Islam, the State and Turkey’s Syrian Refugees: The Vaiz of Bursa

Abstract

This study looks at the work of Turkey's network of state "preachers" in the management of Syrian refugees in Bursa, a city in the northwest of the country. Based on interviews and workshops undertaken between 2015 and 2017, it traces out how these civil servants have approached a rapidly changing social situation in which belief and organised religion continue to be highly important. It focuses on the role of Islam in the provision of basic assistance programmes, the management of local conflicts and broader efforts at ensuring long-term integration. In each of these areas, our research reveals that faith remains a significant motivational element in the Turkish state's response to the Syrian refugee crisis.

The Securitization of the Syrian Refugee Crisis Through Political Party Discourses

“…Unlike Aktürk (2017a), who states that Turkish government, AKP, regards the Syrian refugees as a buffer for multicultural and multi-ethnic nation-building shifting away from assimilationist Kemalist policies and different from Jacoby et al (2018), who state that the vaiz or the mufti, state preachers appointed and paid by the Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) under the control of the government, play an important role in orientation, accommodation and adjustment of the Syrian refugees in the Turkish community based on religious motives, the present study criticizes the government's approach to the Syrian refugee crisis securitized through its discourse. The vaiz or the mufti appointed by the government would indeed never contradict the government's policies and talk about the unrest caused by the Syrian refugees specifically in the provinces where AKP is not politically supported.…”

“…The vaiz or the mufti appointed by the government would indeed never contradict the government's policies and talk about the unrest caused by the Syrian refugees specifically in the provinces where AKP is not politically supported. In fact, Jacoby et al (2018) talk about the tension in the adaptation of the Syrian refugees into Turkish life and as a solution, proposes the activities and sermons of the Diyanet referring to the Koranic verses and the life of the prophet, which we believe are useful specifically in pro-AKP provinces but not in less-conservative cities. It is true that most Syrians are no more guests and become permanent residents day by day in Turkey and therefore Turkish people accept the fact that most will not return.…”

The feeling of exclusion and/or inclusion in shared places: Syrian students' emotions and social imaginations in Istanbul

“…The religious closeness between Turkey and Syria is crucial to understanding the migration flow from Syria to Turkey [ 45 ]. In this regard, similar religious constructions between the two countries may have the potential to increase the feeling of inclusion by sharing similar experiences, so as Sewal indicated, the similarities between two mosques in Turkey and Syria open an integrational bridge between them.…”

‘You Won’t Find Religion Here’: The (In)Visibility of Muslim Responses to Situations of Mass Displacement

“…Here, the Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı (Directorate of Religious Affairs) has been central to the disbursement of overseas funds, particularly flowing from Gulf countries, to support the management of Syrian refugees, dealing with the tensions between resident citizens and the new arrivals, and securing access to social support, health and education services. 56 In addition, the Turkish state has readily ceded civil society space to Muslim faith-based actors. The reception of Syrian refugees, and support for those internally displaced within Syria's territorial borders, has been undertaken by a number of Muslim faith-based humanitarian organizations, notably İnsan Hak ve Hürriyetleri ve İnsani Yardım Vakfı (IHH), 57 The Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief, but also Deniz Feneri Association, Cansuyu Association, Dosteli Association, Aziz Mahmud Hüdayi Foundation, Beşir Association, and the Hayrat Humanitarian Aid Association.…”