Part IV - Diyanet
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 April 2021
Summary
This part argues that of the four major structures of Islamic authority under study, it is in fact Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı (Presidency of Religious Affairs, hereafter Diyanet) that is most responsive to the sensibilities of the modern, educated young Muslims, whose Western style of education leads them to demand that the Islamic authorities provide intellectually rigorous responses while preserving the spiritual depth of Islam. Chapter 10 maps out in detail how the democratic strengthening and economic prosperity under the center-right AKP party has contributed to a revival of traditional Islamic scholarship in Turkey. A pluralistic religious sphere of reformist scholars and Sufi ṭarīqahs is evolving and cultivating close ties with Diyanet; the latter's willingness to absorb these pluralistic influences in turn is giving it the Islamic legitimacy it has historically lacked in religious circles both at home and abroad. Chapter 11 helps explain how Diyanet, an institution established by the secular Kemalist regime, has actually maintained a high degree of continuity with the Ottoman scholarly tradition. Chapter 12 examines the fiqhi positions of Diyanet and those of two influential Turkish scholars, who are actively engaging with traditional Islamic concepts to bridge the gap between Islam and modernity. The chapter shows how despite the pressure from successive secular governments, Diyanet has historically followed a moderate course and while adapting to change has respected the limits to reform defined by the four Sunni madhhabs. The practical answers to real-life questions that emerge from such an intellectual and spiritual milieu resonate with a growing number of educated Muslims around the globe.
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- Modern Islamic Authority and Social Change, Volume 1Evolving Debates in Muslim Majority Countries, pp. 269 - 270Publisher: Edinburgh University PressPrint publication year: 2018