Since the establishment of the Ottoman Empire, the Turkish people have historically been accustomed to coexisting with their Muslim brethren from all corners of the Islamic world, regardless of their continents, diverse races, ethnicities, and languages. Today, Istanbul stands as the main refuge and embrace for all oppressed and persecuted people in the Islamic world, especially the people of the “Arab Spring” countries, whom they consider guests like Al-Muhajirin (migrants), with the Turks being Al-Ansar (the supporters).
Dr. Abdul-Wahab Akinji, President of the International Union of Muslim Scholars in Turkey, emphasizes to “Al-Mujtama” that Turkey hosts millions of refugees who have sought refuge there to escape pressures and injustices in their own countries. Turkish religious institutions play a leading and effective role in supporting and assisting refugees, both religiously and socially.
He adds that during the Ottoman era, Turkey was a sanctuary for the oppressed and minorities forced to seek refuge within the Ottoman state. This historical culture of welcoming refugees has become ingrained in Turkish culture. The second reason influencing this positive role is the faith and religious fraternity that bind Turks to their refugee brethren. Religious institutions, grounded in the true religion, consider it their duty to fulfill the rights of brotherhood, especially towards their oppressed brethren seeking protection and safety in Turkey.
Turks treat refugees as guests akin to Al-Muhajirin, with the Turks being Al-Ansar.
Religious institutions, some of which are part of civil society organizations, and governmental institutions such as Religious Affairs play an active role in fulfilling their duties towards refugees by providing everything they need, providing shelter, welcoming them, and instilling in them a sense of brotherhood and belonging. Alhamdulillah, Muslims and religious institutions in Turkey do not view refugees as foreigners; rather, they consider them as their own and as guests. They strive to apply the saying of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): “Let him who believes in Allah and the Last Day be generous to his guest.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
He emphasizes that this sense of responsibility is indeed a duty. Alhamdulillah, Muslims and religious institutions fulfill this duty, especially against nationalist conspiracies that claim there is a division between Turkey and refugees, while at the same time extending help to refugees. Alhamdulillah, we can say that religious institutions also play a positive role in this matter.
Dr. Akinji concluded with a du’a that we be among those who care for the affairs and problems of Muslims, so as not to fall under the warnings of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Great Hospitality
On his part, the Turkish academic and political researcher Dr. Muhannad Hafiz Oğlu tells “Al-Mujtama”: Turkish religious institutions strive to fulfill their religious and humanitarian duties towards refugees. They issue religious fatwas that suit their new lives in a different country, accommodating their living methods and jurisprudential school from their home countries. What helps is that Turkey is a state of institutions, thus having significant structural and social differences, as well as religious and jurisprudential matters. Based on this, these religious institutions indeed try to provide what they should and extend a helping hand as much as they can to our refugee brethren.
He adds: These institutions have provided a lot of assistance at all levels, especially in the initial stage of refugee displacement in the first five years following the aftermath of the “Arab Spring” events, specifically in 2013. There was a significant difference in how religious institutions handled this, with great embracing and support for the first refugees. These institutions have continued their efforts until this moment, trying to fulfill their duties, though not with the same strength and size of support and cooperation as in the first five years.
Hafiz Oğlu points out that this is due to the current internal situation in Turkey, different from that time, whether economically or due to electoral disputes between parties, which naturally affect the work of religious institutions, whether we like it or not, but they continue to struggle and strive to reach the required level of support for refugees in overcoming their social issues, primarily through moral or direct material support. The evidence for this is abundant in reality today.
As Immigrants
In this context, Dr. Yusuf katipoğlu, a Turkish political and economic analyst, states: The Turkish people and their institutions, on political, religious, and social levels, do not perceive those arriving from various Arab and Islamic countries as refugees; rather, they consider them brothers and describe them as Al-Muhajirin, with the Turks being Al-Ansar.
The warmth towards immigrants was very great in the five years following the “Arab Spring.”
One of the most important religious institutions is the Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs, a governmental institution mandated by the Turkish Constitution, which is responsible for organizing and regulating all matters related to religious and social affairs throughout Turkey. It plays a fundamental and prominent role in supporting and embracing refugees, referring to them as “guests,” and addressing their religious and social issues. These guests have been displaced and forced to leave their homes due to wars or the danger of staying under oppressive regimes and unstable conditions.
The Directorate of Religious Affairs also has an educational role in helping refugees integrate into Turkish society, including teaching them the Turkish language and laws and providing free education for their children in schools overseen by governmental bodies such as the Presidency of Migration Management under the Ministry of Interior. Additionally, refugees are provided with various types of residence permits—humanitarian, temporary, tourist, and permanent—given their relatively unstable circumstances, as they are threatened and endangered by authoritarian regimes in their countries. Turkey accommodates them, with religious institutions playing a crucial role in this framework, offering vocational training for employment opportunities as well as educational, cultural, social, and others. The Turkish government also allows the establishment of associations for expatriates and refugee guests.
Dr. Ktipoğlu concludes by emphasizing that this approach is natural for Turkey, as the successor to the Ottoman Empire, which governed the world for over five centuries and served as a refuge for persecuted people of all religions—Muslims, Christians, and Jews alike. Therefore, under President Erdogan and the Justice and Development Party, Turkey remains committed to the same path, being a sanctuary for all oppressed and persecuted individuals worldwide, regardless of their religion or nationality.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Read the Article in Arabic
