Ritual and Rhyme: Alevi-Bektashi Interpretations and Translations of the Qur'an (1953–2007)

This article explores the forays of Alevi and Bektashi writers into the genres of Qur'anic interpretation and translation. A sizeable religious minority in Turkey, Alevi and Bektashi authors are relative newcomers to these fields and their cultivation of contemporary Qur'anic literature resembling that of their Sunnī counterparts is a significant development. This study examines how their treatments relate to shifting political and religious environments in Turkey and, furthermore, considers their style, sources, and arguments. It contends that interpreting and translating the Qur'an have become integral to Alevi-Bektashi participation in broader public debates over religious practice, freedom, and identity in modern Turkey.