How the Alevi community came to thrive in Germany

Deutsche Welle · 🇩🇪 public Germany · May 31, 2026 · 910 words · By Ceyda Nurtsch

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What to know about How the Alevi community came to thrive in Germany

How the Alevi community came to thrive in Germany May 31, 2026Alevis make up around 13% of Muslims living in Germany today.

Claims checked 17

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center75%

Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

How the Alevi community came to thrive in Germany May 31, 2026Alevis make up around 13% of Muslims living in Germany today.

Why it matters

Members of this religious community once predominantly lived in rural Anatolia, Turkey, passing on their spiritual beliefs and rites orally.

Common ground

When Turkey began experiencing a rural exodus from the 1950s onwards, along with increasing urbanization and migration to Europe, many Alevi village communities disappeared — and with them the knowledge of their faith in many places.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: How the Alevi community came to thrive in Germany?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that The Alevi faith grew out of a combination of Central Asian shamanism, Shiite Islam and Muslim mysticism?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dw.com/en/germany-alevism-community-islam-culture-turkey-origin-fait…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 17 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 7

verified Verified By Reference 5

info Single Source 3

help Insufficient Evidence 2

verified

Claim 1: “The Alevi faith grew out of a combination of Central Asian shamanism, Shiite Islam and Muslim mysticism.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and other web results describe Alevism as a syncretic movement integrating Central Asian shamanic elements and Sufi/Shiite Islam.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Alevism (; Turkish: Alevilik; Kurdish: Elewîtî), also known as Qizilbashism, is a syncretic and mystic movement, traditionally associated with Haji Bektash Veli. It is generally agreed that it is akin…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alevism

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Adherents of Islam constitute the world's second largest and fastest growing major religious grouping, maintaining suggested 2017 projections in 2022. As of 2020, Pew Research Center (PEW) projections…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_by_country

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It is rooted in the belief that the Islamic prophet Muhammad explicitly designated his cousin and son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib (r. 656–661) as his rig…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shia_Islam

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 2: “The Alevi religious community is fully recognized in the German states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Berlin”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 3: “Gülizar Cengiz, member of the Bektashi order, chairs the institute.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 4: “Alevis include Turks, Kurds and members of other ethnic minorities such as the Zaza.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The specific breakdown of Turks, Kurds, and Zazas is mentioned in the DW.com source. While Wikipedia mentions Alevism is associated with Turkish and Kurdish names, it doesn't explicitly list the Zaza in the provided snippets.

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web search NEUTRAL — It is generally agreed that it is akin to a Sufi rendition of Twelver Shi'ism that integrates Central Asian shamanic elements, though some dissenting voices base the Alevi belief squarely in a non-den…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alevism

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web search NEUTRAL — The Alevis make up the fourth largest religious community in Germany today.Alevis include Turks, Kurds and members of other ethnic minorities such as the Zaza. The Alevi faith grew out of a combinatio…
https://www.dw.com/en/germany-alevism-community-islam-cultur…

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web search NEUTRAL — In 1990 the Ministry of Cults took over the organization of the Hacibektas festivities under the pretense of making it an international attraction. Alevis were unhappy with the government interference…
https://ciaotest.cc.columbia.edu/olj/meria/meria99_zed02.htm…

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Claim 5: “Alevis make up around 13% of Muslims living in Germany today.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The specific statistic (13% of Muslims in Germany) is found in one web search result from DW.com. Other sources discuss Islam in Germany generally but do not provide this specific percentage for Alevis.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The History of the Alevism is that of a heterodox, esoteric community found within Anatolia and neighboring regions.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alevi_history

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Islam's significance in Germany increased after the labour migration in the 1960s and several waves of political refugees since the 1970s. In 2019, there were 5.3–5.6 million Muslims with a migrant b…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Germany

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “Most are subsumed under the Alevi Community Germany (AABF, Almanya Alevi Birlikleri Federasyonu) umbrella organization.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 7: “These differences from Sunni Islam caused Alevis to suffer persecution in the Ottoman Empire (1299 to 1922)”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia explicitly mentions the 'Ottoman persecution of Alevis', specifically citing the reign of Selim I and the conflict with the Safavids.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Islam is by far the most practiced religion in Turkey. Most Turkish people are Sunni Muslims, and most of them belong to the Hanafi school of jurisprudence. Smaller numbers belong to the Alevi, Ja'far…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Turkey

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sunni Islam was the official religion of the Ottoman Empire. The highest position in Islam, caliphate, was claimed by the sultan, after the defeat of the Mamluks which was established as Ottoman Calip…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_the_Ottoman_Empire

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Ottoman persecution of Alevis is best known in connection with the Ottoman sultan Selim I's reign (1512–1520) and his war against the Safavids in 1514. But there are examples that indicate that th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottoman_persecution_of_Alevis

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 8: “His Institute for Alevi Theology, founded in 2024, is one of the first academic bodies in the world dedicated to this faith.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 9: “Tens of thousands of Alevis were killed and their villages destroyed in the 1937/38 Dersim massacre perpetrated by the Turkish army.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided in the search results for the 1937/38 Dersim massacre.

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Claim 10: “Today, there are around 200 Alevi organizations across Germany.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 11: “the Alevi-Bektashite Cultural Institute in North Rhine-Westphalia... opened in early 2026”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 12: “Alevism differs from Sunni Islam in its rituals, which include the Cem ceremony... as well as the Semah ceremony”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia confirms the 'Cem' (or Jem) as the central communal worship service and distinguishes Alevi practices from standard Sunni Islam (e.g., lack of ablution mentioned in Britannica).

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The central Alevi communal worship service is called a Jem, which is performed in special houses called as Cem Evi. Alevi Muslims believe that the Jem has its roots in an original worship and teaching…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cem_(Alevism)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Khitan (Arabic: ختان) or Khatna (Arabic: ختنة) is the Arabic term for circumcision, and the Islamic term for the practice of religious male circumcision in Islamic culture. Male circumcision is widesp…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khitan_(circumcision)

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 13: “the 1993 Sivas arson attack which killed 35 people”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided in the search results for the 1993 Sivas arson attack.

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Claim 14: “Markus Dressler... heads a long-term research project on the ethnohistory of Alevi communities in Anatolia between the 16th and 20th century, which was launched in 2026.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 15: “Alevis practice their faith in Alevi cemevi, the central space of Alevi worship.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Multiple sources, including Wikipedia and a dedicated 'Religious Life in Turkey' source, confirm the cemevi as the central place of worship/gathering for Alevis.

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web search NEUTRAL — A cemevi or cem evi is a place of fundamental importance for Turkey's Alevi-Bektashiyyah tariqa populations. Certain Alevi organizations describe cemevis as places of worship, and ask for this to be o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cemevi

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web search NEUTRAL — A cemevi, meaning "gathering house" in Turkish, serves as the central venue for Alevis to conduct cem ceremonies, which function as their primary form of communal worship, ritual performance, and soci…
https://grokipedia.com/page/Cemevi

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web search NEUTRAL — Alevis The cemevi (gathering houses) constitute central places for Alevi practice, especially in Anatolia. Baha’is The Baha’i community, although discreet, has prayer places in some major cities.
https://www.jarniascyril.com/expatriation/guide-moving-to-tu…

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Claim 16: “Today, Alevis constitute the second largest religious community in Turkey after Sunni Islam.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim that Alevis are the second largest religious community in Turkey is mentioned in the DW.com source, but not explicitly confirmed by the other provided Wikipedia or Britannica snippets, which describe them as a minority.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Alevism (/ æˈlɛvɪzəm /; Turkish: Alevilik; Kurdish: Elewîtî[5]), also known as Qizilbashism, [a] is a syncretic [6][7] and mystic [8][9] movement, traditionally associated with Haji Bektash Veli. [10]…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alevism

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web search NEUTRAL — Alevis found that they still faced discrimination in employment and education, and again turned to taqiya for stigma management, adapting to Sunni ways in order to get a share of the scarce resources.…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alevi_history

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web search NEUTRAL — Alevis worship one God (often called Hakk or Haqq, “Truth,” one of the 99 names of God in Islam), and their scripture is the Qurʾān. But some of the more visible signs of Islamic practice are absent: …
https://www.britannica.com/story/who-are-the-alevis-in-turke…

verified

Claim 17: “Alevism developed from the 13th century onwards.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia explicitly lists the origin of Alevism as the 13th century, and this is corroborated by a DW.com article.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Alev [a:ˈlev] is a Turkish feminine given name (meaning flame). Notable people with the name include:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alev

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kurdish Alevism (Kurdish: Rêya Heqî, lit. 'The Path of God/Truth' or Elewîtî) refers to the unique rituals, sacred place practices, mythological discourses and socio-religious organizations among Kurd…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurdish_Alevism

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.