The perspectives of Turkish nationalists on Alevi Bektashi belief system, the case of Nevsehir province

The issue of freedom of religion and belief in Turkey is quite complex and multifaceted. It is observed that there are various problems in this regard. The issues pointed out cover various difficulties faced by individuals belonging to different religions and belief systems. In order to solve these problems, it is important to take into consideration the demands of groups that embrace various religions and belief systems in order to ensure social peace and tolerance. In this study, the perspectives of communities with nationalist views on the Alevi-Bektashi belief system are revealed and the problems that constitute an obstacle to ensuring social peace and unity are tried to be determined. In this way, it is aimed to ensure social peace and unity. In the study, the "qualitative approach" method was adopted since it was aimed to examine the social facts related to the research problem in depth without any changes and to obtain the subjective opinions of the study groups. In the research conducted with a qualitative approach, the study was carried out in accordance with the "phenomenology" pattern, as it was aimed to reveal the experiences of Turkish nationalists towards the Alevi-Bektashi belief system, the meanings and perceptions they attributed to the Alevi-Bektashi belief system. Qualitative research is conducted based on observation and interview techniques and does not require wide and large samples; In phenomenological studies, since it is assumed that the individuals forming the study group have experience with the phenomenon under investigation, "purposive sampling" and "snowball sampling", one of the purposeful sampling strategies, were used when selecting the sample in the research, in accordance with the qualitative research method and phenomenology pattern. The study group of our research consists of 22 Turkish nationalists from different professional groups living in Nevşehir province. Since the aim of semi-structured interviews is to collect in-depth information on the phenomenon under consideration and to provide fixed-choice answers, "semi-structured interviews" were conducted in the research. The data obtained was collected with a semi-structured interview form. In the research, data obtained from semi-structured interviews were analyzed using "content analysis" and "descriptive analysis" methods. In the study, it was concluded that the problems experienced in terms of freedom of religion and belief in Turkey stem from the social structure, the attitude of the state towards religion and beliefs, and the attitude of the state towards Alevis-Bektashis. In our research, based on the findings of Turkish nationalists' thoughts about people who have adopted the Alevi-Bektashi faith, it has been concluded that Turkish nationalists have mostly positive thoughts about Alevis-Bektashis. According to Turkish nationalists, Alevis-Bektashis are honest, hospitable, well-intentioned, moral, enlightened people who have an understanding of valuing people and love to read and research. In addition, they are sensitive in terms of national feelings, friendly, care about rights, law and justice, keep their promises and are tolerant people. According to Turkish nationalists, Alevism is a sect within Islam and a belief system, formed by people who are supporters of Hazrat Ali, believe in Hazrat Ali and love Hazrat Ali, and is based on the teachings of Islam such as morality, tolerance and human love and it is a belief system. Bektashism, on the other hand, is a sect within Alevism, formed by people who are supporters of Hazrat Ali, and is more systematic and developed than Alevism. Keywords: Society, Social Unity, Nationalism, Turkish Nationalism, Alevi Bektashi Belief system