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A Turkish parliamentary committee has approved a controversial bill that would authorize the seizure and destruction of Quran translations deemed objectionable by the state-run Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet), sparking concerns over religious censorship and freedom of belief.
The measure, passed on Tuesday by the Planning and Budget Committee, amends existing legislation to expand the Diyanet’s authority. Under the proposal the directorate would have sweeping powers to review and challenge Quran translations it considers inconsistent with Islamic principles and request court orders to halt their distribution.
According to the draft, if a translation is found to be “contrary to the essential principles of Islam” by a Diyanet-appointed board, the agency could petition the courts to stop its publication and mandate the destruction of existing copies. In the case of online publications, courts could order the removal of digital content or block access to it.
Enforcement without delay
The bill stipulates that objections to such court rulings must be filed within two weeks. However, even if an appeal is submitted, enforcement of the ruling would proceed immediately, meaning materials could be removed or destroyed while legal challenges are still under review. If no objection is made, or if the appeal is rejected, the translations would be permanently eliminated.
Critics warn that the proposal would significantly increase state control over religious expression in a country where Islam is already tightly regulated by the government.
“This turns the Diyanet into a censorship body,” independent lawmaker Mustafa Yeneroğlu said Tuesday in a public statement. “No one has the right to classify the Quran according to an official ideology as ‘acceptable’ or ‘objectionable.’”
Yeneroğlu claimed that the bill’s vague language, particularly its reference to violating the “essential principles of Islam,” undermines legal certainty and the rule of law and said it violates constitutional guarantees of religious freedom.
Religious oversight
The move comes as part of broader efforts by the Turkish government to consolidate control over religious discourse and suppress alternative interpretations of Islam. Since a coup attempt in 2016, Turkish authorities have removed tens of thousands of publications from libraries and bookstores, including Qurans and commentaries linked to the Gülen movement — a faith-based group that Ankara accuses of orchestrating the coup. The group, inspired by the views of the late cleric Fethullah Gülen, denies any involvement.
Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Affairs, which has a larger annual budget than most ministries, plays a powerful role in shaping religious life in the officially secular country. It oversees the content of sermons delivered in more than 80,000 mosques and issues religious guidance in alignment with government policy.
If passed by the full parliament, where President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its allies hold a majority, the law would give the Diyanet formal authority to suppress Quran translations it finds objectionable, potentially criminalizing nonconforming theological interpretations without adequate judicial safeguards.
Parliament is expected to debate the bill in the coming weeks.