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CONSIDERATIONS ABOUT THE RELIGIONS OF THE ZAZA PEOPLE

Dr. Eberhard Werner. CONSIDERATIONS ABOUT THE RELIGIONS OF THE ZAZA PEOPLE. Anthropology, Linguistics, Social Sciences and Religion. Religion presents the deep core value system of a people group. The conscience performs world view.

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CONSIDERATIONS ABOUT THE RELIGIONS OF THE ZAZA PEOPLE

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  1. Dr. Eberhard Werner CONSIDERATIONS ABOUT THE RELIGIONS OF THE ZAZA PEOPLE

  2. Anthropology, Linguistics, Social Sciences and Religion • Religion presents the deep core value system of a people group. The conscience performs world view. • Religion is a system of symbols which reflects long-lasting moods and motivations by formulating conceptions of a general order and existence. They are clothed with such an aura of faculty that they seem uniquely realistic.

  3. Religions of the Zaza ethnicity • The Northern dialect Group follows Alevism. A mix of Zoroastrianism-serduşt (Parsiism in East Asia), Animism, Judaism/Christianity and Islam. • The Southern and Eastern/Central Group follows Sunnism. The Southern Group the Islamic school of Hanafi and the Eastern Group partially the Hanafi or Shafi’i rite. The latter is also the main rite of the Kurmanji speaking neighbors. Animistic, Judaistic and Christian influences still observable.

  4. Religions - Turkish - Zazaki - Kurmanji Speakers

  5. (Re-) Islamization • Open Questions: • Did the Zaza people enter their recent homeland as peasants? OR • Did the Zaza people migrate from the Southern Caspian area already being Islamic? • Considering the latter, following the Daylam-Thesis, the Zaza followed either one or more of the Persian cults / religions or they were Islamized (but when?). • Islamization movements in East Anatolia concerning the Zaza people in their recent settlement area: • Arabic Bedouins (7-8th century AD / 1-2nd century AH) • Seljuk Emperors (11-13th century AD / 5-7th century AH) • Mongol Storms (12-13th century AD / 6-7th century AH) • Wahhabism movement by strategy of da’awah (invitation) and jihad (inner and outward war against evil) (18th century AD / 12th century AH)

  6. Alevism • A recent revival is set up on a rediscovering of the origin or a transition to an ideology based on environmental / nature-oriented humanism. • Influenced by Zoroastrianism (Parsiism), Manichaeism, Gnosticism, Animism and Eastern Christianity. • Allah is represented by energies of the prophets Hz. Muhammed and Hz. Ali (his cousin). Divine creative energy is embodied in the latent breath (or Allah the Almighty), the prototypical human which is made up of active and passive principles (or Hz. Muhammad and the divine light / Hz. Ali). • Thus, a Trinitarian similarity to Christian doctrines can be noticed.

  7. Alevism • Alevism spread to Turkish, Kurmanji, Azeri and Zazaki speaking members of the Ottoman Empire. Some argue that Zaza Alevism was foundational and led to Turkish and Kurmanji branches. Some even declare the latter branches were originally Zaza and were assimilated by the Turkish or Kurmanji speaking societies. • 20 million Alevis in Turkey . One of the two big national challenges for the 21st century that is “Question of Alevism” paralleled by the “Kurdish Question”. At least half of the Zaza population follows Alevism (1-1 ½ million). • Since 15th century AD / 9th century AH tensions with Sunnism following Zaza, Turks and Kurmanji speakers.

  8. Sunnism • The Hanafi rite: named after its founder Hanifa (8th century AD / 2nd century AH). • A few Zaza and the bulk of the Kurmanji speakers follow the Shafi’i rite named by its founder Shafi’i (beginning of 9th century AD / 3rd century AH). • In the 19th century AD / 13th century AH visitors to the Zaza homeland reported their strong Islamic beliefs and practices although the Zaza were not educated in Islam.

  9. Sunnism • The Zaza society followed their own theological interpretation like the brotherhood of Egypt or Yemen (Karl Pfander in Schirrmacher 1992:37; see above). Reasons: • The societal three class structure of the Sunni Zaza people (social Institutions: religiously oriented mıllah, religiously and politicallyorientedsheikh, only politically oriented agha) • Travel to and education at madrassaof Egypt (Cairo) and Bagdad, Damascus (e.g. Osman Efendi, NuriDersimi, etc. • Theologians developed their own education system an branches of their education centre • They were considered as mıllah (Arab. Mullah), rallied a group of devotees around themselves and slowly atsomeplacesa mullaharchy started to develop.

  10. Differences in Worldview (samples)

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