PodcastDiyanet spends 29 million liras on mosque and Quran associations in 2019
Turkey's Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) spent 29 million Turkish Liras (approximately $4 million) to fund mosque and Quran associations in 2019, according to a report in Birgün. State treasury figures indicate that the Diyanet spent 6.6 billion Turkish Liras ($910 million) between January and July of this year.
Duvar English
Turkey's Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) spent 29 million Turkish Liras (approximately $4 million) to fund mosque and Quran associations last year, according to a report in the daily newspaper Birgün.
The Diyanet funded 1,523different foundations related to mosques and Quran courses in 2019.
While the Diyanet wasfounded following the establishment of the Turkish Republic in orderfor the state to manage religious affairs, the ruling Justice andDevelopment Party (AKP) has provided it with massive funding andinstrumentalised it to build mosques in Turkey and in other Muslimcommunities.
State treasury figuresindicate that the Diyanet spent 6.6 billion TL between January andJuly of this year. A total of 11.5 billion TL were allotted to theDiyanet budget in 2020.
Last year, the Diyanettransferred a total of 35 million TL to non-profit organizations,compared to 30 million TL in 2018.