Dalston Alevi leader İsrafil Erbil steps down

İsrafil Erbil has resigned as leader of the Alevi Cultural Centre in Dalston after becoming the head of a UK-wide federation.

More 500 members of the centre were present to appoint the new board

More than 500 members of the centre, which Mr Erbil has led for four years, were present to appoint the new board of governors. It includes such names as Yaşar Demiralay, Hüseyin Üzüm, Tugay Hürman, Tuğba Özcivan, Sabri Özaydın, Hakan Bakır, İbrahim Mayıl and Aynur Çelik.

Alevism is a religious group with origins in Shia Islam that combines Anatolian folk traditions with Sufi elements. Their worship takes place in assembly houses, known as the cemevi, and features music, singing, and dancing in which both women and men participate.

İsrafil Erbil

Mr Erbil is the new president of the new British Alevi Federation, which has is made up of associations based in areas as far flung as Bournemouth, Nottingham and Glasgow. Members said it was formed to give the community a stronger and unified voice.

The remainder of the board members at the Dalston centre are Haydar Ülüş, Şükrü Taşçı, Mustafa Sivas, Nilüfer Çivi, Haydar Şal, Mehmet İldeş, Kadir Yörük, Hatice Topal, Ali Kösele, Mehmet Gül, Ruhi Altun, Türkan Aslan, Elif Tümay, Duran Yengil, Baykal Sürük, Besine Has, Ayşegül Saygılı and Ersoy Kaçmaz.