"Who are the Alevi? Why is the Turkish government so wary of them?
This is an Alevi prayer ceremony in Istanbul, this spring. The Alevi - a large religious minority - are in conflict with the government over compulsory religious education. the ruling and strongly Islamic AK party, Reuters report, lump them together with Sunni Muslims and teach them the mandatory RE curriculum on how to pray, fasts, etc. But Alevis are significantly different, and a mother took the ministry to court to win permission to pull her son out of the classes and to have Alevis recognized in the curriculum."
More:Faith Central - Times Online - WBLG: Who are the Alevi? Why is the Turkish government so wary of them?