The Alevites derive their religious tradition from Mohammed's son-in law, Ali, as do the Iranian Shiites. However, the Alevites do not understand themselves as fundamentalists, but rather as an open-minded, liberally oriented community. In the Alevitic culture, special importance is attached to song, dance, and festivals celebrated within the community. The musicians are called "Ashik", "the loving ones", and their instruments "saz". In their songs, the Ashik amalgamate handed-down history with present events. They see themselves as poets who continue to tell the story and the suffering of their people. The Turkish Alevites were persecuted by the religious majority, the Sunnites, throughout the centuries and considered as "infidels". With the advance of Islamic fundamentalism the Alevites were declared fair game for religious fanatics. During the shooting of this film their long tradition of sorrow was continued. A meeting site was set on fire by a fundamentalist mob and 37 persons died, including poets and musicians portrayed in this film. This has made this film into a devastating legacy of their sorrow.