Erdogan's rival breaks taboo by talking about being an Alevi

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s rival in next month’s election has confronted a Turkish political taboo by speaking out about being an Alevi — a group targeted by decades of discrimination and violent attacks.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's rival in next month's election has confronted a Turkish political taboo by speaking out about being an Alevi — a group targeted by decades of discrimination and violent attacks.

Kemal Kilicdaroglu's video message to young voters late on April 19 addresses the unspoken worry that voters in the predominantly Sunni country are not ready to elect an Alevi president on May 14.

Alevis follow a heterodox Islamic tradition that separates them from Sunni and Shiite Muslims. Some view it as a cultural identity as much as a religious faith.

They have faced decades of persecution and have tended to keep their identity private because of discrimination and attacks on their houses of worship. Mr. Erdogan once accused Alevis of inventing a "new religion".

The outgoing Head of State has since used speeches to declare he will not be using Mr. Kilicdaroglu's identity against him.

"Kilicdaroglu, you can be an Alevi. I respect you," Mr. Erdogan said in 2014.

Mr. Kilicdaroglu has never hidden his Alevi identity but has rarely talked about it in detail.