“…14 It is perhaps a reflection of the changing perceptions of Diyanet's significance as a political instrument that it became more frequently subjected to direct political intervention. Whereas the first three Diyanet presidents held their positions for life, most of the later appointees were removed before completion of their five-year term, some even within less than a year (Kara 1999: 233-238 hatips, from which a minority of graduates might continue to higher education in Islamic studies (Reed 1955(Reed , 1956(Reed , 1957Jäschke 1977;Seufert 1999b).…”