In recent years, the foreign funding of Islamic institutions has arisen as a matter of political contention in the context of various West-European countries and the public debate about how to...Show moreIn recent years, the foreign funding of Islamic institutions has arisen as a matter of political contention in the context of various West-European countries and the public debate about how to engage with this subject is fraught with controversy. Turkey’s Diyanet occupies a central position as the principal recipient of critique. There is a prominent gap in academic literature regarding which factors can produce mistrust against the Diyanet in the public opinions of West-European countries. This research aims to contribute to filling this gap by tracing the relationship between the Dutch government and the Dutch branch of the Diyanet, the Islamitische Stichting Nederland (ISN). It investigates whether there is an overarching correspondence between mistrust against the ISN rising in Dutch public opinion and deepening Islamization in Turkish domestic politics.Show less
Turkey’s connection to the Balkans dates back to its shared past with the Ottoman Empire. After the dissolution of the empire, Turkey has maintained a continuous, albeit fluctuating, involvement in...Show moreTurkey’s connection to the Balkans dates back to its shared past with the Ottoman Empire. After the dissolution of the empire, Turkey has maintained a continuous, albeit fluctuating, involvement in the region. The period after the breakup of Yugoslavia (1992) and the Serb-Bosnian war (1992-1995) marked an interesting turning point in Turkey’s further involvement within the cultural, political, and religious spheres of the Balkan region. Turkeys' involvement and influence in the region can be described through the cultural and political factors and most importantly to its Ottoman Islamic heritage. The aftermath of the Serb-Bosnian war in Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereafter shortened to Bosnia) demonstrated a rise of foreign Islamic actors seeking to provide aid and relief to the affected Bosnian Muslims and their community. The post-war period was heavily defined by Saudi Arabian and Iranian actors and to a lesser extent Turkish actors. The departure of Saudi and Iranian actors allowed Turkish religious voices to take over spaces left by those previous actors. This turning point is interesting to explore as it questions the nature of Turkey's continuous involvement and its development in the region, specifically in Bosnia. This leads to the question: In what ways have Turkish religious influences developed and affected Bosnian Muslims after the Serb-Bosnian war (1992-1995)?Show less
