In
TurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey
, is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe...
, the
Presidency of Religious Affairs is an official institution established in 1924 after the abolition of the
caliphateThe term caliphate refers to the first form of government inspired by Islam. It was initially led by Muhammad's disciples as a continuation of the political authority the prophet established, known as the 'rashidun caliphates'. It represented the political unity of the Muslim Ummah, and was the...
. Founded by the
Grand National Assembly of TurkeyThe Grand National Assembly of Turkey is the unicameral parliament of Turkey which is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Constitution. It was founded in Ankara on 23 April 1920 in the midst of the Turkish War of Independence...
as a successor to Shaikh al-Islam, it represents the highest
IslamIslam Islam Islam ( al-’islām,
[There are ten pronunciations of Islam in English, differing in whether the first or second syllable has the stress, whether the s is or , and whether the a is pronounced as in father, as in cat, or (when the stress is on the i) as in the a of sofa...]
ic religious authority in the country. It is normally referred to simply as the
Diyanet.
As specified by law, the duties of the Diyanet are “to execute the works concerning the beliefs, worship, and ethics of Islam, enlighten the public about their religion, and administer the sacred worshipping places”.
The Diyanet had an allocated budget of 1,308,187,000 YTL or USD $0.9 Billion for the year 2006.
In 1984, the
Diyanet İşleri Türk İslam BirliğiThe Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs , is one of the largest Islamic organisations in Germany. It was founded in 1984 as a branch of the Presidency of Religious Affairs in Ankara...
was opened in
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
to cater for the religious needs of the large Turkish minority there.
The Diyanet has made a name for itself with a liberal interpretation of the
Qur'anThe Qur’an is the central religious text of Islam...
and the
hadithHadith are oral traditions relating to the words and deeds of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Hadith are regarded by traditional schools of jurisprudence as important tools for determining the Muslim way of life, the sunnah. Hadith were originally oral traditions of Muhammad's actions and customs...
.
Discussion
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In
TurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey
, is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe...
, the
Presidency of Religious Affairs is an official institution established in 1924 after the abolition of the
caliphateThe term caliphate refers to the first form of government inspired by Islam. It was initially led by Muhammad's disciples as a continuation of the political authority the prophet established, known as the 'rashidun caliphates'. It represented the political unity of the Muslim Ummah, and was the...
. Founded by the
Grand National Assembly of TurkeyThe Grand National Assembly of Turkey is the unicameral parliament of Turkey which is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Constitution. It was founded in Ankara on 23 April 1920 in the midst of the Turkish War of Independence...
as a successor to Shaikh al-Islam, it represents the highest
IslamIslam Islam Islam ( al-’islām,
[There are ten pronunciations of Islam in English, differing in whether the first or second syllable has the stress, whether the s is or , and whether the a is pronounced as in father, as in cat, or (when the stress is on the i) as in the a of sofa...]
ic religious authority in the country. It is normally referred to simply as the
Diyanet.
As specified by law, the duties of the Diyanet are “to execute the works concerning the beliefs, worship, and ethics of Islam, enlighten the public about their religion, and administer the sacred worshipping places”.
The Diyanet had an allocated budget of 1,308,187,000 YTL or USD $0.9 Billion for the year 2006.
In 1984, the
Diyanet İşleri Türk İslam BirliğiThe Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs , is one of the largest Islamic organisations in Germany. It was founded in 1984 as a branch of the Presidency of Religious Affairs in Ankara...
was opened in
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
to cater for the religious needs of the large Turkish minority there.
The Diyanet has made a name for itself with a liberal interpretation of the
Qur'anThe Qur’an is the central religious text of Islam...
and the
hadithHadith are oral traditions relating to the words and deeds of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Hadith are regarded by traditional schools of jurisprudence as important tools for determining the Muslim way of life, the sunnah. Hadith were originally oral traditions of Muhammad's actions and customs...
. A recent example is the permission of training women as preachers. In March 2005 two women were appointed as vice-
muftiA mufti is an Islamic scholar who is an interpreter or expounder of Islamic law . A muftiat or diyanet is a council of muftis.-Qualifications:...
in
KayseriKayseri , named in classical antiquity as Mazaka or Mazaca, Eusebia, Caesarea Cappadociae, and later as Kaisariyah, is a large and industrialized city in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It is the seat of Kayseri Province...
and
IstanbulIstanbul is the largest city in Turkey and fifth largest city proper in the world with a population of 12.6 million. Istanbul is also a megacity, as well as the cultural and financial centre of Turkey. The city covers 39 districts of the Istanbul province...
.
In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI travelled by car to the Diyanet, where he met with its then president,
Ali BardakoğluAli Bardakoğlu is the current president of Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı and as such the highest Islamic authority in Turkey.-Background:...
, and with various Turkish Muslim leaders, among them the Grand Mufti of Ankara and the Grand Mufti of Istanbul. Diyanet, not bound by Christian teachings, has a milder position on bioethical questions, allowing in vitro fertilization and birth control pills.
List of presidents
The following people have presided the institution:
- Mehmet Rifat Börekçi (1924-1941)
- Ord. Prof. Şerafettin Yaltkaya (1941-1947)
- 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 (1965-1966)
- Ali Rıza Hakses (1966-1968)
- Lütfi Doğan (1968-1972)
- Dr. Lütfi Doğan (1972-1976)
- Prof. Dr. Süleyman Ateş (1976-1978)
- Dr. Tayyar Altıkulaç (1978-1986)
- Prof. Dr. Mustafa Sait Yazıcıoğlu (1986-1992)
- Mehmet Nuri Yılmaz (1992-2003)
- Ali Bardakoğlu
Ali Bardakoğlu is the current president of Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı and as such the highest Islamic authority in Turkey.-Background:...
(2003-)
See also
- Islam in Turkey
The region comprising modern Turkey has a long and rich Islamic tradition stretching back to the dawn of the Seljuk period and Ottoman Empire. The country has many historical mosques present throughout the cities and towns, including many in Istanbul. It is the main religion of the Turkish people,...
- Liberal movements within Islam
Progressive Muslims have produced a considerable body of liberal thoughts within Islam . These movements share a philosophy that depends largely on ijtihad...
- Women as imams
There is a current controversy among Muslims on the circumstances in which women may act as imams—that is, lead a congregation in salat . Three of the four Sunni schools, as well as many Shia, agree that a woman may lead a congregation consisting of women alone in prayer...
- Shaikh al-Islam
External links