Diyanet statement on Halil Konakçı: Investigation is ongoing
Diyanet Vice President Hüseyin Hazırlar answered questions from members of parliament at the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM). Hazırlar stated that the file on Halil Konakçı has not been closed.
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Making a presentation at the TBMM Commission for Researching School Incidents and Digital Risks in Şanlıurfa and Kahramanmaraş, Diyanet Vice President Hüseyin Hazırlar answered questions from members of parliament.
Upon a question from CHP Şanlıurfa MP Mahmut Tanal regarding preacher Halil Konakçı, Hazırlar stated, "The investigation regarding Halil Konakçı is ongoing." While it was noted that the investigation came to the agenda approximately one and a half years ago, it drew attention that the file has still not been completed.
Hazırlar also responded to some allegations regarding Diyanet personnel during the commission meeting. Stating that they do not have a staff member named "Mehmet Ali Çavuşlu," Hazırlar also noted that Ahmet Mahmut Ünlü, known in the public as "Cübbeli Ahmet," is not a Diyanet staff member.
Providing information about Diyanet's spiritual counseling activities, Hazırlar stated that spiritual counselors undergo certified training. He conveyed that personnel are provided with training on topics such as media literacy, the effects of the digital world on children and youth, and healthy identity development.
FETÖ DEBATE ALSO CAME TO THE AGENDA
Taking the floor at the commission, AKP Erzurum MP Mehmet Emin Öz argued that Diyanet should have used a more effective religious language against FETÖ before July 15. Öz expressed that making a religious definition that would have resonance in society against this structure, which has a heavy religious discourse, could have been effective.
In his assessment, Öz used the expressions, "You call them terrorists, but in these people's minds, there is a specific type of terrorist, and they don't fit that type because the man prays."
Responding to this criticism, Hazırlar said that Diyanet has used concepts such as "corruption movement," "organized religious exploitation," and "from organization to coup" for FETÖ. Hazırlar stated that the Presidency had made statements on this issue before and that it "continues to speak its word with courage."
Independent MP Ümit Dikbayır had announced on February 12, 2025, that his statement had been taken within the scope of the investigation opened upon a complaint regarding Halil Konakçı.