotion; joy and magnificence.

Citing within border reactionsto Parliament became the following diversification: the Two Muslim Members her New Left Hussein Zeibek and Ferhat Ozgur by the prefectures Xanthi and Rodopiwho represent the minority, were very annoyed.

One of them described ‘extremely suspicious»All that the Greek state is doing, which“seeks to break down the minority“, Adding later that”These plans will not pass” The other Member welcome In principle, this move and then explained that it is’unacceptable“, Because it has’ aOther goals“, Stressing that”They are not these minority problems‘

But the truth is that with this move Greece does not change the Treaty of Lausanne. On the contrary, gives more rights to a religious group.

There is an incorrect perception of ‘reciprocity»In the area, which has paid and the Muslim minority to Greece and the Greek minority to Turkey: that is to say Whatever happens on one side; There must be an answer to the minority living on the other side of the other side.

Fortunately the Greek side has escaped from this logic for decades.

We have in our country About 100,000 people Muslim minoritywhere they prosper. In contrast to the Turkey, have the rights that offers them by Treaty of Lausanne, the Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights.