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Directorate of Religious Affairs

January 26, 2023

"Diyanet" redirects here. For other uses, see Diyanet (disambiguation).

The Directorate of Religious Affairs in Turkey (Turkish: Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı, normally referred to simply as the Diyanet) is an official state institution established in 1924 by the orders of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk[2] under article 136 of the Constitution of Turkey[3] to carry out some of the administrative duties previously managed by the Shaykh al-Islām, before the abolition of the Ottoman Caliphate.[4] The President of the Directorate of Religious Affairs is considered the Grand Mufti of Turkey.

Directorate of Religious Affairs
Logo of the Directorate of Religious Affairs
Formation3 March 1924
TypeIslamic education, religious administration
HeadquartersAnkara, Turkey
Location
Official language
Turkish
President
Ali Erbaş
Budget
$2 billion (2020)[1]
WebsiteOfficial website
Document given by the Presidency of Religious Affairs for the mosque built by the Circassian businessman, historian and philanthropist Nahit Serbes. A typical example of a Diyanet document.

As specified by law, the duties of the Diyanet are “to administrate the affairs related to faith and worship of the religion of Islam”.[4] The Diyanet drafts a weekly sermon delivered at the nation's 85,000 mosques and more than 2,000 mosques abroad that function under the directorate. It provides Quranic education for children and trains and employs all of Turkey's imams, who are considered civil servants.[5]

Starting from 2006, the Diyanet was fortified, by 2015 its budget had increased four-fold,[6][7] and staff doubled to nearly 150,000.[6] Its 2019 budget has been estimated at €1.7 billion ($1.87 billion), far exceeding that of most Turkish government ministries.[8] It has 1,000 branches across Turkey and offers educational, cultural, and charitable activities in 145 countries.[8]Diyanet TV was launched in 2012,[9] now broadcasting 24 hours a day.[6] It has expanded Quranic education to early ages and boarding schools – "enabling the full immersion of young children in a religious lifestyle"[9] – and now issues fatwa (Turkish: fetva) on demand.

Activities and history

During the government of the Democrat Party İmam Hatip schools which offered religious classes and were run by the Diyanet, (re-)opened. The number of schools offering Quran classes rose from 61 to in 1946 to 118 in 1948.[10] From 1975 onwards, graduates of the İmam Hatip schools were given the same status as regular high-school graduates and therefore they were granted permission to study at universities. In 1975 there were more than 300 İmam Hatip schools, with almost 300,000 students.[11] In 1984, the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (Diyanet İşleri Türk İslam Birliği, or DİTİB) was opened in Germany to cater for the religious needs of the large Turkish minority there.

Prior to 2010, the Diyanet had taken some non-traditional stances on gender and health issues. In 2005 450 women were appointed vaizes (which are more senior than imams) by the Diyanet,[12] and it deemed in vitro fertilisation and birth control pills "proper according to Islam".[13][14]

In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI visited the Diyanet, where he met with its then president, Ali Bardakoğlu, and with various Turkish Muslim leaders, among them the Grand Muftis of Ankara and Istanbul.[15]

A 2021 academic publication summarized the Diyanet's growing activities as such: it launched its own 24-hour satellite television channel, Diyanet Television, in 2012, alongside presence on social media, the preschool Qur’an courses it offers went from 3,000 in 2000 to 16,200 in 2018, employing 24,463 instructors by the end of 2019, with nearly 4 million attending the summer Qur’anic courses in 2018 and aiming for 24 million for 2023, having published 1,734 books as of 2019 and distributing 9 million books free of charge as of 2018.[16]

Turkish Muslims outside the Diyanet

Diyanet has been criticized for following mainstream Sunni Islam but of Hanafi school and being "indifferent to the diversity of other Turkish Islamic creeds", i.e. the non-Hanafi who make up "a third to two fifths" of Turkey's population.[9] Non-Hanafi self-identified Muslims in Turkey include "about 9 million Alevis, perhaps two million Shi’a, and over a million Nusayris (Alawites)", plus the 15 million Sunni Kurds who follow the Shafi’i school and not the Hanafi school as well as many Quranists.[9]

The Diyanet and the Alevi

The Diyants relations with the Alevi was ambiguous. During the Government of Süleyman Demirel, the Diyanets approach towards the Alevi became of a denialist nature as Ibrahim Elmali was opposed to the mere existence of the Alevi stating "There is no such thing as Alevis".[17] Still during the early 2000s, during a trial in the Turkish Court of Cassation, the Diyanet was strongly opposed to the recognition of Alevi associations or to research on Alevi heritage as it would lead to "separatism".[18] The Ministry of Culture and also the Council of State criticized this approach as the Alevi represented a part of the Turkish culture.[18] The Diyanet responded denying any existence of an Alevi religion.[18] The Alevi were much more on the political agenda during the tenure of Mehmet Görmez, in which for the first time in the Diyanets history, an Alevi question was acknowledged.[19]

2010 and after

In 2010–2011, Diyanet began its transformation to "a supersized government bureaucracy for the promotion of Sunni Islam".[9] Diyanet chairman Ali Bardakoğlu, who had been appointed by a secularist president, was fired in late 2010 and replaced by Mehmet Görmez.[9] In 2010, while the AKP was involved in policy changes that ended bans on hijab, Bardakoğlu refused to recommend that Muslim women wear the hijab, saying the religion does not require it.[9]

Under the AKP government, the budget of the Diyanet quadrupled to over $2 billion by 2015, making its budget allocation 40 percent greater than the Ministry of the Interior's and equal to those of the Foreign, Energy, and Culture and Tourism ministries combined.[6] It now employs between 120,000[9] and 150,000 employees.[9][6][7]

Reforms undertaken in the administration of the İmam Hatip schools in 2012 have led to what one Turkish commentator called “the removal, in practice, of one of the most important laws of the revolution, the Tevhid-i Tedrisat (unity of education)".[9][20]

In 2012, Turkish President Abdullah Gül visited the institution and said “it is undoubtedly one of the most important duties of the Religious Affairs Directorate [i.e. the Diyanet] to teach our religion to our people in the most correct, clear and concise way and steer them away from superstition”.[21]

The Diyanet has been accused of serving for the ruling AKP party,[9] and of lavish spending (an expensive car and Jacuzzi for its head Mehmet Görmez).[22]

Following the July 2016 coup attempt, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan removed 492 religious officials from the Diyanet.[14]

Also in 2016, Diyanet instructed affiliated imams and religious instances to collect detailed information on the Gülen movement. It handed 50 intelligence reports from 38 countries over to the Turkish parliament.[23][24][25]

In 2017, some argued that "Diyanet’s implication in Turkish domestic and foreign politics opens a new chapter on Erdoğan’s increasing authoritarianism".[26]

In 2018 Mustafa Çağrıcı claimed “The Diyanet of today has a more Islamist, more Arab worldview”.[27] The same year, Diyanet has suggested citizens practice e-fasting during Ramadan. E-fasting refers to cutting down on use of technologies such as smartphones, laptops and social media.[28]

Criticism of fatwas

The Diyanet began issuing fatwas on request sometime after 2011, and their number has been "rising rapidly".[9] Among the activities it found forbidden (haram) in Islam over a one-year period ending in late 2015 were: "feeding dogs at home, celebrating the western New Year, lotteries, and tattoos".[9]

Use of toilet paper is not prohibited by the Diyanet on condition water is also used. This matter was misunderstood by some non-Muslims since the majority do not use water for cleaning following urination or defecation. Muslims are required to purify themselves with water following these and some other bodily excretions. In an April 2015 fatwa that made news outside of Turkey's borders,[9] the Diyanet ruled its usage permissible within Islam though it emphasized that water should be the primary source of cleansing.[29]

Fatwa of the Diyanet that have come under criticism from some members of the Turkish public include an early 2016 ruling that engaged couples should not hold hands or spend time alone during their engagement period.[30][31]

In January 2016 a controversy arose over a fatwa which briefly appeared on the fatwa section of the Diyanet website, answering a reader's question on whether a man's marriage would become invalid marriage from a religious perspective if the man felt sexual desire for his daughter. The Diyanet posted a reply stating that there was a difference of opinion on the matter among Islam's different Madhhab (schools of religious jurisprudence). “For some, a father kissing his daughter with lust or caressing her with desire has no effect on the man’s marriage,” but the Hanafi school believed that the daughter's mother would become haram (forbidden) to such a man. A "social media storm" ensued with "scores of users appealed to the Telecommunications Presidency’s Internet Hotline accusing Turkey’s top religious body of `encouraging child abuse`.” The Diyanet subsequently removed the answer from its website, posting that the fatwa page was “under repair.” It later issued an official statement to the press, insisting that its response was distorted through “tricks, wiliness and wordplay” aiming to discredit the institution, and that it would take legal action against news reports of the response.[31][32][Note 1]

Controversy

The Diyanet's imams are involved, under the auspices of the National Intelligence Organization, in the Turkish state's efforts to monitor its citizens abroad, particularly those suspected of involvement with the Gulen movement, the Kurdistan Workers Party, and the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front.[34][35][36][37][38]

International

The Diyanet provides services and is active in countries with a significant Turkish diaspora. As of 2018, the Diyanet was present with 61 branches in 38 countries.[39]

Australia

The Diyanet provides services to about a dozen mosques and associations in Australia.[40]

Austria

See also: Turks in Austria and Islam in Austria

The Avusturya Türk Islam Kültür ve Sosyal Yardımlaşma Birliği (abbreviated ATIB) is the largest Muslim organization in Austria and in 2018 had between 75 and 100 thousand members.[41]

The roots of the ATIB are found in Turkish immigration to Austria from the 1960s onwards. The goal of its foundation was to create a Turkish-nationalist movement of Islam and to prevent adherents from joining mosques run by the Millî Görüş. As a new religious law came into effect in 2015 in Austria, Islamic congregations and community organisations had to find domestic sources of revenue as foreign financing of religious institutions was banned. The then president of the Diyanet, Mehmet Görmez (2011 - 2017) called for Muslims to argue against the new law. In 2019, a number of imams employed by the ATIB, who had to leave the country due to the new regulations, launched a legal challenge the regulations which was rejected by the Constitutional Court of Austria.[41]

Belgium

See also: Turks in Belgium and Islam in Belgium

The Diyanet, under Fondation religieuse islamique turque de Belgique, controls 70 out of the 300 mosques in Belgium and forms the largest network of Muslim communities.[42] In comparison to other Muslim organizations it has a simple method of operation. Muslims in Belgium buy or construct a mosque and donate the premises to the Diyanet. The Diyanet will then send an imam trained in Turkey and pay his salary. The imam will stay a few years then be rotated back to Turkey to pursue a career or be sent to another Diyanet mosque abroad. The imams are officials of the Turkish state.[42]

Cyprus

The Diyanet overlooks TRNC Directorate of Religious Affairs in the island of Cyprus, particularly in Northern Cyprus.[43]

Denmark

Main article: Turks in Denmark

The "Danish Turkish Islamic Foundation" (Danish: Dansk Tyrkisk Islamisk Stiftelse) is part of the Diyanet and is the largest Muslim organisation in Denmark.[44] The Diyanet's major competing Islamic networks are the Millî Görüş as well as the Alevi association.[44]

France

The Diyanet controls about 270 mosques in France and pays the salaries of about 150 Turkish imams in the country.[45]

Germany

Main article: Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs
See also: Turks in Germany and Islam in Germany

The Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (German: Türkisch-Islamische Union der Anstalt für Religion e.V., Turkish: Diyanet İşleri Türk-İslam Birliği), usually referred to as DİTİB, was founded in 1984 As of 2016, the DİTİB funds 900 mosques in Germany.[46] The headquarters of DİTİB is the Cologne Central Mosque in Cologne-Ehrenfeld.

Japan

See also: Islam in Japan and Turks in Japan

Tokyo Camii and Diyanet Turkish Cultural Center was established as the “Tokyo Camii Foundation” under the Presidency of Religious Affairs of Türkiye in 1997.[47] 12 imams have served in the mosque so far (as of 2022).

The Netherlands

See also: Turks in the Netherlands and Islam in the Netherlands

Of the 475 mosques in the Netherlands in 2018, a plurality (146) are controlled by the Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet). Diyanet implements the political ideology of the Turkish AKP party and employ imams trained in Turkey in mosques under its control. Critics argue that the Diyanet imams, some of whom do not speak Dutch, hinder the effective integration of Dutch-Turkish Muslims into the society of the Netherlands by promoting allegiance to the Turkish state while neglecting to promote loyalty to the Dutch state.[48]

Sweden

See also: Islam in Sweden and Turks in Sweden

The Diyanet headquarter in Sweden is a foundation based in Huddinge.[49]

According to public service radio SR in 2017, the Diyanet runs nine mosques and pays the salaries of 14 imams in Sweden. After the failed coup in 2016, many of them wrote strongly worded posts on social media condemning the Gülen movement and other opponents of the Erdoğan rule. Along with their religious duties, the imams are also tasked with reporting on critics of the Turkish government. According to Dagens Nyheter, propaganda for president Erdoğan and the AKP party is presented in the mosques.[48][49][50]

United Kingdom

Established in 2001, the UK branch of the Diyanet operated 17 mosques in 2018.[39] It was also a main force behind the construction of the first eco-friendly European Mosque in Cambridge.[39]

United States

See also: Islam in the United States and Turks in the United States

The Diyanet runs over a dozen mosques in the United States of America from the Diyanet Center of America based in the suburbs of the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area.

Presidents

The following people have presided over the institution:[51]

Image Name Tenure
Began End
Mehmet Rifat Börekçi [tr] 1924 1941
Mehmet Şerefettin Yaltkaya 1942 1947
Ahmet Hamdi Akseki 1947 1951
Eyüp Sabri Hayırlıoğlu 1951 1960
Ömer Nasuhi Bilmen 1960 1961
Hasan Hüsnü Erdem 1961 1964
Mehmet Tevfik Gerçeker 1964 1965
İbrahim Bedrettin Elmalılı [tr] 1965 1966
Ali Rıza Hakses [tr] 1966 1968
Lütfi Doğan [tr] 1968 1972
Lütfi Doğan [tr] 1972 1976
Süleyman Ateş 1976 1978
Tayyar Altıkulaç [tr] 1978 1986
Mustafa Sait Yazıcıoğlu 1986 1992
Mehmet Nuri Yılmaz [tr] 1992 2003
  Ali Bardakoğlu 2003 2010
  Mehmet Görmez 2010 2017
  Ali Erbaş[52] 2017 -

See also

Notes

  1. ^ According to a 2015 Freedom House report, authorities in Turkey "continued to aggressively use the penal code, criminal defamation laws, and the antiterrorism law to crack down on journalists and media outlets. Verbal attacks on journalists by senior politicians—including Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the incumbent prime minister who was elected president in August—were often followed by harassment and even death threats against the targeted journalists on social media."[33]

References

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  2. ^ "Kurumsal".
  3. ^ "Turkish Constitution | Anayasa Mahkemesi".
  4. ^ a b Establishment and a Brief History, Presidency of Religious Affairs
  5. ^ "Top cleric delivers Friday sermon in Mardin". hurriyetdailynews.com. Retrieved 2016-07-21.
  6. ^ a b c d e Lepeska, David (17 May 2015). "Turkey Casts the Diyanet". Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  7. ^ a b (in Turkish). Alo Maliye. Archived from the original on 2008-10-04. Retrieved 2008-08-22.
  8. ^ a b "Diyanet: The Turkish religious authority that makes millions". DW. 20 September 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Cornell, Svante (2015-10-09). "The Rise of Diyanet: the Politicization of Turkey's Directorate of Religious Affairs". turkeyanalyst.org. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  10. ^ Kisaichi, Masatoshi (2011). Popular Movements and Democratization in the Islamic World. Routledge. p. 166. ISBN 978-0415665896.
  11. ^ Kisaichi, Masatoshi (2011). Popular Movements and Democratization in the Islamic World. Routledge. pp. 170–171. ISBN 978-0415665896.
  12. ^ Jones, Dorian (2005). "Challenging Traditional Gender Roles". DEUTSCHE WELLE/DW-WORLD.DE. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  13. ^ "Pope bans, Turkey allows". en.timeturk.com. Retrieved 2013-09-28.[permanent dead link]
  14. ^ a b Farley, Harry (20 July 2016). "Turkey's President Erdogan removes 492 religious staff as he imposes conservative Islam". christian today. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  15. ^ . Speroforum.com. 2006-11-29. Archived from the original on 2012-02-20. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  16. ^ Yilmaz, Ihsan (2021). Creating the Desired Citizen: Ideology, State, and Islam in Turkey. Cambridge University Press. p. 223.
  17. ^ (PDF). Heinrich Böll Stiftung. p. 190. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 November 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  18. ^ a b c Massicard, Élise (2014). "Variations in the Judicialisation of the Alevi Issue. From Turkey to Europe". Revue Française de Science Politique. 64 (4). doi:10.3917/rfsp.644.0711. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  19. ^ Mutluer, Nil (2018-12-31). "Diyanet's Role in Building the 'Yeni (New) Milli' in the AKP Era". European Journal of Turkish Studies. Social Sciences on Contemporary Turkey (27). doi:10.4000/ejts.5953. ISSN 1773-0546.
  20. ^ Cornell, Svante E. (2 September 2015). "The Islamization of Turkey: Erdoğan's Education Reforms". turkeyanalyst.org. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  21. ^ "Gül first Turkish president to visit Diyanet in 33 years". World Bulletin. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  22. ^ Tremblay, Pinar (April 29, 2015). . Al Monitor. Archived from the original on 2016-08-08. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  23. ^ "Turkse moskeeën in België gevraagd te spioneren voor Turkse overheid" (in Dutch). Knack. 13 December 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  24. ^ "Diyanet gathers intelligence on suspected Gülenists via imams in 38 countries". Hürriyet Daily News. 7 December 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  25. ^ Yücel, Deniz (9 December 2016). "Türkische Imame spionieren in Deutschland für Erdogan". Die Welt (in German). Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  26. ^ Öztürk, Ahmet Erdi. "Does Turkey use 'spying imams' to assert its powers abroad?". The Conversation. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
  27. ^ "Turkey's religious authority surrenders to political Islam". The Economist. 18 January 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  28. ^ "Turkey's religious authority suggests citizens practice 'e-fasting' during Ramadan - Türkiye News". Hürriyet Daily News.
  29. ^ Özgenç, Meltem (7 April 2015). "Turkey's top religious body allows toilet paper". hurriyet. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  30. ^ "Turkey's religious body says engaged couples should not hold hands". Doğan News Agency. 4 January 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  31. ^ a b "Turkey's Diyanet denies responsibility in controversial fatwa on father's lust for daughter". hurriyet. 8 January 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  32. ^ Tremblay, Pinar (January 15, 2016). . al-monitor. Archived from the original on 2016-08-22. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  33. ^ Freedom House, Turkey 2015 Press Freedom report
  34. ^ SPIEGEL, DER (17 February 2017). "Türkei spionierte europaweit Gülen-Anhänger aus - DER SPIEGEL - Politik". Der Spiegel (in German). Retrieved 2020-12-20.
  35. ^ "Germany Poised to Mount More Raids on Turkish Imams Accused of Spying | Voice of America - English". www.voanews.com. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
  36. ^ "Turkish imam spy affair in Germany extends across Europe | DW | 16.02.2017". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
  37. ^ Doğan, Zülfikar (2017-02-24). "'Spying imams' spark new crisis between Europe, Turkey". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
  38. ^ "Turkey's religious authority denies illegal activity by imams in Germany". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
  39. ^ a b c Tregenna, Chris (2019-06-20). "The Turkish Diyanet in the UK: How national conditions affect the influence of a transnational religious institution". Religion and Global Society. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
  40. ^ "Camilerimiz ve Derneklerimiz". avustralyadiyanet.org.au. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  41. ^ a b "Publikationen – Dokumentationsstelle Politischer Islam – Die Avusturya Türk Islam Kültür ve Sosyal Yardımlaşma Birliği - ATIB" (PDF) (in Austrian German). pp. 15–16. from the original on 2021-10-28. Retrieved 2021-11-14.
  42. ^ a b "Espionnage de la Diyanet: quand les musulmans de Belgique seront-ils enfin considérés comme des compatriotes?". Le Soir (in French). 2017-04-08. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  43. ^ "KKTC DİN İŞLERİ BAŞKANLIĞI". kktcdinisleri.com. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  44. ^ a b Nielsen, Akgonul & Alibasic 2009, 100.
  45. ^ "Macron's War on Islamists Comes Up Against Erdogan's Soft Power". www.msn.com. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
  46. ^ "Old Faultlines". The Economist. 6 August 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  47. ^ "History of Tokyo Camii – 東京ジャーミイ・ディヤーナト トルコ文化センター | Tokyo Camii and Diyanet Turkish Culture Center". Retrieved 2022-05-17.
  48. ^ a b Öztürk, Ahmet Erdi; Sözeri, Semiha. . Religion and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association. 11 (3): 3, 12–13, 15. Archived from the original on 19 September 2018.
  49. ^ a b Öhman, Daniel (2017-03-28). "Hela reportaget: Erdogans långa arm". Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  50. ^ . Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). 2017-04-01. Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 2019-02-16.
  51. ^ Former presidents 2008-04-23 at the Wayback Machine, Presidency of Religious Affairs (in Turkish)
  52. ^ "Prof. Dr. Ali ERBAŞ".

Bibliography

  • Nielsen, Jørgen S.; Akgonul, Samim; Alibasic, Ahmet (2009), Yearbook of Muslims in Europe, BRILL, ISBN 978-90-04-17505-1
  • Yücel, İrfan (1994). "DİYANET İŞLERİ BAŞKANLIĞI". TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, Vol. 9 (Dârüsaâde – Dulkadi̇roğullari) (in Turkish). Istanbul: Turkiye Diyanet Foundation, Centre for Islamic Studies. pp. 455–460. ISBN 978-975-389-436-4.

External links

  • Official website
  • "Women issuing fatwas", Qantara.de
  • "The Diyanet of Turkey and Its Activities in Eurasia After the Cold War"
  • Smith, Thomas W. "Between Allah and Atatürk: Liberal Islam in Turkey[permanent dead link]" PDF
  • Matsuzato, Kimitaka; Sawae, Fumiko. Rebuilding a Confessional State: Islamic Ecclesiology Turkey, Russia and China, Religion, State & Society, Vol. 38, No. 4, December 2010. *
  • İştar Gözaydın,"Religion as Soft Power in the International Relations of Turkey". www.ispionline.it
  • Ahmet Erdi Öztürk, "Turkey's Diyanet under AKP rule: from protector to imposer of state ideology?"
  • Ahmet Erdi Öztürk, "Transformation of the Turkish Diyanet both at Home and Abroad: Three Stages"

January 26, 2023
directorate, religious, affairs, diyanet, redirects, here, other, uses, diyanet, disambiguation, turkey, turkish, diyanet, işleri, başkanlığı, normally, referred, simply, diyanet, official, state, institution, established, 1924, orders, mustafa, kemal, atatürk. Diyanet redirects here For other uses see Diyanet disambiguation The Directorate of Religious Affairs in Turkey Turkish Diyanet Isleri Baskanligi normally referred to simply as the Diyanet is an official state institution established in 1924 by the orders of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk 2 under article 136 of the Constitution of Turkey 3 to carry out some of the administrative duties previously managed by the Shaykh al Islam before the abolition of the Ottoman Caliphate 4 The President of the Directorate of Religious Affairs is considered the Grand Mufti of Turkey Directorate of Religious AffairsLogo of the Directorate of Religious AffairsFormation3 March 1924TypeIslamic education religious administrationHeadquartersAnkara TurkeyLocationCankaya Ankara TurkeyOfficial languageTurkishPresidentAli ErbasBudget 2 billion 2020 1 WebsiteOfficial websiteDocument given by the Presidency of Religious Affairs for the mosque built by the Circassian businessman historian and philanthropist Nahit Serbes A typical example of a Diyanet document As specified by law the duties of the Diyanet are to administrate the affairs related to faith and worship of the religion of Islam 4 The Diyanet drafts a weekly sermon delivered at the nation s 85 000 mosques and more than 2 000 mosques abroad that function under the directorate It provides Quranic education for children and trains and employs all of Turkey s imams who are considered civil servants 5 Starting from 2006 the Diyanet was fortified by 2015 its budget had increased four fold 6 7 and staff doubled to nearly 150 000 6 Its 2019 budget has been estimated at 1 7 billion 1 87 billion far exceeding that of most Turkish government ministries 8 It has 1 000 branches across Turkey and offers educational cultural and charitable activities in 145 countries 8 Diyanet TV was launched in 2012 9 now broadcasting 24 hours a day 6 It has expanded Quranic education to early ages and boarding schools enabling the full immersion of young children in a religious lifestyle 9 and now issues fatwa Turkish fetva on demand Contents 1 Activities and history 1 1 Turkish Muslims outside the Diyanet 1 2 The Diyanet and the Alevi 1 3 2010 and after 1 4 Criticism of fatwas 1 5 Controversy 2 International 2 1 Australia 2 2 Austria 2 3 Belgium 2 4 Cyprus 2 5 Denmark 2 6 France 2 7 Germany 2 8 Japan 2 9 The Netherlands 2 10 Sweden 2 11 United Kingdom 2 12 United States 3 Presidents 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References 7 Bibliography 8 External linksActivities and history EditDuring the government of the Democrat Party Imam Hatip schools which offered religious classes and were run by the Diyanet re opened The number of schools offering Quran classes rose from 61 to in 1946 to 118 in 1948 10 From 1975 onwards graduates of the Imam Hatip schools were given the same status as regular high school graduates and therefore they were granted permission to study at universities In 1975 there were more than 300 Imam Hatip schools with almost 300 000 students 11 In 1984 the Turkish Islamic Union for Religious Affairs Diyanet Isleri Turk Islam Birligi or DITIB was opened in Germany to cater for the religious needs of the large Turkish minority there Prior to 2010 the Diyanet had taken some non traditional stances on gender and health issues In 2005 450 women were appointed vaizes which are more senior than imams by the Diyanet 12 and it deemed in vitro fertilisation and birth control pills proper according to Islam 13 14 In 2006 Pope Benedict XVI visited the Diyanet where he met with its then president Ali Bardakoglu and with various Turkish Muslim leaders among them the Grand Muftis of Ankara and Istanbul 15 A 2021 academic publication summarized the Diyanet s growing activities as such it launched its own 24 hour satellite television channel Diyanet Television in 2012 alongside presence on social media the preschool Qur an courses it offers went from 3 000 in 2000 to 16 200 in 2018 employing 24 463 instructors by the end of 2019 with nearly 4 million attending the summer Qur anic courses in 2018 and aiming for 24 million for 2023 having published 1 734 books as of 2019 and distributing 9 million books free of charge as of 2018 16 Turkish Muslims outside the Diyanet Edit Diyanet has been criticized for following mainstream Sunni Islam but of Hanafi school and being indifferent to the diversity of other Turkish Islamic creeds i e the non Hanafi who make up a third to two fifths of Turkey s population 9 Non Hanafi self identified Muslims in Turkey include about 9 million Alevis perhaps two million Shi a and over a million Nusayris Alawites plus the 15 million Sunni Kurds who follow the Shafi i school and not the Hanafi school as well as many Quranists 9 The Diyanet and the Alevi Edit The Diyants relations with the Alevi was ambiguous During the Government of Suleyman Demirel the Diyanets approach towards the Alevi became of a denialist nature as Ibrahim Elmali was opposed to the mere existence of the Alevi stating There is no such thing as Alevis 17 Still during the early 2000s during a trial in the Turkish Court of Cassation the Diyanet was strongly opposed to the recognition of Alevi associations or to research on Alevi heritage as it would lead to separatism 18 The Ministry of Culture and also the Council of State criticized this approach as the Alevi represented a part of the Turkish culture 18 The Diyanet responded denying any existence of an Alevi religion 18 The Alevi were much more on the political agenda during the tenure of Mehmet Gormez in which for the first time in the Diyanets history an Alevi question was acknowledged 19 2010 and after Edit In 2010 2011 Diyanet began its transformation to a supersized government bureaucracy for the promotion of Sunni Islam 9 Diyanet chairman Ali Bardakoglu who had been appointed by a secularist president was fired in late 2010 and replaced by Mehmet Gormez 9 In 2010 while the AKP was involved in policy changes that ended bans on hijab Bardakoglu refused to recommend that Muslim women wear the hijab saying the religion does not require it 9 Under the AKP government the budget of the Diyanet quadrupled to over 2 billion by 2015 making its budget allocation 40 percent greater than the Ministry of the Interior s and equal to those of the Foreign Energy and Culture and Tourism ministries combined 6 It now employs between 120 000 9 and 150 000 employees 9 6 7 Reforms undertaken in the administration of the Imam Hatip schools in 2012 have led to what one Turkish commentator called the removal in practice of one of the most important laws of the revolution the Tevhid i Tedrisat unity of education 9 20 In 2012 Turkish President Abdullah Gul visited the institution and said it is undoubtedly one of the most important duties of the Religious Affairs Directorate i e the Diyanet to teach our religion to our people in the most correct clear and concise way and steer them away from superstition 21 The Diyanet has been accused of serving for the ruling AKP party 9 and of lavish spending an expensive car and Jacuzzi for its head Mehmet Gormez 22 Following the July 2016 coup attempt President Recep Tayyip Erdogan removed 492 religious officials from the Diyanet 14 Also in 2016 Diyanet instructed affiliated imams and religious instances to collect detailed information on the Gulen movement It handed 50 intelligence reports from 38 countries over to the Turkish parliament 23 24 25 In 2017 some argued that Diyanet s implication in Turkish domestic and foreign politics opens a new chapter on Erdogan s increasing authoritarianism 26 In 2018 Mustafa Cagrici claimed The Diyanet of today has a more Islamist more Arab worldview 27 The same year Diyanet has suggested citizens practice e fasting during Ramadan E fasting refers to cutting down on use of technologies such as smartphones laptops and social media 28 Criticism of fatwas Edit The Diyanet began issuing fatwas on request sometime after 2011 and their number has been rising rapidly 9 Among the activities it found forbidden haram in Islam over a one year period ending in late 2015 were feeding dogs at home celebrating the western New Year lotteries and tattoos 9 Use of toilet paper is not prohibited by the Diyanet on condition water is also used This matter was misunderstood by some non Muslims since the majority do not use water for cleaning following urination or defecation Muslims are required to purify themselves with water following these and some other bodily excretions In an April 2015 fatwa that made news outside of Turkey s borders 9 the Diyanet ruled its usage permissible within Islam though it emphasized that water should be the primary source of cleansing 29 Fatwa of the Diyanet that have come under criticism from some members of the Turkish public include an early 2016 ruling that engaged couples should not hold hands or spend time alone during their engagement period 30 31 In January 2016 a controversy arose over a fatwa which briefly appeared on the fatwa section of the Diyanet website answering a reader s question on whether a man s marriage would become invalid marriage from a religious perspective if the man felt sexual desire for his daughter The Diyanet posted a reply stating that there was a difference of opinion on the matter among Islam s different Madhhab schools of religious jurisprudence For some a father kissing his daughter with lust or caressing her with desire has no effect on the man s marriage but the Hanafi school believed that the daughter s mother would become haram forbidden to such a man A social media storm ensued with scores of users appealed to the Telecommunications Presidency s Internet Hotline accusing Turkey s top religious body of encouraging child abuse The Diyanet subsequently removed the answer from its website posting that the fatwa page was under repair It later issued an official statement to the press insisting that its response was distorted through tricks wiliness and wordplay aiming to discredit the institution and that it would take legal action against news reports of the response 31 32 Note 1 Controversy Edit The Diyanet s imams are involved under the auspices of the National Intelligence Organization in the Turkish state s efforts to monitor its citizens abroad particularly those suspected of involvement with the Gulen movement the Kurdistan Workers Party and the Revolutionary People s Liberation Party Front 34 35 36 37 38 International EditThe Diyanet provides services and is active in countries with a significant Turkish diaspora As of 2018 the Diyanet was present with 61 branches in 38 countries 39 Australia Edit The Diyanet provides services to about a dozen mosques and associations in Australia 40 Austria Edit See also Turks in Austria and Islam in Austria The Avusturya Turk Islam Kultur ve Sosyal Yardimlasma Birligi abbreviated ATIB is the largest Muslim organization in Austria and in 2018 had between 75 and 100 thousand members 41 The roots of the ATIB are found in Turkish immigration to Austria from the 1960s onwards The goal of its foundation was to create a Turkish nationalist movement of Islam and to prevent adherents from joining mosques run by the Milli Gorus As a new religious law came into effect in 2015 in Austria Islamic congregations and community organisations had to find domestic sources of revenue as foreign financing of religious institutions was banned The then president of the Diyanet Mehmet Gormez 2011 2017 called for Muslims to argue against the new law In 2019 a number of imams employed by the ATIB who had to leave the country due to the new regulations launched a legal challenge the regulations which was rejected by the Constitutional Court of Austria 41 Belgium Edit See also Turks in Belgium and Islam in Belgium The Diyanet under Fondation religieuse islamique turque de Belgique controls 70 out of the 300 mosques in Belgium and forms the largest network of Muslim communities 42 In comparison to other Muslim organizations it has a simple method of operation Muslims in Belgium buy or construct a mosque and donate the premises to the Diyanet The Diyanet will then send an imam trained in Turkey and pay his salary The imam will stay a few years then be rotated back to Turkey to pursue a career or be sent to another Diyanet mosque abroad The imams are officials of the Turkish state 42 Cyprus Edit The Diyanet overlooks TRNC Directorate of Religious Affairs in the island of Cyprus particularly in Northern Cyprus 43 Denmark Edit Main article Turks in Denmark The Danish Turkish Islamic Foundation Danish Dansk Tyrkisk Islamisk Stiftelse is part of the Diyanet and is the largest Muslim organisation in Denmark 44 The Diyanet s major competing Islamic networks are the Milli Gorus as well as the Alevi association 44 France Edit The Diyanet controls about 270 mosques in France and pays the salaries of about 150 Turkish imams in the country 45 Germany Edit Main article Turkish Islamic Union for Religious Affairs See also Turks in Germany and Islam in Germany The Turkish Islamic Union for Religious Affairs German Turkisch Islamische Union der Anstalt fur Religion e V Turkish Diyanet Isleri Turk Islam Birligi usually referred to as DITIB was founded in 1984 As of 2016 the DITIB funds 900 mosques in Germany 46 The headquarters of DITIB is the Cologne Central Mosque in Cologne Ehrenfeld Japan Edit See also Islam in Japan and Turks in Japan Tokyo Camii and Diyanet Turkish Cultural Center was established as the Tokyo Camii Foundation under the Presidency of Religious Affairs of Turkiye in 1997 47 12 imams have served in the mosque so far as of 2022 The Netherlands Edit See also Turks in the Netherlands and Islam in the Netherlands Of the 475 mosques in the Netherlands in 2018 a plurality 146 are controlled by the Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs Diyanet Diyanet implements the political ideology of the Turkish AKP party and employ imams trained in Turkey in mosques under its control Critics argue that the Diyanet imams some of whom do not speak Dutch hinder the effective integration of Dutch Turkish Muslims into the society of the Netherlands by promoting allegiance to the Turkish state while neglecting to promote loyalty to the Dutch state 48 Sweden Edit See also Islam in Sweden and Turks in Sweden The Diyanet headquarter in Sweden is a foundation based in Huddinge 49 According to public service radio SR in 2017 the Diyanet runs nine mosques and pays the salaries of 14 imams in Sweden After the failed coup in 2016 many of them wrote strongly worded posts on social media condemning the Gulen movement and other opponents of the Erdogan rule Along with their religious duties the imams are also tasked with reporting on critics of the Turkish government According to Dagens Nyheter propaganda for president Erdogan and the AKP party is presented in the mosques 48 49 50 United Kingdom Edit Established in 2001 the UK branch of the Diyanet operated 17 mosques in 2018 39 It was also a main force behind the construction of the first eco friendly European Mosque in Cambridge 39 United States Edit See also Islam in the United States and Turks in the United States The Diyanet runs over a dozen mosques in the United States of America from the Diyanet Center of America based in the suburbs of the Washington D C Metropolitan Area Presidents EditThe following people have presided over the institution 51 Image Name TenureBegan EndMehmet Rifat Borekci tr 1924 1941Mehmet Serefettin Yaltkaya 1942 1947Ahmet Hamdi Akseki 1947 1951Eyup Sabri Hayirlioglu 1951 1960Omer Nasuhi Bilmen 1960 1961Hasan Husnu Erdem 1961 1964Mehmet Tevfik Gerceker 1964 1965Ibrahim Bedrettin Elmalili tr 1965 1966Ali Riza Hakses tr 1966 1968Lutfi Dogan tr 1968 1972Lutfi Dogan tr 1972 1976Suleyman Ates 1976 1978Tayyar Altikulac tr 1978 1986Mustafa Sait Yazicioglu 1986 1992Mehmet Nuri Yilmaz tr 1992 2003 Ali Bardakoglu 2003 2010 Mehmet Gormez 2010 2017 Ali Erbas 52 2017 See also EditIslam in Turkey Secularism in Turkey Shaykh al Islam Indonesian Ulema Council National Commission on Muslim FilipinosNotes Edit According to a 2015 Freedom House report authorities in Turkey continued to aggressively use the penal code criminal defamation laws and the antiterrorism law to crack down on journalists and media outlets Verbal attacks on journalists by senior politicians including Recep Tayyip Erdogan the incumbent prime minister who was elected president in August were often followed by harassment and even death threats against the targeted journalists on social media 33 References Edit Turkey s top religious body to spend 11 billion by 2023 Ahval News Retrieved 19 August 2020 Kurumsal Turkish Constitution Anayasa Mahkemesi a b Establishment and a Brief History Presidency of Religious Affairs Top cleric delivers Friday sermon in Mardin hurriyetdailynews com Retrieved 2016 07 21 a b c d e Lepeska David 17 May 2015 Turkey Casts the Diyanet Foreign Affairs Retrieved 27 July 2016 a b 2006 Mali Yilin Butcesi in Turkish Alo Maliye Archived from the original on 2008 10 04 Retrieved 2008 08 22 a b Diyanet The Turkish religious authority that makes millions DW 20 September 2019 Retrieved 31 January 2021 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Cornell Svante 2015 10 09 The Rise of Diyanet the Politicization of Turkey s Directorate of Religious Affairs turkeyanalyst org Retrieved 2016 07 27 Kisaichi Masatoshi 2011 Popular Movements and Democratization in the Islamic World Routledge p 166 ISBN 978 0415665896 Kisaichi Masatoshi 2011 Popular Movements and Democratization in the Islamic World Routledge pp 170 171 ISBN 978 0415665896 Jones Dorian 2005 Challenging Traditional Gender Roles DEUTSCHE WELLE DW WORLD DE Retrieved 27 July 2016 Pope bans Turkey allows en timeturk com Retrieved 2013 09 28 permanent dead link a b Farley Harry 20 July 2016 Turkey s President Erdogan removes 492 religious staff as he imposes conservative Islam christian today Retrieved 27 July 2016 Pope s speech at Turkey s Diyanet Speroforum com 2006 11 29 Archived from the original on 2012 02 20 Retrieved 2013 09 28 Yilmaz Ihsan 2021 Creating the Desired Citizen Ideology State and Islam in Turkey Cambridge University Press p 223 Who s who in Politics in Turkey PDF Heinrich Boll Stiftung p 190 Archived from the original PDF on 15 November 2019 Retrieved 23 July 2020 a b c Massicard Elise 2014 Variations in the Judicialisation of the Alevi Issue From Turkey to Europe Revue Francaise de Science Politique 64 4 doi 10 3917 rfsp 644 0711 Retrieved 30 November 2020 Mutluer Nil 2018 12 31 Diyanet s Role in Building the Yeni New Milli in the AKP Era European Journal of Turkish Studies Social Sciences on Contemporary Turkey 27 doi 10 4000 ejts 5953 ISSN 1773 0546 Cornell Svante E 2 September 2015 The Islamization of Turkey Erdogan s Education Reforms turkeyanalyst org Retrieved 27 July 2016 Gul first Turkish president to visit Diyanet in 33 years World Bulletin Retrieved 2013 09 28 Tremblay Pinar April 29 2015 Is Erdogan signaling end of secularism in Turkey Al Monitor Archived from the original on 2016 08 08 Retrieved 25 July 2016 Turkse moskeeen in Belgie gevraagd te spioneren voor Turkse overheid in Dutch Knack 13 December 2016 Retrieved 13 December 2016 Diyanet gathers intelligence on suspected Gulenists via imams in 38 countries Hurriyet Daily News 7 December 2016 Retrieved 13 December 2016 Yucel Deniz 9 December 2016 Turkische Imame spionieren in Deutschland fur Erdogan Die Welt in German Retrieved 13 December 2016 Ozturk Ahmet Erdi Does Turkey use spying imams to assert its powers abroad The Conversation Retrieved 2019 01 25 Turkey s religious authority surrenders to political Islam The Economist 18 January 2018 Retrieved 19 January 2018 Turkey s religious authority suggests citizens practice e fasting during Ramadan Turkiye News Hurriyet Daily News Ozgenc Meltem 7 April 2015 Turkey s top religious body allows toilet paper hurriyet Retrieved 27 July 2016 Turkey s religious body says engaged couples should not hold hands Dogan News Agency 4 January 2016 Retrieved 27 July 2016 a b Turkey s Diyanet denies responsibility in controversial fatwa on father s lust for daughter hurriyet 8 January 2016 Retrieved 27 July 2016 Tremblay Pinar January 15 2016 Incest fatwa lands Turkish religious directorate in hot water al monitor Archived from the original on 2016 08 22 Retrieved 27 July 2016 Freedom House Turkey 2015 Press Freedom report SPIEGEL DER 17 February 2017 Turkei spionierte europaweit Gulen Anhanger aus DER SPIEGEL Politik Der Spiegel in German Retrieved 2020 12 20 Germany Poised to Mount More Raids on Turkish Imams Accused of Spying Voice of America English www voanews com Retrieved 2020 12 20 Turkish imam spy affair in Germany extends across Europe DW 16 02 2017 Deutsche Welle Retrieved 2020 12 20 Dogan Zulfikar 2017 02 24 Spying imams spark new crisis between Europe Turkey Al Monitor Retrieved 2020 12 20 Turkey s religious authority denies illegal activity by imams in Germany news yahoo com Retrieved 2020 12 20 a b c Tregenna Chris 2019 06 20 The Turkish Diyanet in the UK How national conditions affect the influence of a transnational religious institution Religion and Global Society Retrieved 2022 05 26 Camilerimiz ve Derneklerimiz avustralyadiyanet org au Retrieved 2022 04 20 a b Publikationen Dokumentationsstelle Politischer Islam Die Avusturya Turk Islam Kultur ve Sosyal Yardimlasma Birligi ATIB PDF in Austrian German pp 15 16 Archived from the original on 2021 10 28 Retrieved 2021 11 14 a b Espionnage de la Diyanet quand les musulmans de Belgique seront ils enfin consideres comme des compatriotes Le Soir in French 2017 04 08 Retrieved 2020 11 15 KKTC DIN ISLERI BASKANLIGI kktcdinisleri com Retrieved 2022 04 20 a b Nielsen Akgonul amp Alibasic 2009 100 Macron s War on Islamists Comes Up Against Erdogan s Soft Power www msn com Retrieved 2020 11 12 Old Faultlines The Economist 6 August 2016 Retrieved 9 August 2016 History of Tokyo Camii 東京ジャーミイ ディヤーナト トルコ文化センター Tokyo Camii and Diyanet Turkish Culture Center Retrieved 2022 05 17 a b Ozturk Ahmet Erdi Sozeri Semiha Diyanet as a Turkish Foreign Policy Tool Evidence from the Netherlands and Bulgaria Religion and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association 11 3 3 12 13 15 Archived from the original on 19 September 2018 a b Ohman Daniel 2017 03 28 Hela reportaget Erdogans langa arm Sveriges Radio in Swedish Retrieved 2021 11 22 Genom statsanstallda imamer har Turkiet inflytande i nio svenska moskeer Manga turksvenskar i Stockholm Goteborg och Malmo har slutat ga till mosken av radsla Den alltmer auktoritara turkiska regimen skrammer och kartlagger meningsmotstandare i Sverige Dagens Nyheter in Swedish 2017 04 01 Archived from the original on 15 June 2018 Retrieved 2019 02 16 Former presidents Archived 2008 04 23 at the Wayback Machine Presidency of Religious Affairs in Turkish Prof Dr Ali ERBAS Bibliography EditNielsen Jorgen S Akgonul Samim Alibasic Ahmet 2009 Yearbook of Muslims in Europe BRILL ISBN 978 90 04 17505 1 Yucel Irfan 1994 DIYANET ISLERI BASKANLIGI TDV Encyclopedia of Islam Vol 9 Darusaade Dulkadi rogullari in Turkish Istanbul Turkiye Diyanet Foundation Centre for Islamic Studies pp 455 460 ISBN 978 975 389 436 4 External links EditOfficial website Women issuing fatwas Qantara de The Diyanet of Turkey and Its Activities in Eurasia After the Cold War Smith Thomas W Between Allah and Ataturk Liberal Islam in Turkey permanent dead link PDF Matsuzato Kimitaka Sawae Fumiko Rebuilding a Confessional State Islamic Ecclesiology Turkey Russia and China Religion State amp Society Vol 38 No 4 December 2010 Istar Gozaydin Religion as Soft Power in the International Relations of Turkey www ispionline it Ahmet Erdi Ozturk Turkey s Diyanet under AKP rule from protector to imposer of state ideology Ahmet Erdi Ozturk Transformation of the Turkish Diyanet both at Home and Abroad Three Stages Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Directorate of Religious Affairs amp oldid 1135085318, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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