Introduction

Religion in education, from religious classes in primary and secondary schools to theology faculties in universities and even to religious symbols in classrooms, has always been a controversial issue in Turkey, a laïc (secular) state with a Muslim-majority population. This chapter seeks to map the development of theology faculties in Turkey. It argues that theology faculties have navigated between the confessional and the non-confessional since their establishment, and this has been closely related to the context of Turkish state policy, particularly the politics of religion. The development of the theology faculties will be explored through their history, their core purpose and curriculum, the employment areas to which their graduates progress and their distance-learning programmes. However, first, the religious landscape and politics of religion in Turkey will be provided as a background to the discussion, followed by a brief section on the key terms used in this discussion, namely, ‘confessional’ and ‘non-confessional’.

The Politics of Religion in Turkey

A frequently cited estimate suggests that about 99 per cent of the Turkish population follows Islamic teachings (Minority Rights Group International 2018). Even though Islam, like any other religion, has different denominations, sects and interpretations, the majority of Muslims in Turkey are believed to observe Sunni Islam. There are also Alevis, who are recognised as followers of Islam, and it is estimated that between 10 and 15 per cent of the population follows Alevism (Minority Rights Group International 2018). It is estimated that non-Muslim religious minorities comprise less than 1 per cent of the population (Minority Rights Group International 2018). Moreover, Turkey has never experienced any significant waves of non-Muslim immigration, nor has it experienced a secularisation of society as some Western countries have. In other words, the vast majority of the population has historically remained Muslim. It is likely that because of this, theology faculties have historically been seen and imagined as Islam-centric institutions. However, the issue has always been a question of ‘whose’ or ‘which’ Islam, which has been inextricably linked with the politics of religion.