Alevism in Turkey

Adherents of the little-known Alevi faith gather for worship in Istanbul, Turkey. Presenter Reverend Peter Owen-Jones finds out about the Alevi faith, a religion followed by around 20 million people in Turkey. A mixture of pre-Islamic folk religion with some features from Shia Islam and Christianity, this group is little known even within Turkey and has suffered persecution for many years. We see a worship service as men and women gather together in a house, and hear from a young woman about the difficulty of admitting openly to her faith. We also observe the meditative Dance of the Crane sung by an Alevi.