Müslüm Doğan, a founding MYK member of HDP, İzmir MP and former Minister of Development, responded to DEM Party Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan’s remarks about the signatories of the “Alevi Intellectuals’ Declaration.” In a social media post, Doğan said that he grew up in Ankara’s Yenidoğan and Tuzluçayır neighborhoods and came from the street struggle, adding that he believed Bakırhan had forgotten that he was a founding MYK member of HDP and did not understand the content of the declaration. Doğan concluded his statement by expressing his hope that the process would result in lasting social peace.
A total of 53 Alevi intellectuals had reacted to the phrase “the Yavuz Sultan Selim–İdris-i Bitlisi alliance,” which was alleged to belong to PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan. In a declaration titled “We reject the archaic and bloody alliance,” they stated that this approach was unacceptable. Doğan was also among the signatories of the declaration. Bakırhan had said that the signatories included people “whom we took from the street and made MPs.”
Why it matters
This debate shows how differing approaches to Alevi identity and historical memory resonate within the political sphere where efforts to find a solution and achieve social peace are being pursued. The criticism directed at the declaration has not remained limited to the signatories, but has also brought into focus the position of figures who played a role in HDP’s establishment and in the political movement’s past. Müslüm Doğan’s response indicates that there is no common perspective among actors within the DEM Party regarding their backgrounds, authority to represent others and experiences of political struggle. The fundamental question that remains unanswered is how the objections of Alevi intellectuals to historical alliances and intra-party polemics can be reconciled with the goal of lasting social peace.
Background
Bakırhan is not a new name in the FikirPilot archive: we have published 2 reports mentioning him in the past 90 days; the latest is dated August 29, 2026.