Fight over religious affairs directorate

There is currently an argument happening over the Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet). In order to get the head of Diyanet, Mehmet Görmez, to forcefully resign, he has been accused of being a member of the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ). 

This fight is significant because the stance of Diyanet is very important regarding religion, which is a delicate matter concerning wide segments of the society.  

The academic-based understanding of religion by the theology community in Turkey has always been different from an understanding based on mysticism and the anecdotes of certain communities; they have even been conflicting. 

In line with its founding principle, Diyanet is a religious institution where more and more theology academics are employed. As opposed to the old madrasa, Diyanet represents a religious understanding that is more open to scientific methods such as history and sociology and thus capable of reconsidering religious sciences such as interpretation, hadith and kalam in terms of "methodology." 

Diyanet encourages reaching a religious knowledge through reading and reviewing books and researching, instead of relying on popular mystic authorities such as the sheikh - "his highness effendi."

These two functions of Diyanet will of course advance further in time. Considering what the religious understandings of other Muslim countries have caused, the significance and the positive role of Diyanet can easily be acknowledged. 

Professor Görmez started his academic career studying Musa Jarullah Bigeev, who was a much respected philosopher and theologian from the Kazan Turks; he was an innovative thinker. 

His academic focus is on hadith, which are the words and actions of Prophet...