The Alevis                          Today's Moslems are mainly divided into 2 types: Sunni and Shia.                        Sunnis acknowledge the first four Caliphs (Ebubekir, Omer,                        Osman, Ali) as rightful successors of Mohammed, whereas Shias                        believe in Ali and the Imams as the right successors of Mohammed.                        More than two thirds of the Turkish population are Sunnis. The                        Shias of Anatolia are not the same as Shias of Iran. In Anatolia they                        are called Alevis which comes from the word Ali. It is a mixture of                        Anatolian cultures together with a deep belief in the incarnation of                        God in Ali. Compared to the Sunnis of Anatolia, the Alevis are more                        flexible. For example, they stopped going to mosques on the                        rationale that Ali, the son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammed and the                        founder of Alevism, was murdered in a mosque, thus violating the                        sanctity of the building; and they stopped formal prayers for safety’s                        sake. A system of traveling holy elders (dede) replaced the more                        traditional Moslem structure of authority. The ban on wine and                        alcohol was relaxed, with wine actually used for religious ceremonial                        functions. The month of fasting was converted into eight days during                        the month of Muharrem. Home so  pela seri