Jan 9, 2024. Posted by Balkan Periscope - Hellas
According to the Article 2 of the Turkish Constitution, Turkey’s official stance is laicism, which based on separation of state and religion while also allows the state to regulate religious realm with institutions such as Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet).
"The
increasing reactionary regulations and calls for the re-establishment of the
caliphate within the government, especially within the Education Ministry, and
the increasing anti-secular and anti-Republican activities reveal the
characteristics of the regime that the government is trying to establish,” the
Assembly stated as reported by the daily BirGün.
The report
listed the practices targeting the secularism in Turkey out by official state
organizations, ministries, municipalities, universities, and legislative
organs.
In the
section where court rulings were listed, the report stated that Erzincan Chief
Public Prosecutor's Office on Jan. 1, 2023 issued a decision of non-prosecution
within a week on the complaint against the visit of Halil Konakcı, an imam
known for his call for caliphate, to Erzincan Governor in his office wearing a
religious attire.
A
university student on March 15, 2023 was beheaded with a cleaver in an illegal
student dormitory run by a religious cult in Antalya province.
It was
revealed on June 21 that pro-government Islamist Turkish Youth Foundation’s
(TÜGVA) Iğdır Provincial Representative deceived and harassed many female
theology students by saying that he was an National Intelligence Organization
(MİT). Although there were audio recordings of the harassment, “no
investigation was opened so that TÜGVA would not be harmed.”
In
February, an official massage sent by the state-run Turkish Post and Telegraph
Organization (PTT) General Directorate to the provincial organizations asked
the employees to inform the number of prayers read by them for the earthquake
victims, listed in the section on the activities of the government.
The report
also stated that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in April "made statements
that exploited religious feelings" over a prayer rug that opposition
candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu had accidentally stepped on in the run-up to the
presidential election. Erdoğan's usage of religious themes in his propaganda
during elections and his propaganda speech in a mosque were also mentioned in
the report.
The ruling
Justice and Development Party (AKP) formed a coalition with the radical
Islamist Just Cause Party (HÜDA-PAR) and New Welfare Party (YRP) during general
elections, leading to their entry into the Parliament, the report noted.
President
Erdoğan awarded the State Medal of Outstanding Sacrifice to the Beşir
Association affiliated to the Menzil cult.
There was a
power struggle between some powerful religious cults within the government to
fill the five vacant seats on the Supreme Electoral Council during January,
according to the Assembly. It also stated that same religious cult was
effective during the Constitutional Court’s presidential elections.
On 7 April,
a protocol was signed between the Education Ministry, Youth and Sports
Ministry, and Diyanet as part of the "I am sensitive to my environment, I
embrace my values" project (ÇEDES), paving the way for imams to enter
schools as “partners.”
"The
budget of the Diyanet, which was 36.4 billion Turkish liras in 2023, will reach
91.8 billion liras in 2024 with an increase of 151 percent. The same Diyanet
exhausted its budget before the middle of 2023 and was allocated an additional
budget of 15 billion liras in August and it became the most important
ideological apparatus in the consolidation of the new regime in the social
sphere,” the report underscored.
Duvar
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