DIYANET PURSUING AGENDA OF REFORM, EDUCATION, AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 005605

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/17/2016
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL TU
SUBJECT: DIYANET PURSUING AGENDA OF REFORM, EDUCATION, AND
OUTREACH


Classified By: Political Counselor Janice G. Weiner for reasons 1.4 b,d


1. (C) Summary. The reform agenda of Turkey's Directorate
of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) Foundation complements GOT
efforts to modernize Turkish society, Mehmet Gormez,
Diyanet's Vice Chair for Foreign Relations and Publications,
told us during a September 13 meeting. The Diyanet,
according to Gormez, is actively engaged in improving human
rights, increasing education domestically and abroad, and is
helping to combat prejudice against Muslims. Although Gormez
may have overstated the impact of the reforms, he clearly
understands that government support for such cultural change
may soften suspicions among ultra secularists and religious
minorities regarding the Diyanet's basically Sunni Muslim
agenda. End summary.

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DIYANET DECENTRALIZES CONTROL OVER SERMONS, MOSQUES
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2. (C) In a meeting September 13 meeting, Gormez told us
that, since he took office in 2003, the Diyanet has been
pursuing a reform agenda to help modernize Turkish society.
He noted the government's recent decision to recognize
Turkey's regional and cultural differences by devolving
central responsibility for writing and monitoring Friday
sermons. Permitting each province to incorporate local
concerns in the weekly religious message demonstrates the
government's concerns for human rights, according to Gormez.
"East and west might not see things the same way," Gormez
noted. As an example, he said the Black Sea coastal
provinces might not respond to a sermon on environmental
protection in the same way as areas in the country's
southeast.

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PROGRESS ON HUMAN RIGHTS OVERSHADOWED BY NEGATIVE PRESS
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3. (C) The Diyanet's full support of human rights reform is
also demonstrated by its efforts to hire more women, Gormez
told us. Out of a total of 80,000 Diyanet employees, Gormez
said, the number of female employees has increased to 5,000
from 1,500 since he took over three years ago. The Diyanet
also currently has nine women appointed as deputy muftis.
Gormez further claimed the Diyanet was active in fighting
"honor killings" under his tenure. These incidents had been
declining during the last 20-30 years, according to Gormez,
but he said the media coverage made this seem otherwise.
Showing mixed feelings about the press, Gormez said that
although "it is a good thing" that "press coverage of many
human rights issues has increased, the coverage devoted to
honor killings, prosecutions of writers, and other human
rights violations often overshadows the fact that much
progress has been made."

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INTERNATIONAL OUTREACH: ALL MOSQUES LINKED TO THE DIYANET
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4. (C) The Diyanet considers its efforts at international
outreach important to help combat negative views of Islam,
according to Gormez. In addition to its jurisdiction over
some 50,000 mosques in Turkey, the Diyanet is responsible for
staffing and overseeing the approximately 1500 Turkish
speaking mosques in Europe. Gormez explained that the
Diyanet trains thousands of muftis annually in one of its
five training centers in Turkey, and then assigns them
domestically and abroad. Current training in cross-cultural
sensitivities will help combat prejudice and push forward the
Diyanet's reform priorities abroad. Gormez told us that the
Pope's recent controversial comments magnify the need for
education and will cause the Diyanet to redouble its efforts.
In an obvious jab at the Diyanet's well-known opposition to
Christian missionary activities in Turkey, Gormez emphasized
that all work done abroad is performed under the request of
local governments for assistance.


5. (C) Comment: The Diyanet continues to have an important
impact on Turkey's largely Muslim society, making its reform
efforts particularly noteworthy. Gormez may have overstated
the impact of the reforms, but he clearly understands that
government support for these types of cultural changes soften
suspicions among ultra-secularists and religious minorities
regarding the Diyanet's basically Sunni Muslim agenda. End
comment.

Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/

WILSON