Alevi Bektaşi Federasyonu

The Alevi Bektaşi Federasyonu (ABF), Turkish for Alevi-Bektashi Federation, is the umbrella organization representing more than 148 distinct Alevi and Bektashi associations and institutions in Turkey. It was founded in 2002, during the premiership of Bülent Ecevit, and is headquartered in Ankara, the Turkish capital. The federation serves as a national coordinating body for Alevi civil society, bringing together local cultural associations, cemevi (Alevi place of worship) organizations, and related Bektashi dervish-order groups under a single institutional roof. The ABF is structured around three separate governing bodies: a General Board (Genel Yönetim Kurulu), a Supervisory Board (Denetleme Kurulu), and a Disciplinary Commission (Disiplin Kurulu). Its leadership has included Selahattin Özel and, as of April 2013, General Secretary Ali Balkız. More recently, Mustafa Aslan has served as General President (Genel Başkan) and Özgür Kaplan as General Secretary. The federation's public advocacy centers on the recognition and rights of Turkey's Alevi minority, and it has repeatedly criticized the assimilation of Alevis in Turkey. Beyond Turkey, the ABF maintains international contacts with an estimated 495 Alevi and Bektashi organizations and associations across Europe, including the Alevitische Gemeinde Deutschland (Alevi Community in Germany) and the Bund der Alevitischen Jugendlichen in Deutschland (Federation of Alevi Youth in Germany). This transnational network positions the ABF as a bridge between Alevi communities in Turkey and the Alevi diaspora in Europe. The federation's public communications emphasize Alevi religious practice and the status of cemevi as places of worship. Its website carries slogans such as "Cem ibadetimiz, Cemevleri İbadethanemizdir!" (Our cem is our worship, cemevi are our places of worship) and "İşte biriz, birlikteyiz!" (Here we are one, we are together). The ABF also organizes large-scale gatherings; its Büyük Alevi Kurultayı (Grand Alevi Congress) in December 2022 drew more than 10,000 Alevis, Alevi institutional administrators, faith leaders, artists, academics, and representatives of Alevi regional associations, political parties, embassies, and civil society organizations from Turkey, Europe, the Balkans, Iran, Iraq, and Syria. The federation engages directly with Turkish political and legal developments affecting Alevis. In late 2022 it responded to the AKP government's decision to establish an Alevi-Bektashi Culture and Cemevi Presidency, and it joined other Alevi institutions in declaring a presidential decree on the matter "null and void" for the Alevi community. It also issued statements of condemnation and mourning following the November 2022 bombing on İstanbul's İstiklal Avenue in Taksim, and it participates in annual commemorations of massacres against Alevis, including the 42nd-anniversary commemoration held in Çorum. Through these activities, the ABF functions as a major institutional voice for Alevi religious, cultural, and political representation in Turkey and among the Alevi diaspora.

The Alevi Bektaşi Federasyonu (ABF) was founded in 2002, during the premiership of Bülent Ecevit, as a national umbrella organization for Turkey's Alevi and Bektashi communities. It was established to coordinate the activities of a large number of local Alevi associations and cemevi organizations, and it is headquartered in Ankara. At its founding and in its early years, the federation represented a significant step in the institutionalization of Alevi civil society in Turkey, providing a single national platform for groups that had previously operated largely at the local or regional level. The federation is organized into three separate bodies: the General Board (Genel Yönetim Kurulu), the Supervisory Board (Denetleme Kurulu), and the Disciplinary Commission (Disiplin Kurulu). Its early leadership included Selahattin Özel as General Secretary, followed by Ali Balkız, who held the position as of April 2013. In subsequent years, Mustafa Aslan served as General President and Özgür Kaplan as General Secretary. From its inception, the ABF has been an advocacy organization as much as a coordinating body. It has criticized the assimilation of the Alevi minority in Turkey and has campaigned for the recognition of Alevi religious rights, including the legal status of cemevi as places of worship. Its public messaging emphasizes Alevi religious practice, with slogans such as "Cem ibadetimiz, Cemevleri İbadethanemizdir!" (Our cem is our worship, cemevi are our places of worship). The federation has also built an international presence. It maintains contacts with an estimated 495 Alevi and Bektashi organizations and associations across Europe, including the Alevitische Gemeinde Deutschland and the Bund der Alevitischen Jugendlichen in Deutschland. This network links the ABF to the large Alevi diaspora in Europe, particularly in Germany, and allows it to participate in transnational Alevi advocacy. In December 2022, the ABF helped convene the Büyük Alevi Kurultayı (Grand Alevi Congress), which drew more than 10,000 participants, including Alevi institutional administrators, faith leaders, artists, academics, representatives of Alevi regional associations, political parties, embassies, and civil society organizations from Turkey, Europe, the Balkans, Iran, Iraq, and Syria. The congress issued a final declaration and represented a major moment of mobilization for the Alevi community. The ABF has been active in responding to Turkish political and legal developments affecting Alevis. In late 2022, it opposed the AKP government's decision to establish an Alevi-Bektashi Culture and Cemevi Presidency, and it joined other Alevi institutions in declaring the associated presidential decree null and void for the Alevi community. It also issued statements of condemnation and mourning after the November 2022 bombing on İstanbul's Taksim İstiklal Avenue, and it participates in annual commemorations of massacres against Alevis, including a 42nd-anniversary commemoration held in Çorum. Through these activities, the ABF has established itself as a leading institutional voice for Alevi religious, cultural, and political representation in Turkey and in the diaspora.

• 2022

  Grand Alevi Congress held in December, drawing more than 10,000 participants from Turkey, Europe, the Balkans, Iran, Iraq, and Syria.

• 2022

  Federation opposes AKP's Alevi-Bektashi Culture and Cemevi Presidency decision and declares the presidential decree null and void for the Alevi community.

• 2022

  Federation issues condemnation and condolences after the November 13 bombing on İstanbul's Taksim İstiklal Avenue.

• 2013

  Ali Balkız serves as General Secretary (as of April 2013); predecessor was Selahattin Özel.

• 2002

  Alevi Bektaşi Federasyonu founded during the premiership of Bülent Ecevit; headquartered in Ankara.

Umbrella federation and advocacy body for Alevi and Bektashi organizations in Turkey and the diaspora.

1. 1Alevi Bektaşi Federasyonu official websitealevifederasyonu.org.tr
2. 2Alevi Bektaşi Federasyonu – Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Alevi Bektaşi Federasyonu – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org