Alperen Hearths (Turkish: Alperen Ocakları), officially the Alperen Hearths Foundation for Education, Culture, and Solidarity (Turkish: Alperen Ocakları Eğitim Kültür ve Dayanışma Vakfı)[6] or simply known as Alperens, are a far-right youth organization affiliated with the Great Unity Party in Turkey.[7]
| Alperen Hearths Foundation for Education, Culture, and Solidarity (Alperen Ocakları Eğitim Kültür ve Dayanışma Vakfı) | |
|---|---|
| Leader | Mustafa Destici |
| Foundation | 1 October 1992 |
| Headquarters | Hamamönü, Altındağ, Ankara, Turkey[1] |
| Ideology | |
| Slogan | "Fear to the oppressor, hope to the oppressed!"[4] |
| Part of |  Great Unity Party |
| Allies | Grey Wolves |
| Opponents | |
| Battles and wars | |
| Website | alperenocaklari |
History
editIt was established on 1 October 1992, by the order of Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu. Servet Avcı was the first chairman. In July 1994, Avcı handed over his chairmanship to Emir Kuşdemir, who later handed it to Süleyman Doğan.[8]
During the Chechen war[which?], aid campaigns and protests were organized by the Alperens across Turkey to support Chechnya. The visit of Boutros Boutros-Gali to Turkey was prevented by the protests of the Alperens on the grounds that the situation of Muslims in Bosnia, Palestine, Algeria and Chechnya was ignored. Süleyman Doğan handed over his chairmanship to Yavuz Ağıralioğlu in December 1995. In March 1996, the Alperens started the process of becoming the "Nizam-ı Alem Ocakları Vakfı". On 8 March 1997, Yavuz Ağıralioğlu handed over his chairmanship to Tuna Koç, who was the Aegean Region President of the organization. In February 2000, Tuna Koç, the chairman, handed over his duties to Yüksel Türkay. During this period, the name of the organization was changed to "Alperen Hearths".[9]
Serkan Tüzün, who took office on 12 July 2006, handed over his chairmanship to Eyüp Gökhan Özekin. Özekin, who carried out important activities in the name of creating a corporate identity for the Alperen Hearths, also attended Kosovo visits with the then BBP Chairman Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu and made various contacts. Özekin, who also organized a charity night for Chechnya, handed over his duty of general chairmanship to Abdullah Gürgür on 20 December 2008. Murat Aslan, who took office in November 2015, handed over his five-year chairmanship to Samet Bağcı on 21 December 2019. Bağcı is currently the chairman of the Alperen Ocakları Education Culture and Solidarity Foundation.[10]
In 2015, the Alperen Hearths claimed to have sent at least 250 fighters to Syria to defend Syrian Turkmen during the Syrian civil war, although they were accused of just going there to do a photo op to gain support, as many of the alleged Alperen Hearths who went to Syria to fight were seen in Istanbul just a few days after they had gone to fight.[11]
Ideology
editAlperen Hearths adhere to Turkish nationalism with a mix of Sunni Islam. An ideology which is criticized by Islamists who view nationalism as a sin, and by nationalists who view religion as unimportant. When Islam and nationalism are contradicting each other, while the MHP and its Grey Wolves choose nationalism, the BBP and its Alperen Hearths choose Islam.[12] The Alperens and the BBP's goal was affirmed by Yazıcıoğlu as: "our cause is 'we love the creation because of the creator'. We do not separate people as Laz, Circassian, or Kurdish, we will not separate them. We are people living in the same land and under the same flag. Kurds are our brother, PKK is our enemy. We need to see this difference. We are against gangs, the mafia, and a junta. We want to have real deputies in the TBMM. Let the legislate, the executive, the judiciary be separate. Limit immunities. Let the speech of politicians on the podium be free. The party of the politician who gave his opinion should not be closed." About Ergenekon he said "If there is a junta, if there is a gang, let it all be engraved. Let Turkey really be a democratic country".[13] Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk are also their role models.[14]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "İletişim" [Contact Us]. Alperen Ocakları (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 12 January 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
- ^ Göçek, Fatma Müge (2015). Denial of Violence: Ottoman Past, Turkish Present and Collective Violence Against the Armenians, 1789-2009. Oxford University Press. p. 402. ISBN 978-0-19-933420-9.
- ^ "Nevşehir Alperen Ocaklarından Büyük Önder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk'ü Anma Mesajı! -". www.cthaber.com. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ "Alperenler: Bu kokuşmuş sistem artık değişmeli!".
- ^ "Alperen Ocakları'ndan 'savaş' ilanı". 21 November 2015.
- ^ "Vakıf Sorgulama - T.C. Vakıflar Genel Müdürlüğü". www.vgm.gov.tr. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
- ^ Fehim Taştekin (3 February 2016). "Turkey's nationalist 'Gray Wolves' enter Syrian fray". Al Monitor. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ^ Ankaradan Haber. "Alperenler: Bu kokuşmuş sistem artık değişmeli!". www.ankaradanhaber.com/ (in Turkish). Retrieved 2 November 2022.
- ^ "Alperen Ocaklari Tarihce". Archived from the original on 22 August 2019. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
- ^ "Alperenocakgm". Twitter. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
- ^ "A Cause For All Turks: Turkey and Syria's Turkmen Rebels". War on the Rocks. 21 January 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
- ^ Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu MHP'den Neden Ayrıldı? | 1992 | 32.Gün Arşivi, 20 February 2019, retrieved 7 August 2023
- ^ Haber7. "Yazıcıoğlu: Kürtler kardeşimiz PKK düşmanımız". Haber7 (in Turkish). Retrieved 5 November 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "ALPERENLER'DEN ANKARA'YA ÇIKARTMA" (in Turkish). Retrieved 9 March 2024.