Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı

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The Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı (English: Ministry of Religious Affairs) is an institution of the Turkish government and represents the highest, Islamic religious authority in the country. It was established in 1924 after the abolition of the caliphate, as a successor to Shaikh al-Islam. It is normally known simply as the Diyanet.

The duty of the Diyanet is “to execute the works concerning the beliefs, worship, and ethics of Islam, enlighten the public about their religion, and administer the sacred worshipping places” [1]” The Diyanet had an allocated budget of 1,308,187,000 YTL or USD $0.9 Billion for the year 2006. [2]

In 1984 a branch was opened in Germany 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'an and the hadith. A recent example is the permission of training women as preachers. In March 2005 two women were appointed as vice-mufti in Kayseri and Istanbul.

[edit] Presidents of Religious Affairs (Diyanet İşleri Başkanları)

• 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 (2003-

[edit] See also

• Diyanet İşleri Türk İslam Birliği (branch in Germany)
• Islam in Turkey
• Liberal movements within Islam
• Women as imams
• Shaikh al-Islam

[edit] External links

• Diyanet
• Qantara | Female Preachers in Turkey
• Qantara | Women issuing fatwas
• | Diyanet İşleri Başkanları

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