Alevi or Alawi?

Submitted by NL321 (Netherlands), Aug 22, 2013 at 15:17

You speak of respect for all other beliefs and that women have souls. Are you an Anatolian Alevi by any chance? You say you are a young religion and still growing. Alawi religion is over 1000 years old and the sect does not really grow (other than through natural birth).

The Alawis (Nusayri's) as far as I understand believe only they can find salvation and that the fate of all non-Alawi's is to turn into animals and after that even lower forms of existence. In the past this sect was open to conversion but today they are totally closed and seem to have developed some sort of concept of predestination (one medieval source even says only Alawi's came from the World of Light so only they can return, something in stark contrast with the origins of the sect, namely large scale conversion and the conversion rules as established by prominent Nusayri leader Al-Tabarani).

So is this respectful? I find your beliefs rather pessimistic and also in conflict with your own origins and theology.

As for women, this is also strange. They genuinely seem to believe only men have souls as only they came from the World of Light. Women cannot return there because they never came from there. They seem to hide this from their own women, they keep them in the dark it seems to me. In Turkey Alawi women seem to believe they have been reborn but if this is the case why would it matter as one still needs guidance of a shayk? But the same religious text I mentioned earlier actually states that a good and obedient women can become a man in a next life. This is interesting as these women I mentioned in Turkey do not believe gender-swaps during reincarnation is possible. It would be in line with the thing Alawi women like to do however, their habit of doing 'good deeds'.

Can you perhaps clarify a little on your views of women and non-Alawi's or are you in fact an Alevi girl?

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