Empowering a fragmented diaspora: Turkish immigrant organizations’ perceptions of and responses to Turkey’s diaspora engagement policy

Arkilic, Ayca

doi:10.1080/13629395.2020.1822058

Cited by 18 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Nowadays, by contrast, there is an exchange of imams between these two organizations (Arkilic 2020). Back then, however, the integration of Turkey in the religious accommodation of people from Turkey and the promotion of transnational activities was in line with Germany's understanding of citizenship, which was based on ancestry (Koopmans and Statham 2003).…”

Section: Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Content Analysis of the Friday Sermons of the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs in Germany (DİTİB)

Carol

Hofheinz

2022

Politics and Religion

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The Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DİTİB) runs more than 900 mosques in Germany and circulates Friday sermons in these mosques. Our analysis provides a nuanced depiction of the link to the homeland by conducting qualitative and quantitative content analyses of 481 sermons from 2011 to 2019. To what extent are relations with Turkey reflected in the sermons? And how is the concept of “home” reflected in those sermons? While homeland-related issues constitute a minority overall, the concept “home” occurs in five different contexts within these sermons: First, sermons directly refer to the homeland and norms connected to it. Second, implicit links are created by discussing events in Turkey. Third, leaving the homeland is described as an integral part of the history of Islam. The last two contexts discuss Germany as a “new home”, and build links to Turkey's Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) through its foundation.

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Section: Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Content Analysis of the Friday Sermons of the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs in Germany (DİTİB)

Carol

Hofheinz

2022

Politics and Religion

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“…20 On 31 October 2012, the AABK organized a mass protest in Berlin to oppose the AKP's Syria policy. 21 Even though the rift between Sunnis and Alevis had long existed under the previous Turkish governments, the members of the Alevi diaspora in Europe perceive the AKP government as more aggressive and threatening compared to other Turkish governments (Arkilic, 2016;Arkilic, 2020b). The FUAF's chairperson confirmed that the Sunni-Alevi divide has intensified under the AKP rule:…”

Section: The Transformation Of French Alevis' Relations With Their Ho...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Alevi Diaspora in France: Changing Relations with the Home and Host States

Arkilic¹

2022

The Alevis in Modern Turkey and the Diaspora

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This chapter analyzes the repercussions of the changing political atmosphere in France and Turkey since the early 2000s for French Alevis. More specifically, it examines how the leadership of the Federation of Alevi Unions in France (Fédération Union des Alévis en France, FUAF) has responded to critical political developments, including the Alevi Opening (Alevi Açılımı), the Sunnification of Turkish domestic and foreign policy, and the French government’s increasing interest in Alevis. The chapter is based on a careful examination of organizational documents and news sources in English, French, and Turkish, and interviews with Alevi representatives as well as with Turkish and French officials. It shows that, since the early 2000s, FUAF leaders’ relations with the Turkish government have deteriorated against the backdrop of the rise of political Islam in Turkey and the development of a biased diaspora engagement policy that favors Sunni Islamic and newly established Alevi organizations over the FUAF. As FUAF leaders have felt increasingly excluded by their origin country, they have established closer relations with French authorities. The FUAF has reinforced its ties with French policy-makers by serving as a key dialogue and project partner and an ally in the French government’s fight against religious extremism.

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“…Accordingly, the AKP's relations with Gülenaffiliated diaspora members and organizations have soured, rendering Gülenists in Europe the main enemy of the state. In the wake of the post-coup purge, Turkey has urged European policy-makers to shut down Gülen-linked institutions and to arrest or extradite Gülenists to Turkey, which has become an alarming source of tension between Turkey and European states (Arkilic 2020).…”

Section: A New Actor Takes the Stage: The Akp's Transformation Of Dommentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Alevi, Kurdish, secular, and Gülenist groups). Additionally, Turkey's bifurcated diaspora engagement policy has created tensions between the AKP government and European countries, which argue that Ankara's 'long arm' in the transnational space is detrimental to the Turkish community's integration prospects and acts a tool of foreign intervention (Arkilic 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Explaining the evolution of Turkey’s diaspora engagement policy: a holistic approach

Arkilic¹

2021

BDIA

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This article provides a comprehensive framework to explain why Turkey has adopted a pro-active diaspora agenda since the early 2000s. It shows that Turkey's diaspora policy is the result of an amalgamation of domestic, transnational, and international factors: Domestically, the AKP's rise to power resulted in drastic economic and political reforms and the promotion of a new identity based on neo-Ottomanism and Sunni-Muslim nationalism. These developments have transformed Turkey's state-diaspora relations. The 2013 Gezi Park protests and the 2016 failed coup attempt also played a role. Transnationally, Turkish expatriates' growing socioeconomic and political clout in their host countries, as evidenced by the mushrooming of political parties founded by Turks in Europe, has urged Turkey to reconsider the efficacy of its diaspora as a source of influence abroad as well as a noteworthy electorate in national elections. Various international events have also shaped Turkey's new diaspora agenda, including Turkey's increasing bargaining power vis-à-vis the EU since the early 2000s, particularly after the European refugee crisis, and the rise of Islamophobia in the post-9/11 era. I suggest that domestic factors have played the most significant role in shaping Turkey's diaspora agenda. I examine the domestic dimension both as an independent factor and also in relation to transnational and international factors. The configuration of a new political elite has changed the ways in which Turkey interacts with its transnational diaspora and perceives its international position vis-à-vis European countries. The findings of the article draw on official statements and documents, semistructured in-depth interviews conducted with Turkish officials, the Euro-Turks Barometer Survey, and news sources.

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Empowering a fragmented diaspora: Turkish immigrant organizations’ perceptions of and responses to Turkey’s diaspora engagement policy

Cited by 18 publications

References 47 publications

A Content Analysis of the Friday Sermons of the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs in Germany (DİTİB)

A Content Analysis of the Friday Sermons of the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs in Germany (DİTİB)

The Alevi Diaspora in France: Changing Relations with the Home and Host States

Explaining the evolution of Turkey’s diaspora engagement policy: a holistic approach

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