TURKEY: DIYANET HEAD BARDAKOGLU ON EFFORTS TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 000039 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT ALSO FOR EUR/SE E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/09/2019 TAGS: PHUM PGOV TU SUBJECT: TURKEY: DIYANET HEAD BARDAKOGLU ON EFFORTS TO PROMOTE A MODERN ISLAM Classified By: Ambassador James Jeffrey for reasons 1.4 (b,d) ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Director of Religious Affairs Ali Bardakoglu briefed the Ambassador January 8 on the Diyanet's responsibility to provide moral guidance and religious instruction to Muslims as well as looking after the interests of other religious groups. He highlighted Turkey's unique role as a country of multiple identities, and outlined his efforts to promote a modern Islam built on tolerance at home and abroad. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) In his 8 January meeting with the Ambassador, Diyanet Director Bardakoglu provided a briefing on his directorate, the branch of the government responsible for running Turkey's 75,000 mosques. He emphasized that as a religious institution in a secular state, the Diyanet must provide moral guidance and religious instruction, but concurrently be inclusive of all religions and not make religion compulsory or political. He pointed out that, though Turkey is a majority Muslim country, his office has a difficult job in attending to its many different religions (Islam, Christianity, Judaism),sects (Sunni, Shii, Alevi), traditions (Hanafi, Shafi, Jafari),and brotherhoods (Sufi, Bektashi, Naqshibandi). ¶3. (SBU) To this end, he said that the Diyanet provides tolerant, modern instruction in religion as a part of Turkey's tradition of promoting understanding amongst its mosaic of different citizens. As an example, he noted that imams and muftis, all state employees, are instructed not to politicize their sermons. "We do not preach against Russia or the United States or against any particular country. We preach on things such as good morals, women's rights, and good citizenship." He also discussed relations with other countries, noting that 1400 Diyanet staff work in places such as Germany, the Balkans, and Central Asia providing a moderate alternative to radical preachers that sometimes gain popularity in these countries. Bardakoglu also noted that he and members of his staff had traveled to the United States last year on a Voluntary Visitor Program, and that seven young imams would soon follow, to learn about how religion is taught and practiced in the United States and to further interfaith harmony with members of all religions in the US. He praised the program and expressed a desire to continue such contacts. ¶4. (SBU) A member of Bardakoglu's staff discussed research the Diyanet is undertaking into the Hadith, the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. He explained that their researchers were using computer technology and modern research standards to tabulate, assess, and reexamine the Hadith and its commentary. He said that this effort has been branded in the press as "reformist," which the Diyanet rejects. Instead the effort is one of "reunderstanding" so that modern scholars can assess the fundamentals of Islam in a proper historical and theological perspective. They hope to publish a six-volume set by the end of the year in English, Turkish, Russian, and Arabic. ¶5. (C) Comment: The pursuit of an analytical work of the Hadith is significant for two different reasons. First, an assessment of the Hadith created by a Hanafi body purporting to uphold the ideals of modernity, personal freedoms, and interfaith tolerance is likely to be non-confrontational and accommodating of differences with the West. Religious scholars in Egypt, Iran, or Saudi Arabia may resist the Diyanet's interpretation of the Hadith, but it should gain some measure of legitimacy and currency among Muslims in Europe and Central Asia. It is also a sign of Turkey's resolve to be seen as a leader of the Muslim world. Turkey's increased diplomatic activity with the Arab states, India, Pakistan, and various African countries; its drive to bring Syria out of its political isolation; and its successful push to gain the presidency of the Organization of the Islamic Conference are all points along this same path. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turk ey Jeffrey