In December 2007, a 19-year-old stabbed a Catholic priest outside a church in İzmir; the priest was treated and released the following day. How Many Serial Killers Are Active In The UK Now. The Halki seminary remains closed since 1971 due to the Patriarchate's refusal to accept the supervision of the Turkish Ministry of Education on the school's educational curricula; whereas the Turkish government wants the school to operate as a branch of the Faculty of Theology at Istanbul University. Among Shia Muslim presence in Turkey there is a small but considerable minority of Muslims with Ismaili heritage and affiliation. However, there has been an increase in the irreligious amongst Turkey's population, especially among young people. Closely related to Alevism is the small Bektashi community belonging to a Sufi order of Islam that is indigenous to Turkey, but also has numerous followers in the Balkan peninsula. "[132], An early April 2018 report of the Turkish Ministry of Education, titled "The Youth is Sliding to Deism", observed that an increasing number of pupils in İmam Hatip schools was abandoning Islam in favour of deism. [14] Most Muslims in Turkey are Sunnis forming about 80.5%, and Shia-Aleviler (Alevis, Ja'faris, Alawites) denominations in total form about 16.5% of the Muslim population. There is a small ethnic Turkish Protestant Christian community include about 4,000–5,000[32] adherents, most of them came from Muslim Turkish background. Turkish politicians have accused the country's EU opponents of favoring a "Christian club".[11]. [128][129][130] After Erdogan made a statement in January 2012 about his desire to "raise a religious youth," politicians of all parties condemned his statements as abandoning Turkish values. Turkey has its share of interesting traditions that you’re unlikely to find anywhere else in the world. [17], According to a survey by the pollster KONDA, the percentage of atheists in Turkey has tripled in 10 years and rose from 1% in 2008 to 3% in 2018, the percentage of non-believers or agnostics rose from 1% to 2%, and that 90% of irreligious turks were under 35 years old. Most of them have immigrated to Europe, particularly Germany; those who remain reside primarily in villages in their former heartland of Tur Abdin. With 76 million inhabitants, Turkey is a secular republic that is 99% Muslim. Antioch (modern Antakya), the city where "the disciples were first called Christians" according to the biblical Book of Acts, is located in modern Turkey, as are most of the areas visited by St. Paul during his missions. Turkey is a secular state with no official state religion and is in fact the only secular Islamic country in the world where religion has no place in the running of the state. Quantifying the exact number of irreligious people in Turkey is difficult, as it falls outside of cultural norms. The interest in Tengrism, which is the old Turkic religion, has been increasing in recent years and the number of people who consider themselves Tengrists has increased. Turkey is a strongly secular country and the military has often guarded the secular system, even getting involved in politics to do so. Any change in religion record also leaves a permanent trail in the census record, however, record of change of religion is not accessible except for the citizen in question, next-of-kin of the citizen in question, the citizenship administration and courts. [54] According to another poll made in 2019 by OPTİMAR,which interviewed 3,500 people across 26 cities that 89.5% of those who were interviewed declared they believe in God while 4.5 said they believe in a God but do not believe in a religion. [49] Some religious and secular officials have also claimed that atheism and deism are growing among Turkish people. About 97.4% of the Turkish population is Muslim, a majority of whom belong to the Sunni branch of Islam. In these classes, children are required to learn prayers and other religious practices which belong specifically to Sunnism. Of the Shia Islam practiced in Turkey, there are estimated to be around 12 branches. Religion in Turkey today. In a poll conducted by Sabancı University in 2006, 98.3% of Turks revealed they were Muslim. National identification cards automatically list any citizen as ‘Muslim’ at birth unless their parents have registered them to a constitutionally recognised minority religion. A petition reading "[O]f Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Zoroastrian, Alawite, Shafi’i, religious and nonreligious, atheist and agnostic backgrounds, all joined with a firm belief in secularism, [we] find your recent remarks about raising a religious and conservative youth most alarming and dangerous" was signed by over 2,000 people. By the 1945 Census, the population of Non-Muslim minorities in Turkey fell to 1.3 per cent of the total population. There are no formal statistics on the population’s religious affiliation. [114][115][116] The 1934 decree was ruled to be unlawful under both Ottoman and Turkish law as Hagia Sophia's waqf, endowed by Sultan Mehmed, had designated the site a mosque; proponents of the decision argued the Hagia Sophia was the personal property of the sultan. Despite its official secularism, the Turkish government includes the state agency of the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Turkish: Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı),[68] whose purpose is stated by law "to execute the works concerning the beliefs, worship, and ethics of Islam, enlighten the public about their religion, and administer the sacred worshiping places". Turkish Society and Culture Islam. But some wonder if it is also … [125], In August 2020, just a month after the Hagia Sofia, the president of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ordered another ancient Orthodox Church, the 1,000 year old Church of St. Saviour in Chora to be converted into a mosque. Turkey is not an Islamic / ME country. Turkey is, fundamentally, tolerant of all religions and just as tolerant of those who profess none. [62] Over the course of the 20th century, it developed a strong tradition of secularism similar to the French model of laïcité, with the main distinction being that the Turkish state "openly and publicly controls Islam through its State Directorate of Religious Affairs". 99% of Turkey’s people today are Muslim, and Turkey’s historyis principally that of an Islamic people, their empires,architecture, arts and literature. [90] Prime Minister Erdoğan said that "When it comes to the question, 'Are you recognizing [him] as ecumenical? Nevertheless, the Turkish state's interpretation of secularism has reportedly resulted in religious freedom violations for some of its non-Muslim citizens. Those who are classified as "other Islam" do not identify with any of the established branches of Islam. ", "Turkey is becoming more secular, not less", "Türkiye'nin Nabzı: Din, Şiddet ve Özgürlük [Pulse of Turkey: Religion, Violence and Freedom]", "Is Turkey an Islamic or Secular Country?". Turkey is a complex melting pot of cultures and people, found between the Islamic, Arab world and the European, Western world, with trading, commerce, and exploration activities from each making their way through Turkey for centuries. This characteristic has helped form quite a unique society, one built upon juxtaposed ideas—antiquity and modernity, East and West, secularism and religion. The Sunni tradition places great emphasis on Muslim religious law (Sharia) as the standard for almost all societal issues, such as marriage, divorce, family matters, and even commerce. Religion, Sufi Orders and Politics in Turkey: 1950 to Early 2000s. According to religiosity poll conducted in Turkey in 2019 by OPTİMAR, 89.5% of the population identifies as Muslim, 4.5% believed in God but did not belong to an organized religion, 2.7% were agnostic, 1.7% were atheist, and 1.7% did not answer. However, it is important to note that the Turkish government records Islam as the religion of those who are born to parents whose religion is not recorded. Religion in Turkey: Turkey is approximately 99.8% Muslim. (1)", "Greece, Turkey mark a fresh start aimed at eventual partnership", "The Greek Orthodox Church In Turkey: A Victim Of Systematic Expropriation", https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2020/07/20/the-global-god-divide/, https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/yazarlar/ertugrul-ozkok/turkiye-artik-yuzde-99u-musluman-olan-ulke-degil-41220410, http://www.wingia.com/web/files/news/14/file/14.pdf, "Religion, Secularism and the Veil in daily life", "Egypt, Turkey, and Tunisia Are All Slowly Islamizing", "The Region: Turkey trots toward Islamism", "Turkish students up in arms over Islamization of education", "Erdogan pens education plan for Turkey's 'devout generation, "Turkey's 'devout generation' project means lost jobs, schools for many", "Turkey in Transition: Less Europe, More Islam", Ban on Head Scarves Voted Out in Turkey: Parliament Lifts 80-Year-Old Restriction on University Attire, "Recep Tayyip Erdogan: Turkey's elected sultan or an Islamic democrat?". There are no formal statistics on the population’s religious affiliation. [106], For most of the 20th century, Turkish law prohibited the wearing of headscarves and similar garments of religious symbolism in public governmental institutions. Therefore, there are many children of the irreligious and whose parents belong to religious minorities. Islam is the largest religion in the world with 80% of Muslims being Sunnis. Despite its large Muslim population and countless mosques, Turkey is actually secular. 07/22/2017. There were between 3 and 4 million Christians in what is now Turkey—around 20 percent of the total population. The pro-government newspaper Bugün ran a story stating "no one has the right to convert this society into a religious one, or the opposite." Most Turks and Kurds are Sunni, but there are also important Alevi and Shi'a groups. Both have developed and advanced together. Turkey has been home to all three great revealed religions—Judaism, Christianity and Islam—for centuries. Though it isn’t the oldest religion in the country, Islam is a significant contributor to this bold blend. In 2013, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Turkey had discriminated against the religious freedom of Alevis.[72]. The Patriarch was recognized as the religious and secular leader of all Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, and carried the title of milletbaşı or ethnarch as well as patriarch. Turkey has numerous important sites for Judaism and Christianity, being one of the birth places of the latter. However, the call for prayer can be heard five times a day and there are two Islamic festivals in the country alongside the … Turkey, through the Treaty of Lausanne (1923), recognizes the civil, political, and cultural rights of non-Muslim minorities. We are not associated with any religion or organization. For example, Alevi, Câferî (mostly Azeris), and Bektashi Muslims (mostly Turkmen) participate in the financing of the mosques and the salaries of Sunni imams by paying taxes to the state, while their places of worship, which are not officially recognized, do not receive any state funding. Spirituality and Religion: An Empirical Study Using a Turkish Muslim Sample. After the proclamation of the new Turkish Republic in 1923, all Sufi lodges and religious organizations were … A 16-year-old boy was subsequently charged with the murder and sentenced to 19 years in prison. 75 patriarchs have ruled during the Ottoman period (1461–1908), 4 patriarchs in the Young Turks period (1908–1922) and 5 patriarchs in the current secular Republic of Turkey (1923–present). In early July 2020, the Council of State annulled the Cabinet's 1934 decision to establish the museum, revoking the monument's status, and a subsequent decree by Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ordered the reclassification of Hagia Sophia as a mosque. [86] Nevertheless, according to this report, the situation for Jews in Turkey is better than in other majority Muslim countries. Especially when the AKP Islamists are in power to enforce Islam upon society, this is making citizens turn their back on it. [14] 3% of Turks declare themselves with no religious beliefs. In 2006, the Armenian Patriarch submitted a proposal to the Minister of Education to enable his community to establish a faculty in the Armenian language at a state university with instruction by the Patriarch. Religion in Turkey is as old as Turkey itself - which is very old. [94], According to a poll made by OPTİMAR in 2019 [95], According to the Pew Research Center report 2015:[96], According to the Eurobarometer Poll 2010:[98], According to the KONDA Research and Consultancy survey carried out throughout Turkey in 2007:[99], The rise of Islamic religiosity in Turkey in the last two decades has been discussed for the past several years. Turkey is a secular state with no official state religion; the Turkish Constitution provides for freedom of religion and conscience. This was perceived as a branding of the non-Muslim population of Turkey, especially the Greek Orthodox as "re-conquered subjects and second-class citizens". [27] Today there are between 120,000-320,000 Christians in Turkey who belong to various Christian denominations,[28] and around 26,000 Jews in Turkey.[29]. Around 20% of Alevis are Kurds and 25% of Kurds in Turkey are Alevis. The law was sponsored by the ruling AKP. It has to be seen to be 'tough on infidels', this religion of peace is anything but! ReligionFacts provides free, objective information on religion, world religions, comparative religion and religious topics. Turkey has a democratic government and a strong tradition of secularism. The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and Turkey is a party to the European Convention on Human Rights.[85]. Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı – İman – İbadet – Namaz – Ahlak", "Turkey 'guilty of religious discrimination, "Le gouvernement turc va restituer des biens saisis à des minorités religieuses", http://www.tbmm.gov.tr/anayasa/anayasa_2011.pdf, "La Présidence des affaires religieuses (Diyanet): au carrefour de l'islam, de l'action étatique et de la politique étrangère turque", "cemevi ibadethane kabul edildi Haberleri ve cemevi ibadethane kabul edildi Gelişmeleri", "Les minorités non musulmanes en Turquie : "certains rapports d'ONG parlent d'une logique d'attrition", observe Jean-Paul Burdy – Observatoire de la vie politique turque", "2013 Yılı Merkezı Yönetım Bütçe Kanunu Tasarısı ve bağlı cetveller", "Annual Report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom", "Government Spokesman Criticizes Greek Patriarch Over Crucifixion Remarks", "Gül backs minister's criticism of Patriarch Bartholomew", "Bartholomew crucified, Erdoğan suffers from Hellish torture! [101], The government of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Justice and Development Party (AKP) pursue the explicit policy agenda of Islamization of education to "raise a devout generation" against secular resistance,[103][104] in the process causing lost jobs and school for many non-religious citizens of Turkey. [30] However, the Turkish government does not recognize the ecumenical status of Patriarch Bartholomew I. [69] The institution, commonly known simply as Diyanet, operates 77,500 mosques, builds new ones, pays the salaries of imams, and approves all sermons given in mosques in Turkey. Because of its location between Europe and the Middle East, Turkey has been home to major populations of Catholic, Orthodox Christian and Jewish residents throughout its history. The Shiites believe that Ali, Mohammed's cousin and son-in-law, and his successors were divinely ordained caliphs. No political party can claim that it represents a form of religious belief; nevertheless, religious sensibilities are generally represented through conservative parties. The main division in Islam is between Sunni and Shiite Muslims. Alevi, Bektashi, and Câferî Muslims among other Muslim sects,[71] as well as Latin Catholics and Protestants, are not recognized officially. Other minority religions in Turkey and their estimated populations include Judaism (20,000), Tengrism (1,000), and Yazidism (500). Religion in Turkey (Optimar survey, 2019)[1][2][3][4]. [65] As a specific incarnation of an otherwise abstract principle, it accrued symbolic importance among both proponents and opponents of secularism and became the subject of various legal challenges[66] before being dismantled in a series of legislative acts from 2010 to 2017.[67]. But it may annoy some [people] in my country. [117][118][119] This redesignation is controversial, invoking condemnation from the Turkish opposition, UNESCO, the World Council of Churches, the International Association of Byzantine Studies, and many international leaders. INTRODUCTION Turkey is a secular state.1 Among Muslim countries, only Turkey and Senegal prescribe secularism in their constitutions. The legacy of this religious past is scattered throughout Anatolia, from the ruins of temples dedicated to Zeus and Athena to the Mevlana Tekkesi … by forming a religious party) or establish faith-based schools. This project provides insight into the reconfiguration of secularism and the public role of religion worldwide through an empirical investigation of the varying practices and attitudes concerning the public role of Islam in Turkey. Although the Turkish government states that more than 99% of the population is Muslim, academic research and polls give different results of the percentage of Muslims which are sometimes lower, most of which are above the 90% range, but some are also lower. Religion in Turkey. The 2009 U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom report placed Turkey on its watchlist with countries such as Afghanistan, Cuba, the Russian Federation, and Venezuela. Patriarch Bartholomew I, most senior bishop among equals in the traditional hierarchy of Orthodox Christianity, said that he felt "crucified" living in Turkey under a government that did not recognize the ecumenical status of Patriarch and which would like to see his Patriarchate die out. Turkey’s Alevis, a Muslim Minority, Fear a Policy of Denying Their Existence. The country is a unitary state.It is the only Muslim country without the state religion. Islam is the major religion in Turkey. Sunni Islam is considered to be the religion of the majority in Turkey, which an estimated 65% of the population adhering. Those who are called "Shia Islam" in Turkey would usually be referred to as "Aleviler Islam" elsewhere. In 2013, the parliament of Turkey passed legislation that bans all forms of advertising for alcoholic beverages and tightened restriction of alcohol sales. Religious composition. The Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits and the Sea of Marmara separate these two parts of Turkey. Today, although modern Turkey is a secular republic, Islam is the religion of 98% of the population of Turkey. All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions © 2021 worldatlas.com, The 10 Least Populated Countries in Africa, 10 Countries Where Women Far Outnumber Men, The Most Famous Serial Killers In America And Their Twisted Crimes. Turkey is bent on being the Caliphate for world Islam. 1. In practice, Turkey only recognizes Greek, Armenian, and Jewish religious minorities. [13], According to a poll made by MAK in 2017, 86% of the Turkish population declared they believe in God. Catholic Christians have also occasionally been subjected to violent societal attacks. Turkish Islam has always been strongly influenced by the mystical and poetic Sufi tradition, and Turkey remains a stronghold of Sufism. As of today, there are thousands of historical mosques throughout the country which are still active. Alevis, which are 15-20% of the population, are mostly concentrated in the provinces of Tunceli, Malatya, Sivas, Çorum and Kahramanmaraş. [56][57][58][59], Another poll conducted by Gezici Araştırma in 2020 found that across 12 provinces and 18 districts in Turkey with the sample size of 1,062 people stated that 28.5% of Gen Z in Turkey identified with no religion. [126][127], Many also see interest and support of secularism in Turkey as increasing, not decreasing. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who was opposed to Islamic tradition, secularized the state in 1928, gave woman the right to vote in 1935, … Surveys of the Turkish people also show a great support for maintaining secular lifestyles. The government strongly condemned the killing. A sizable minority is affiliated with the Alevi sect. Turkish culture and traditions : All you need to know. Baháʼís cannot register with the government officially,[42] but there are probably 10[43] to 20[citation needed] thousand Baháʼís, and around a hundred Baháʼí Local Spiritual Assemblies in Turkey. Of those, 75% are Sunni and 25% Shia. The records can be changed or even blanked on the request of citizen, by filing an e-government application since May 2020,[9] using a valid electronic signature to sign the electronic application. Notable mosques built in the Seljuk and Ottoman periods include the Sultan Ahmed Mosque and Süleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul, the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne, the Yeşil Mosque in Bursa, the Alâeddin Mosque and Mevlana Mosque in Konya, and the Great Mosque in Divriği, among many others. This financing only covers the staff and permits. Although some commentators claim the secularisation is merely a result of Western influence or even a "conspiracy", most commentators, even some pro-government ones, have come to conclude that "the real reason for the loss of faith in Islam is not the West but Turkey itself: It is a reaction to all the corruption, arrogance, narrow-mindedness, bigotry, cruelty and crudeness displayed in the name of Islam." A traveler in Ottoman Turkey in the mid-nineteenth century would have discovered a robust and diverse Christian presence of different denominations and ethnicities, including Armenians, Greeks, and Assyrians. Aspects of Religion in Turkey. Turkey. It is known fact that Turkey has been home for three major religions in the world – Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The Islam religion can be divided into Sunni Islam, Alevi Shia Islam, Ja’fari Shia Islam and Alawi Shia Islam. Similar to the Hagia Sofia, it had earlier been converted from a Church to a Mosque in 1453, and then into a museum known as the Kariye Museum after the Second World War. "[91] The Greek Orthodox orphanage in Büyükada was closed by the government;[92] however, following a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights, the deed to the orphanage was returned to the Ecumenical Patriarchate on 29 November 2010. The history of the major religions is inextricably mixed with the history of Anatolia. The Constitution of Turkey states that the country is secular: religion is a private matter for its citizens. According to a poll made by MAK, which interviewed 5,400 people in face-to-face through the country, 86% of the Turkish population declared they believe in Allah and 76% declared they believe the Quran and other holy books came through revelation by Allah. Yet, in Turkey these traits find a common ground. [107] The law became a Wedge issue in the public discourse,[108] culminating in an early effort to see the law overturned by the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights failing in 2005 when the court deemed it legitimate in Leyla Şahin v. However, despite anti-immigrant feelings in the UK or France it’s not the fastest growing religion in either country. The state has no official religion and the constitution recognizes freedom of religion for individuals. [55] Since there is a great stigma attached to being an atheist in Turkey, many Turkish atheists communicate with each other via the Internet. Turkey as a secular country doesn’t have a state religion. 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