TurkishIslamic

TurkishIslamic is a term sometimes used to describe the intersection of Turkish cultural identity and Islamic practice as it has developed in Turkey and among Turkish-speaking communities. It is not a single movement or organization, but a broad descriptor for how Islam has been interpreted, practiced, and organized within the Turkish social and political landscape.

Historically, Islam arrived in Anatolia in the medieval period and became intertwined with Ottoman governance. The Hanafi school of jurisprudence predominated, and Sufi orders played a significant role in devotion and social networks. The Ottoman state used religious authority to legitimize rule, built mosques and madrasas, and supported charitable and educational institutions. Religious life remained central but varied by region and community, including Sunni and Alevi groups, each with distinct rites and calendars.

Following the establishment of the Turkish Republic in 1923, secularizing reforms reduced the formal visibility of religion in public life. The Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) was created in 1924 to administer mosques and supervise religious education, and services were often conducted in Turkish rather than Arabic. In recent decades, changes in society, politics, and demographics have broadened religious expression, with a stronger presence of Islamic symbolism in public space and education, alongside ongoing debates about secularism, state control of religion, and minority rights.

In the contemporary world, TurkishIslamic ideas and practices appear in urban mosques, religious media, and academic discourse, as well as in Turkey’s diverse diaspora networks in Europe and beyond. It encompasses a spectrum from traditionalist currents to modernist or reformist strands that seek to articulate Islam in a Turkish context without implying a unified ideology.