Presidency Of Religious Affairs Research Articles

Preserving the Sacred Text: An Appraisal of Recent Meâl Bans in Türkiye

Abstract Recently, there have been heated debates in Türkiye as a result of the legal action taken by the Presidency of Religious Affairs (pra) to ban the translations of the Qur'an on the grounds that it contains “objectionable” interpretations of passages contrary to “the fundamentals” of Islam. This study argues that, throughout history, the sacred text has been of symbolic importance and thus the authorities have sought to exert control over it. After a review of the recent cases, a conclusion is drawn that the political views as well as the unconventional religious interpretations may have been the driving factors in the decision to ban meâls. Moreover, there is the distinct possibility that the spread of modernist Islamic interpretations via the Internet, particularly Qur’anism, which has been directly targeted by the pra in official sermons, may be another contributing factor in translation bans.

An Evaluation of Online Complaints About Qur’an Courses for 4-6-Year Olds: The Case of sikayetvar.com

The number of Qur’an courses for 4-6-year-olds affiliated with the Presidency of Religious Affairs has significantly increased since its pilot launch in 2013-2014. Parents, who send their children on these courses, anticipate a specific standard and quality from these educational institutions for their children. However, when these expectations aren’t met, parents often voice their dissatisfaction, sharing complaints within their social circles in the micro field and to a larger audience in the macro area. In Turkey, the platform “sikayetvar.com” is one avenue for publishing such grievances. This platform was chosen because it is the country’s first complaint platform, has a free membership option, and a user-friendly complaint-sharing interface. In this respect, the study uses qualitative research methods to analyze and evaluate themes related to complaints about 4-6-year-old Qur’an courses published on “sikayetvar.com” from 2019 to the present. The data analysis involved document scanning and content analysis. The nature of developments and changes enables individuals to shape their service-related preferences and choices. Hence, there is a belief that contributing to the advancement of the 4-6 age group Qur’an courses offered by the Presidency of Religious Affairs, alongside identifying and evaluating the complaints expressed by parents sending their children to these courses, would ultimately enhance the institution’s organizational structure and the quality of services provided. Initially, 166 complaints concerning the 4-6 age group Qur’an courses were compiled into a Word document from the mentioned website. Subsequently, these complaints were categorized under four distinct themes: registration and fees, personnel, facilities, and others. The theme of registration and fees (n:74, %44.5) encompassed complaints centered around the limitations imposed by quotas and course fees. Complaints associated with the personnel theme (n:76, 45.7%) focused on issues concerning course managers, instructors, assistants, and personnel in other capacities. Under the facilities theme (n:15, 9%), the predominant concerns were physical facilities, hygiene, noise, and transportation. The remaining complaints were grouped under the others themes (n:13, 7.8%). The themes of registration and fees, as well as personnel, garnered the most complaints. When viewed from an institutional standpoint, the complaints can be regarded as constructive feedback aimed at enhancing both the quality of service and overall user experience. Following the expression of dissatisfaction in the form of a complaint, it is expected that the dissatisfaction will be considered, evaluated, and resolved, leading to the elimination of the discontent. Indifference towards complaints and non-solution-oriented approaches can weaken and damage the connection/relationship between citizens and the institution, affecting the institution's perceived competence in one of the most sensitive matters, which is the perspective on religion, and leading to questioning the institution’s authority in religious matters. In cases of trust and loyalty erosion, citizens, considering the challenges posed by the accuracy and source of information in today's context, may rely on the opinions and claims of different individuals. This situation can affect social unity and solidarity, potentially leading to marginalization and othering. Based on this, it can be said that to improve service quality and meet expectations and demands continuously, careful management of complaints is needed.

Kıraat İlmi Lisansüstü Derslerinin Değerlendirilmesi: Müfredat Önerisi

In this study, what is the current situation of the qirāʾāt science courses in the graduate program? How should the hierarchical distribution of the courses be? How should the lesson examples be? answers to the questions were sought. Because in the current situation, it has been determined that the master of qirāʾāt courses are insufficient and their distribution is uneven. In addition, in order to increase the efficiency of the lessons, suggestions were made on the entrance exam, language problem and some issues. In recent years, postgraduate education has become widespread. With the proliferation of theology faculties, the demand for master of qirāʾāt education in the science of qirāʾāt has increased. This education is of great importance in the career steps of the Ministry of National Education and the Presidency of Religious Affairs. Qurʾānic recitation and the science of qirāʾāt constitute the most basic courses in all fields of duty. Sufficiency in the science of qirāʾāt must be provided during the course period. Curriculum courses are of great importance in fulfilling this. For this reason, master of qirāʾāt and doctorate program courses should complement each other. Among the basic courses that introduce the resources and topics of the master of qirāʾāt courses; The fact that the doctorate courses consist of courses on details and problematic issues will contribute to the purpose of the program. For this purpose, a new curriculum proposal is presented for the graduate program in the science of qirāʾāt. This study is limited to the curriculum courses. While conducting the study, the curricula of the institutes of social sciences that have curricula related to the science of qirāʾāt were scanned. However, evaluations were made in the light of the studies carried out in other fields, our experiences and the comments of the experts in the field. (In other fields of Islamic sciences other than the science of qirāʾāt). While there are sufficient courses in many well-established universities in the science of qirāʾāt, it has been determined that the courses are inadequate and irregular due to the fact that the science of qirāʾāt and tafsīr are considered together and there are not enough instructors in many newly restructured universities (in newly established faculties) Courses must be hierarchical in order to achieve the purpose of master's and doctorate programs. In this context, it has been stated that Classical Tajvīd Texts, Classical Tajvīd and Qirāʾāt Resources, Qirāʾāt Science and History, Imām ʿĀṣim and ʿĀṣim’s Qirāʾāt, Qourân/Muṣḥaf History and Classical Qirāʾāt Texts should be taught in the master of qirāʾāt program. In the doctorate courses, classes such as Classical Qirāʾāt Texts (subject and procedural- uṣūl texts), Qirāʾāt ‘Aşere Uṣūl, Sāz Qirāʾāts, Qirāʾāt-Tafsīr Relationship, Waqf -İbtidāʾ and Literature in Qirāʾāt Science were chosen as priority, and different courses that could be taught in the two programs were also suggested. In addition, the master's without thesis education and courses in the field of theology are not recorded much. It has come to the conclusion that the opening of a vocational program for those working in the field of theology is needed to increase the proficiency and efficiency of the Qurʾānic recitation. (Ministry of Education). If this program is opened with the name of taṣḥīḥ al-ḥurūf ve ḥusn tilāvet (correcting letters) Qurʾānic recitation (Recitation of the Muṣḥaf) (2 Semesters), Qurʾānic recitation (memorisation) (2 Semesters), Tajvīd Texts, Beautiful Qurʾānic recitation, It was deemed necessary to give courses such as Imamate and Muʾaẕẕinism, Mosque Music, Qirāʾāt Science and History, ʿĀṣim’s Qirāʾāt and it’s Features.

A Secret Marriage and Denied Rights: A Critique from an Islamic Law Perspective

Today, secret marriages are a known problem among Muslims, but discussions and debates are avoided. People who are unwilling to take on the responsibilities of marriage yet do not want to commit adultery, one of the major sins in Islam, practice secret marriages. However, this leads to the deprivation of rights for parties and children born in these unions. Some claim that the legal justification for secret marriages is provided by the view that the presence of witnesses and the parties to be married is sufficient for a marriage contract. Therefore, this article aims to critically examine the views of the four Sunnī legal schools on testimony (shahada) or proclamation (i’lan) in relation to marriage, and how these conditions align with the requirement for protecting the rights of all parties involved in the marriage. Upon examination, this article also will delve into unregistered marriages and illustrate how both types of marriages do not adequately establish the rights of those involved. In order to accomplish this objective, the article will use a descriptive methodology that directly refers to primary texts and certain fatwa institutions, such as the Diyanet (the Presidency of Religious Affairs in Turkey), to present the jurists’ discourses.

Caring Piously: New Institutionalisation of Childcare Services in Turkey

In Turkey, Early Childcare and Education (ECCE) policy has never been prioritised in the social policy agenda and was even further pushed back with the welfare state’s weakening role in the 2000s. The private sector, inaccessible for many, particularly low-income households, has tried to fill the significant gap in the supply side of these services. Municipalities and the Presidency of Religious Affairs (PoRA) have also recently become new actors in the provision of low-cost ‘care services’. This article compares the quality of these services by examining the number of students served, regulations, infrastructure, curricula, cost, and staff. Although neoliberalism has had an impact on welfare regimes in the European Union (EU) context, more established welfare and gender equality regimes have modified those impacts, resulting in a new institutionalisation, based on non-institutionalisation, of childcare services in Turkey’s national policy frame.

Opening the curtains: Adaption of transparency policy for eliminating in confidentiality of the faith groups

Transparency policies, which have become increasingly important in recent years, have become one of the most important implementation tools of accountability, especially for public administrations. The main purpose of this study is to examine a public policy that can be planned to be implemented in Turkish public administration under the leadership of the Presidency of Religious Affairs (PRA). In the public policy literature, policy transfer and adoption processes are considered a quick solution for developing countries. Because developing countries have two important constraints, such as time and resources, to produce a solution. The adoption process of the policy that is planned to be implemented in Turkey, compared to the transparency policies in faith group services carried out by the UK public institutions, is the focus of this study. Although belief groups are important for the spread of civil society, they can cause certain social and political problems. It is not possible to produce qualified solutions to these problems by ignoring belief groups or making them illegal with a radical approach. The principle of transparency in public policies plays a key role in solving the problems encountered in civil society. This case study and content analysis will both provide the PRA with a theoretical assessment of its transparency policy and provide a roadmap for academics to work on different public policies.

TOPLUMDA DİN GÖREVLİSİ ALGISI: NEVŞEHİR İLİ ÖRNEĞİ

Din, insanlık tarihi ile başlamış en temel kurumlardan bir tanesidir. Tarihin her döneminde ve her toplumda insanlar bir dine inanmış, topyekûn dinsiz olan bir topluma rastlanmamıştır. Peygamberlerden sonra dinin en önemli temsilcileri din görevlileri olmuş, din görevlilerinin üstlendikleri rol ve yerine getirdikleri görevler hem bireysel hem de toplumsal açıdan oldukça önemli olmuştur. 
 Ülkemizde din hizmetleri Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı tarafından yerine getirilmektedir. Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı da yerine getirdiği din hizmetlerinin en önemli kısmını camilerde ve din görevlileri vasıtasıyla yapmaktadır. Araştırmanın Konusu: Toplumda Din Görevlisi Algısı: Nevşehir İli Örneği’dir. Araştırma toplumun din görevlisi algısını tespit etmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Bunu gerçekleştirmek için il merkezinde anket uygulaması yapılmıştır. Anket 9 adet demografik 16 adet cemaatin algısını ölçmeye yönelik olmak üzere 25 sorudan oluşmaktadır. Elde edilen veriler betimleyici analiz yapılarak değerlendirilmiştir. 281 (%53,5) erkek, 244 (%46,5) kadın olmak üzere toplam 525 katılımcı ile gerçekleştirilen anketin evreni Nevşehir il merkezi olup örneklem rastgele seçilmiştir. 
 Bu çalışmada Nevşehir il merkezinde yaşayan vatandaşların Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığına bağlı din görevlilerine ve din hizmetlerine bakış açıları ve din görevlisi algısı tespit edilmiştir. Veriler değerlendirildiğinde, toplumun din görevlisi algısının pek çok konuda olumsuz ya da kararsız olduğu tespit edilmiştir.

Secular variation of magnetic declination for the past 500 years from Empire to Republic in Anatolia

Seydi Ali Reis first mentioned the declination angle in his book titled Kitab-ı Muhit in 1554. Kitab-ı Cihannüma (1654), Füyuzat-i Mıknatisiye (1731), and Mârifetname (1757) gave the magnetic declination angle values in Anatolia. We have compiled magnetic declination data from 1500 to the present day in Anatolia and Istanbul. The plot of the magnetic declination angle was drawn for the first time using historical data between 1500 and 1947 for Istanbul. Three new magnetic declination maps for the periods of 1909–1910, 1970 and 2009 were produced for Turkey. The annual change map based on the data of 1970 and 2009 is also given for whole Turkey. The agonic line extending in NW-SE direction between Sinop and Antep divides Anatolia into two regions in 1910. The mean declination values obtained from qibla direction measurements made by the Presidency of Religious Affairs in all mosques give 3.11° E for 1970 and 4.74° E for 2009 in Turkey.

TURKEY’S SOFT POWER POLICY TOWARDS THE BALKANS: CHALLENGES AND PERSPECTIVES

The Balkans is considered a vital area in international relations. It has always attracted and is still attracting the interest of global and regional powers and factors on the international stage, including Turkey. Besides the political, economic, and defense aspects, the soft power of Turkish multidimensional diplomacy represents one of the most important segments of the relations between Turkey and the Balkan countries. Turkish government institutions like the Diyanet (Presidency of Religious Affairs), Yunus Emre, Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB), TIKA, Turkish State Media, Maarif education institutions, and various non-governmental organizations represent some of the most vital segments of the cultural, religious and educational expansion of the Turkish state in the Balkan countries. This paper is mainly based on the following research methods: historical, descriptive, and in-depth analysis. This study aims to answer the main question of this research - Do the above-mentioned soft power policy tools play a vital role in the further development of Turkey-Balkan countries relations? This paper concludes that the Turkish soft power policy in the Balkans faces a series of challenges that affect its expansion's functionality and success.

From sit-ins to bureaucratic seats: absorbing pious women into Turkey’s Presidency of Religious Affairs

ABSTRACT This article investigates how a pioneering group of feminist theologians and activists—who had offered women-centred interpretations of sacred texts, criticized misogynous practices for being at odds with the original spirit of Islam and launched projects to combat violence against women—came to be included in the bureaucracy of Turkish Presidency of Religious Affairs, Diyanet. Drawing on interviews with women who were personally involved and an analysis of the Diyanet’s reports and publications (2003–2016) regarding women, the work shows that bureaucratization per se is not necessarily synonymous with the silencing of collective claims or innovative stances. It outlines i) that the first phase of the transition from the pious women’s activism to them occupying positions in the bureaucracy was shaped by cooperation between state institutions and civil society organizations that included feminist activists and ii) how, since 2013, the AKP’s drift towards authoritarianism, the change in power structures within the Diyanet and the redefinition of the relationship between the state and non-governmental civil society organizations have quashed and marginalized progressive and feminist approaches that had initially been included in the bureaucracy.

Presidency of Religious Affairs and Religious Discourse -In the Sampling of Diyanet Gazetesi/Diyanat Newspaper and Diyanet Aylık Dergi/Diyanat Monthly Magazine Editorials-

Bu çalışmada Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığının dinî söylemi, Diyanet Gazetesi ve Diyanet Aylık Dergide yer alan ve Diyanet İşleri Başkanlarının (Vekili ve Yardımcılarının) kaleminden çıkan Başyazılar çerçevesinde ele alınmaktadır. Cumhuriyet’e geçişte de mevcut idarî yapı içerisinde yer alan Başkanlık, din hizmetlerini kamu görevi olarak yürütmekle yükümlü tutulmuştur. Başkanlık süreç içerisinde kurulan farklı idarî birimler vasıtasıyla mevzuatın yükümlü tuttuğu görevleri yerine getirmektedir. Başkanlığın hizmet politikalarının ve hassasiyetlerinin Diyanet İşleri Başkanlarının dilinden kamuoyu ile paylaşıldığı malumdur. Diyanet İşleri Başkanları 1950’li yıllardan beri düzenli olarak yayımlanan süreli yayınlarda Başyazılar ile topluma mesajlarını sistematik olarak iletmektedir. Bu itibarla bu yazıda Diyanet Gazetesi ve Diyanet Aylık Dergi Başyazıları merkeze alınarak Başkanlığın dinî söylemi hakkında bazı değerlendirmelerde bulunulmuştur. Başkanlığın dinî söyleminde Kanunla kendisine tanınan yetkilere bağlı olarak şekillenen iman esasları ve bazı inançlar, ibadet hayatı, birlik ve beraberlik, ahlak ve sosyal hayat merkezli bir çerçevenin söz konusu olduğu; bununla birlikte ahlak ve sosyal hayata ait konulara dair mesajların daha çok ön plana çıktığı dikkat çekmektedir.

The Administration of Religion in a Majority Muslim Nation-State: The Case of Turkey’s Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı) and Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs

The Republic of Turkey has a formidable and well-financed establishment for the management of Islam, which offers a vigorous and active state-society relation at both the state and at the grassroots levels. What is perhaps most notable concerning this type of governance of Islam is Turkey’s national history. It is most remarkable that Turkey with its majority Muslim population and its designation as a secular republic has established such a massive and effective bureaucracy for the administration of Islam, which is far larger and more extensive than that of Pakistan, a state that describes itself as an Islamic republic. and officially acknowledges the Islamic law in its constitution. The main institutions for the administration of Islam in Turkey, the Directorate of Religious Affairs [Diyanet Isleri Baskanligi, commonly abbreviated as Diyanet) not only has a substantial administrative bureaucracy across the country for religious services related to Islam but also oversees a vast staff of religious personnel such as imams, hatips, vaiz, muftis, Qur’an teachers, counselors, and administrators. It is well known that the budget of Diyanet Isleri Baskanligi has been rising since its inception, especially in the last two decades, making it a substantial budget currently. It must be acknowledged that the current high level of expenditure on religious affairs reflects the AK party of President Erdogan, yet it is also true that the origins and expansion of this religious bureaucracy took place by an authoritarian secularist Turkish government during the early 1920s. Whereas in Pakistan, a nation-state built for the Muslims in the Indian sub-continent, the Ministry of Religious Authority (MRA) was not even built during its inception in 1947. Instead, its establishment took place 27 years after the Islamic Republic of Pakistan’s birth. Moreover, during the next half a century MRA has not developed much in becoming a successful bureaucratic institution for administrating Islam at both state and grassroots levels. It is important to try to explore the reasons behind this stagnation and attempt to pinpoint the various impediments and obstacles lying in the path of MRA in Pakistan becoming as successful as the Diyanet in Turkey.

Recent Case: The Turkish Decision on Hagia Sophia

On July 2, 2020, a division of Turkey’s highest administrative appellate court annulled[reference_link 1] a 1934 presidential decision[reference_link 2] by Kemal Ataturk, founding president of Turkey, converting Hagia Sophia (tr. Aya Sofya) into a museum. Days later, on July 10, 2020, Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a decision[reference_link 3] based on the court ruling, restoring its status as a mosque open to worship and transferring its maintenance to the country’s Presidency of Religious Affairs. Following a Turkish administrative court ruling that revoked an earlier administrative decision (1934) converting the mosque into a museum, President Erdogan of Turkey was expected[reference_link 4] to restore Hagia Sophia’s status as a mosque. Upon his decision to restore the site’s status as a mosque open to worship, Erdogan personally inspected[reference_link 5] the site and the preparations to have it ready for the Friday prayer on July 24, 2020. The government quickly named[reference_link 6] 3 imāms, one a professor of religious studies, for Hagia Sophia. On July 24, 2020, Erdogan, accompanied by top government officials and politicians, participated[reference_link 7] in the first Friday prayer at the site after a 86-year hiatus where he recited passages from the Qur’ān. 350,000 people are estimated[reference_link 8] to have been in attendance).
 For further context, see the Case Roundup on the Islamic Law Blog.[reference_link 9]

Religion in Creating Populist Appeal: Islamist Populism and Civilizationism in the Friday Sermons of Turkey’s Diyanet

Drawing on the extant literature on populism, we aim to flesh out how populists in power utilize religion and related state resources in setting up aggressive, multidimensional religious populist “us” versus “them” binaries. We focus on Turkey as our case and argue that by instrumentalizing the Diyanet (Turkey’s Presidency of Religious Affairs), the authoritarian Islamists in power have been able to consolidate manufactured populist dichotomies via the Diyanet’s weekly Friday sermons. Populists’ control and use of a state institution to propagate populist civilizationist narratives and construct antagonistic binaries are underexamined in the literature. Therefore, by examining Turkish populists’ use of the Diyanet, this paper will make a general contribution to the extant literature on religion and populism. Furthermore, by analyzing the Diyanet’s weekly Friday sermons from the last ten years we demonstrate how different aspects of populism—its horizontal, vertical, and civilizational dimensions—have become embedded in the Diyanet’s Friday sermons. Equally, this paper shows how these sermons have been tailored to facilitate the populist appeal of Erdoğan’s Islamist regime. Through the Friday sermons, the majority—Sunni Muslim Turks are presented with statements that evoke negative emotions and play on their specific fears, their sense of victimhood and through which their anxieties—real and imagined—are revived and used to construct populist binaries to construct and mobilize the people in support of an authoritarian Islamist regime purported to be fighting a “civilizational enemy” on behalf of “the people”. Finally, drawing on insights from the Turkish case, we illustrate how the “hosting” function of the civilizational aspect plays a vital role in tailoring internal (vertical and horizontal) religious populist binaries.

Mezhep farklılıklarına karşı diyanetin bütünleştirici politikası

In contemporary Turkey, it is possible to identify an intersection of disparate religious and social identities. The sectarian character of believers resonates within the religious interpretations of separate groups, and occasionally creates an ongoing challenge and complexity for the Diyanet (The Presidency of Religious Affairs) in Turkey. The Diyanet as an official religious institution is established by Turkish government in 1924 under the article 136 of the Constitution of Turkey. The institution is mainly responsible to conduct the religious affairs of Turkish people in harmony with the Islamic religion. The non-binding İslamic legal opinions (fatwā), which are issued in response to questions of believers represents the most active and influential outcome of the Diyanet. The mission of institution also includes to deal with the problematical teachings of various religious groups and to strengthen the ehl-i sunna education of people who experience ingroup socialization. The paper seeks to elaborate the institution’s encounter with the sectarian diversity with specific reference to themes of modernism, secularism and traditionalism. The research divides religious sects of Turkey into three main categories depending on their connection with the faith area (i‘tiqādī), worship area (‘ibādī) and social mobilization (jamā‘a). The Alevis, Ja‘farīs, Shāfīs, and Nurcus are chosen as representative examples of each of these diverged groups respectively. To what extent the Diyanet’s approach towards these groups is influenced by the concepts of modernism, secularism and traditionalism is the main question that the paper aims to answer. The analysis intents to shed light on the affirmative or rejective responses of the Diyanet towards these sectarianist groups in contemporary Turkey.

Women officials of the Turkish Diyanet: Gendered transformations and predicaments of empowerment?

ABSTRACT The Presidency of Religious Affairs (the Diyanet) is a unique bureaucratic structure authorized to address the religious service needs of citizens in Turkey’s secular system. For a long time, it was characterized by under-representation of women in its ranks. The longstanding quest of educated religious women for recognition of their expertise and integration into this institution coincided with a policy reorientation in the early 2000s, to expand the Diyanet’s appeal for women through its enlightenment and educational functions. Under the Justice and Development Party (AKP) governments, the issue of gender disparity has been addressed through a new strategy of increasingly recruiting women graduates from Theology faculties. However, despite a ‘feminization’ process undertaken via the pro-women reforms of its organizational structure, the Diyanet’s institutional and political-ideological limitations are intertwined with prevailing gender norms and patriarchal conventions. This article inquires into the gendered dynamics and predicaments that have constrained the status and roles of its women officials and impacted their empowerment prospects. Nevertheless, as women have started to exercise religious authority with men in the Diyanet’s enduring male-dominated structure, the recognition for their expertise, professional commitment, and the potential impact of their work have reinforced the social significance of women’s roles.

Koronavirüs Salgını Sürecinde Türkiye’de Dinî ve Toplumsal Etkiler

oronavirus, which has become a global epidemic, has and continues to affect entire societies on a global scale in a multidimensional way. After the first case detected in Turkey on March 11, 2020, a number of restrictive measures were implemented to reduce human movement, such as the practice of quarantine in social and public spaces, in order to reduce or eliminate the impact of the epidemic. In this context, health, economy, education, religion, family, business, politics, etc., it has led to significant permanent or temporary changes, transformations and developments in many Social Space. In this framework, it is very important to analyze the changes, transformations and developments arising in social life, religious life and practices and in the service areas of the Presidency of Religious Affairs (PRA) in the context of the coronavirus epidemic. In addition, as an extraordinary situation, due to the extremely shocking, destructive and socio-traumatic multidimensional impact of the epidemic crisis, people have engaged in a number of searches for religious meaning. All this makes it necessary to conduct such research aimed at addressing society, religion, religious life and PRA in Turkey in the context of coronavirus in the field of sociology of religion. The study is a qualitative research and is based on the analysis of the findings with a sociological perspective within the framework of the text scanning method.

The Interaction Between Islamic Legal Methodologies and Social Context in the Light of the Contemporary Practice of Iftā’ A Case Study of two Institutions

The non-binding Islamic legal rulings or opinions (fatwās), which are issued by Muslim scholars or Islamic religious institutions in response to questions of Muslim individuals may be said to represent the most dynamic genre of (past or present) Islamic legal literature. It was traditional case that the practice of iftā’ resided in the individual authority and effort of Muslim scholars. However, after the establishment of national and international Islamic religious institutions at the beginning of the twentieth century, this practice has largely become the responsibility of specific bodies tasked with issuing fatwās from that day to this. Saudi Arabia’s Dār al-Iftā’ (the General Presidency of Scholarly Research and Iftā’) and Turkey’s Diyanet (the Presidency of Religious Affairs) are concrete outcomes of the twentieth century. Both insti-tutions provide an idiosyncratic insight into the practice of iftā’ and more specifically its development and application within two quite different societies. One of the primary concerns of this thesis is there-fore to identify the authority, function and role of the two institutions and their official fatwās in their respective environments.

Higher Religious Education in the Eyes of Students (Example of Giresun University Faculty of Islamic Sciences)

Ortaöğretimden mezun olup yeterli puan alan bireyin, hangi yükseköğretim kurumuna gideceğine karar vermesi geleceği için oldukça önemli bir dönüm noktasıdır. Bu dönüm noktasındaki kararlar bireyin kendisi ve ileride vereceği hizmetin kalitesi için önemlidir. Bu bağlamda açık uçlu 9 soruya Giresun İslami İlimler Fakültesinde 2019-2020 öğretim yılında öğrenim gören 54’ü erkek 63’ü kadın 117 öğrencinin verdiği cevapların betimsel analiziyle ulaşılan bulgulardan müteşekkil araştırmanın amacı, yüksek din öğretimi alan bireylerin tercih, hedef ve öğretimin niteliği kapsamındaki görüşlerini tespit etmektir. Araştırma verilerine göre katılımcılar fakülteyi tercih etme sürecinde alana olan ilgi, istek ve din eğitimi almak başta olmak üzere yerleştirme puanı, mesleki gerekçe, mezun olunan okul, ilim elde etme isteği, aile ve sosyal çevre etkisi, dine hizmet etme isteği ve mesleki gelişim gibi unsurlardan etkilenmektedir. Bununla birlikte ülke genelinde yüksek din öğretimine yönelmenin temel gerekçesi olarak daha çok istihdam ile ilgili kaygılara işaret edilmiştir. Yüksek din öğretimi öncesinde ve sonrası süreçle ilgili belirlenen hedeflere bakıldığında lisansüstü eğitimle yüksek din öğretiminin devam ettirilmesi ve MEB ve DİB bünyesinde DKAB öğretmeni, Kur’an kursu öğreticisi, İmam hatip, müezzin olunması gibi istihdama dair hedeflerden söz edilmiştir. Öğretimin niteliği konusunda ise ezbere dayalı öğretim teknikleri eleştirilirken, öğrenim görülen kurumdaki hoca-öğrenci etkileşimi öğretimin niteliğini artırıcı bir referans olarak anılmaktadır.

Precautions taken against the COVID-19 by presidency of religious affairs in terms of Hajj and Umrah pilgrimage: The case of Turkey

The gathering of people in a concentrated manner within particular spaces / places has become a serious issue during the COVID-19 pandemic period Mass gatherings of individuals seem to be investigated intensively by researchers both in these days and will be further in the forthcoming years Religion-oriented gatherings are of great importance because they have spiritual motivation for the ones who practice them For many participants, these gatherings are essential at least once in their life As is seen from its very nature, religious motivation is one of the most potent subjects to be considered in terms of mass gatherings Thus, as a useful example, the pilgrimage in Islam to Hajj and Umrah in Saudi Arabia are the focus of this study The international movements and gatherings stemming from religious motivation are a point of discussion in terms of the precautions which should be taken Therefore, in this study, general information about these particular pilgrimages is provided, and the specific case of Turkey in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic is investigated within the scope of the precautions taken by the Turkish authorities The study was designed to present the publicly announced precautions organised by the official response to Turkish pilgrims by the Presidency of Religious Affairs © International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage