African Muslim Leaders
and Turkey’s Diyanat

Turkish-African relations began with the formation of the Ottoman Empire.
Early relations were confined to parts of modern-day Tunisia, Libya and
Egypt, which the empire ruled for centuries. Later on, the empire spread to
other parts of Africa, as shown by such emerging scholars as Hatice Ugur,
who wrote Osmanli Afrikasi’nda Bir Sultanlik Zengibar (Istanbul: 2005),
and the scholarly works of Eric Germaine and others. Their research has
been bolstered by the variety of extant documents that still need to be stud-

160 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 24:3



ied and explored (cf. A. Kavas, ed. Solidarity of Ottoman-African Muslims:
Under the Light of the Documents [Istanbul: 2006]). However, emerging
African scholars interested in these manuscripts will have to be trained in
and come to grips with Ottoman Turkish before making any headway.

Renewed efforts are now undeway to forge links with Africa’s Muslim
communities and representatives. The Research Center for Islamic History,
Art, and Culture (IRCICA), an international institution that falls under the
auspices of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), has created the
necessary opportunities to cement and strengthen links with African Muslim
communities via specific structures, such as the Islamic University of Uganda
and the University of Johannesburg. In the wake of these significant efforts,
the Presidency of Religious Affairs (more popularly known in Turkey as the
Diyanat [hereinafter Presidency]) has also shown its desire to pursue exter-
nal relations with religious communities outside Turkey. Over the past few
years, the Presidency has played a significant role in “religious affairs” both
in and beyond Turkey in order to pursue its religious portfolio and religious
agenda. Although the predominantly Muslim societies of the Muslim heart-
lands view Turkey, in general, as the most secular Muslim society, a strand of
religiosity has been observed in its various social levels and sectors.
Therefore, Turkish society cannot be said to be exclusively secular.

This historical event was organized under the auspices of the Presidency
and the ministerial leadership of Ali Bardakoglu, author of Religion and
Society: New Perspectives from Turkey (Ankara: 2006). Held in Istanbul
during 1-3 November 2006, it focused on the “Meeting of Religious Leaders
of Muslim Countries and Communities in Africa,” and drew representatives
from many sub-Saharan states and selected North African countries.

Since the Presidency is an integral part of the Turkish government’s
structure, the official opening ceremony took place where Kamal Ataturk
lived while leading the new republic. The special guests were addressed by
a Turkish state minister and other representatives, such as Algeria’s minister
of culture and the OIC’s secretary general. The organization’s president, Ali
Bardakoglu, opened the official proceedings by emphasizing religion’s
importance and relevance in human affairs, pointing out the shared values
that connect religious communities, and commenting upon the distinction
between religion and culture as well as the recognition of Africa’s rich
human, material, and religio-cultural resources. 

Shaykh Hissin Ababakar, Mufti of Chad and one of the African Mus-
lim leaders, spoke on behalf of the invited African delegation. The shaykh
lauded Turkey for hosting this meeting, stressed the need for cooperation,
and suggested how Turkey can contribute by establishing a permanent sec-

Conference, Symposium, and Panel Reports 161



retariat to advance Turkish-African relations. Turkish Minister of State Meh-
met Aydin discussed identity as an important frame within which to under-
stand contemporary developments and conflicts. He dwelled on how mutual
cooperation could help resolve communal and international problems. How-
ever, he cautioned, there is no certainty of finding permanent solutions. Apart
from the opening Qur’anic recitation and official speeches, a short interest-
ing documentary entitled “I Am Africa” was also screened.

The first session focused on “Reflections on the History and Future of
Religious and Cultural Relationships between African Islamic Countries and
Communities in Turkey.” It was introduced by Ahmad Kavas, a Turkish spe-
cialist on West African Islam and Muslims and an associate professor at the
University of Ankara, and Muhammad Bakary, a Kenyan scholar at Istan-
bul’s Fateh University. Kavas provided a historical perspective of Turkish-
African relations and explained, using extant documents, the nature of the
connections that had been forged and the opportunities for future ties. Bakary
expounded upon the unprecedented overtures made by a secular state, such
as Turkey, to African religious leaders. He contextualized this by referring to
the Ottoman Empire’s important role in Muslim affairs as well as the patron-
age displayed by its political and religious leaders. After identifying the com-
mon strands, he commented upon how the British Commonwealth works and
continues to connect the former colonial master with its former colonies. In
his concluding remarks, he mentioned areas of possible cooperation.

The chairperson then identified sets of representatives from among the
African Muslim leaders to make short five-minute presentations on the status
of Islam and Muslims in their respective countries. Representatives came
from, among others, Kenya, Cameroon, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mauritania,
Mali, Ivory Coast, Senegal, and South Africa. 

The second day featured three separate but interconnected sessions.
Each session was opened by scholarly input from Turkish scholars (many
of whom are attached to Istanbul University, Ankara University, or the
Presidency) on the identified themes. The opening session, the “History of
Islamic Propagation and Islam Today in Africa,” was followed by the
“Religious Identity in the Process of Globalization: Basic Approaches and
Attitudes in Preserving Cultural Heritage.” The day’s concluding session
looked at “Opportunities of Cooperation between African Islamic Countries
and Communities and Turkey in the Fields of Religious Education and
Services.” Azab Bey (Turkey) and Hasan Karagah (Turkey) dealt with the
issue of identity. Bey stated that the question of identity is both crucial and
intimately connected to the concept of “nation.” He also elaborated upon
the need for a “civilizational identity,” with religion as a means of integra-

162 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 24:3



tion. Karagah argued that since religious identity is embedded in the process
of globalization, there is no need for a “religious identity.” This problem-
atic and highly debatable thesis was not, unfortunately, countered after his
presentation. 

The final day was set aside for a general evaluation of the event. Bar-
dakoglu asked several African representatives to share the platform with
him. In this concluding session, a fairly detailed list of sixteen recommenda-
tions designed to cement and strengthen relations between Turkey and
Africa’s Muslims communities, which had been proposed before the con-
cluding session, were read out and accepted. On the whole, this historical
meeting was an important and successful initiative that the Presidency both
suggested and followed up on. In fact, the its input can best be described as
part of today’s Track II diplomatic efforts.

A few issues were brought to the committee’s attention. It will suffice, for
the purposes of this brief report, to mention only two. First, the panels did not
include a presenter from the African delegations. Thus the proceedings seem
to have come across as a monologue rather than a detailed dialogue. Given
that this event may be described as a test case, it is assumed that this over-
sight will be rectified before future meetings are held. Second, most of the
African Muslim leaders were theologians. Such a meeting requires the con-
tributions of other social sectors, for Muslim leaders are found in the social
and health sciences, the economic and management sectors, and in many
other areas. Muslim leaders have emerged from most of these sectors and
thus form an important and integral part of the community’s collective lead-
ership. Today, Muslim theologians are only trained in certain traditional areas
and thus cannot respond to each issue affecting their communities.

In any event, the Presidency planned this meeting with the idea of solic-
iting relevant communal facts from the various African Muslim representa-
tives and with the intention of hosting and structuring future meetings on a
more informed and representative basis. There is little doubt that the Pres-
idency from this mainly secular (Muslim) state has entered a neglected area
of international relations and explored an important dialogue track that other
secular states may wish to follow. This meeting has laid an important foun-
dation for future gatherings and conferences between Turkey and Africa’s
Muslim organizations. And, it most definitely contributed and added to those
that have been initiated by similar institutions. 

Muhammed Haron
Senior Lecturer, Department of Theology and Religious Studies

University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana

Conference, Symposium, and Panel Reports 163