28 July 2009 / TODAY'S ZAMAN WITH WIRES, ANKARA
The third session of an ongoing Alevi workshop series, which aims to examine the role of Alevis in Turkish society and ways to better enfranchise this oft-neglected minority group, will be held on Aug. 19 at Ankara's Bilkent Otel with the participation of members from various university theology departments and representatives of the Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs.
Thirty-five experts and academics will participate in the third Alevi workshop. The government will be represented by Minister of Labor and Social Security Faruk Çelik, and İzzet Er will join the meeting on behalf of the Directorate of Religious Affairs. The head of the High Commission for Religious Affairs, Hamza Aktan, is also expected to be among the participants. In addition, professors including Ethem Ruhi Fığlalı, Yaşar Nuri Öztürk, Mehmet Görmez, İlhami Güler, Hasan Onat, Sönmez Kutlu and Mehmet Akif Aydın will bring their academic expertise to the workshop. The first session of the workshops was held on June 3 in Ankara, followed by a second session on July 8.
