In Search of the Lost Crescent: Turkey’s Quest for Global Muslim Leadership

The Takhayyul Project welcomes one of its scholars, Dr Mashuq Kurt, for a special seminar hosted with the support of the UCL Middle East Research Centre.

This talk delves into the Turkish state's strategic use of religious institutions to assert global Muslim leadership, focusing on Diyanet, Turkey's Directorate of Religious Affairs. By examining Turkish mosques and diaspora communities in the UK, France, and the USA, the study investigates how Turkey’s religious policies shape Islamic identity, influence integration, and contribute to the diffusion of political Islam.

Through detailed analysis of the mobility and roles of Diyanet imams, as well as their impact on local Muslim communities, the project offers a comprehensive understanding of the complex interplay between religion, politics, and diaspora dynamics. This interdisciplinary research, grounded in extensive ethnographic fieldwork, seeks to illuminate Turkey’s neo-Ottomanist ambitions and their broader implications for global Muslim leadership, integration policies, and transnational religious influence in Western societies.