Diyanet regrets conducting survey: Personnel lack trust in justice

While surveys reveal that trust in the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) is declining rapidly, an internal survey conducted by the Diyanet among its personnel has yielded striking results. According to the survey findings, Diyanet personnel complained most about injustices in Hajj, Umrah, and overseas assignments.

Diyanet sources stated that although there are 1,800 personnel working in the central organization, participation in the survey was low due to "protest against the survey and the management," and also alleged that personnel were warned that the survey results "must absolutely not be shared."

According to the report by Mustafa Bildircin from BirGün, the controversy surrounding personalized Umrah tours and "VIP Umrah trips" was also reflected in the survey results, with the rate of those who said "I strongly disagree" to the statement "I think personnel are treated fairly in Hajj, Umrah, and overseas assignments" exceeding 50 percent. Diyanet sources, who stated that Hajj and Umrah assignments are generally given to the same personnel, assessed that "trust in internal institutional justice is decreasing." Following the spread of news regarding personnel not being able to comfortably state that they "work at the Diyanet," a section was added to the survey stating, "I can comfortably state in any environment without hesitation that I work at the Presidency of Religious Affairs," and it was claimed that the rate of those who stated they could express this without hesitation was lower than expected, and that the rate of those who said "I strongly disagree" with the view that they could express working at the Diyanet without hesitation was high.

It is alleged that some Diyanet personnel wrote "Don't touch my promotion" on the survey forms. It was claimed that the survey results were presented to Ali Erbaş by the Diyanet's Head of Strategy Development, Mustafa Irmaklı, and that Erbaş said, "The results should not be shared."

News Source: 12punto