The Democratic Alevi Associations (DAD) Ankara branch co-president Mustafa Karabudak, spoke to ANF about the Alevi assimilation policies and the disturbing acts in which Alevi houses were marked in Izmir.

Expressing that Alevis have been subjected to massacre continuously since Karbala, Karabudak said: "All genocides so far are cultural genocides. When we look behind at the massacres of Sivas, Çorum, Malatya and Maraş, we see that these massacres have other aims as well.
It is not only about the killing of Alevis, it is about the weakening the economic area, the narrowing the living spaces, immigration, etc. There are such problems. Many Alevi who do not feel safe choose to migrate to the metropolitan areas and disappear there."

Addressing the problems created by the insecure environment caused by the continuous attack on Alevis houses, workplaces and properties, Karabudak continued: "Alevis began to do what they did not do in the villages once they migrated to the cities. This has also to do with assimilation."

Mustafa Karabudak also stated that compulsory religious classes have a differentiating effect and said: "Mandatory religious instruction in schools after 12 September [1980 military coup] is also an assimilation policy. The Alevis' view of women and society and the stance of the oppressed always disturbed the system. As did the Alevis contact with the HDP in the 2015 elections. It disturbed the state. The presence of an Alevi opposition group that still resists is disturbing the system."

Alevism, which is an ancient belief, cannot be destroyed by assimilation policies, said the co-president of DAD Ankara Branch and urged Alevis to stand together against attacks and provocations.