"I am a perfect Alevi if being Alevi means loving Caliph Ali," Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday during an iftar (fast-breaking) dinner organized by his ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in Ankara Today`s Zaman reported
"If Alevism is loving Caliph Ali, I am a perfect Alevi, because I love Caliph Ali so much. He is the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad. He is the fourth caliph. But I have nothing to say to those who say I am Alevi, but don't live the way he [Caliph Ali] did," Erdogan said, warning against attempts to deepen the problems between Alevis and Sunnis.
Among other topics on Erdogan's agenda was the Egyptian coup. He once again condemned the coup and hailed democracy.
"Everyone should respect the results that come out of the ballot box. The ballot box exists to prevent the minority imposing its will on the majority. Some [in Turkey] say that Hitler came out of the ballot box. So what? Should we remove the ballot box because Hitler might come out of it?" Erdogan asked supporters of the military takeover in Egypt.
"Saying that Hitler can come out of the ballot box is nothing but a hostile attitude towards democracy," he further stated.