Turkey: the edifying rise of the Diyanet, responsible for managing the Muslim cult
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with Diyanet Chairman Ali Eras during the inauguration of a mosque in Cologne, Germany, September 29, 2018. AP - Martin Meissner
Text by: Anne Andlauer
5 mins
The Diyanet, the institution responsible for managing the Muslim religion, enjoys unprecedented visibility and financial resources.
Recently, its leader has gained a few more places in the protocol order.
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From our correspondent in Istanbul,
The Diyanet is quite an official institution.
It was established in 1924 by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey.
On paper, her role has not really changed: she manages everything pertaining to Muslim worship, by building and maintaining mosques in the country and abroad, by appointing imams - who are civil servants - or again by providing lessons on the Koran.
The Diyanet fulfills its missions "
in accordance with the principle of secularism
", specifies the Constitution - and we understand here that Turkish secularism is not a separation of religion and the State.
Finally, let us note that by “
Muslim worship
”, we must understand “
Sunni Muslim
”.
Turkey has several Muslim communities that do not claim to be Sunni and bring together millions of people, such as Alevis and Shiites.
But the Diyanet does not recognize these different currents, which must therefore train their own religious and finance their places of worship themselves.
Part of Erdogan's diet
The Diyanet is not supposed to play a political role in Turkey since, still according to the Constitution, it must "
stay away from all political opinions
".
But in practice, especially in recent years, we cannot speak of an apolitical institution.
The Diyanet and its leader are directly linked to the Head of State.
Since the entry into force of a strong presidential regime in 2018, the Diyanet has been an integral part of the system put in place by Recep Tayyip Erdogan to promote a pious and nationalist society, in particular among the youth.
►
See also: The mosque in Istanbul's Taksim square inaugurated by Erdogan
In front of the Chief of Staff
Example with the sermons on Friday.
Read in some 85,000 mosques managed by the Diyanet, they often come to support the initiatives and the discourse of the government according to the political situation, whether it is to castigate homosexuality or to promote a military operation in the foreigner.
In addition, the head of Diyanet is constantly put forward.
At the beginning of the week, he inaugurated the new judicial year by pronouncing a prayer at the Court of Cassation in front of an audience of magistrates, alongside the Head of State.
On August 30, a national holiday, Recep Tayyip Erdogan made him climb again in the protocol order by granting him 12th place, in front of the Chief of Staff.
Ten years ago he was only 52nd.
Unprecedented financial resources
Diyanet's budget is going from record to record.
This year, it has almost 13 billion Turkish liras to carry out its activities, which is the equivalent of 1.3 billion euros at the current rate.
This is more than the budget of seven ministries and double the budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
It is above all a huge increase over twenty years, since the 2002 Diyanet had a budget of only 550 million pounds.
This institution is therefore regularly criticized by the opposition, all political tendencies combined.
►
To read also: Turkey: first Muslim prayer for 86 years at the former Hagia Sophia
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