Turkey to allow Alevi faith taught in state schools

By Hidir Goktas and Ibon Villelabeitia

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey could allow state schools to teach the Alevi Muslim faith, a senior ruling AK party member said, part of measures to ease EU criticism of restrictions on minority rights.

Mainly Sunni Muslim Turkey is home to at least 15 million Alevis among a population of 70 million. Alevis, who follow a liberal brand of Islam that permits alcohol and men and women to pray together, complain their rights are ignored and places of worship not recognised by the state.

The European Union has objected to what it says is Ankara's religious intolerance towards non-Sunnis. Turkey, which hopes to join the bloc, pledged to expand minority rights to Alevis and other groups earlier this year.

"Religion classes should be based on individual demand. If Alevis want to learn Alevi faith in schools, we could pave the way for that," Nihat Ergun, deputy head of the AK Party's parliamentary group, told Reuters in an interview this week.

Alevis say compulsory religious classes teach Sunni Islam and are part of forced assimilation of Alevi children. They have long demanded an end to such classes.

Turkey is officially secular, but religion classes were introduced after the military coup in 1980 to support the government's tight control over religious activities.

Alevi groups, who this month held a big public march in Ankara, are also demanding state recognition for their places of worship -- known as cemevis, a ban on building mosques in Alevi villages and the abolition of the Religious Affairs Directorate.

Ergun, appointed by the AK Party to deal with the government's Alevi initiative, said those demands are under consideration, but said that not every demand would be met.