Diyanet Imams between Turkish Majoritarianism and German ‘Majority Society’

Abstract

Religious majoritarianism was established in Turkey with the fall of the Ottoman Empire. The Diyanet became the new home for the Ottoman Sunni ulema and supported the implementation of Sunni majoritarianism by assimilating minorities, e.g. Alevis. With the AKP government in power in the last decades in Turkey, Turkish majoritarianism has come to the fore. Turkish majoritarianism consists of Sunni Islam along with Turkish cultural and political dimensions. Diyanet imams function as important transmitters of Turkish majoritarianism to the Muslim community. At the same time, imams in Germany are seen as mediators for German integration policies. German politicians set the framework for integration with the expression ‘majority society’ (Mehrheitsgesellschaft) in policies regarding Islam, although a concrete definition of this seems to be problematic. Elements of Christian religion and German culture are used as elements in the construction of a ‘majority society’.