Kocaeli Mufti Mehmet Sönmezoğlu, who made headlines with his announcement of a mawlid for Atatürk, has been dismissed

Comprehensive changes in duties were made at the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) with the presidential decrees published in the Official Gazette. Within the scope of the decisions, new appointments were made to the mufti offices of 35 provinces, while a large number of provincial muftis were dismissed.

Among the names whose duties were changed was Kocaeli Mufti Mehmet Sönmezoğlu. Bolu Provincial Mufti Hüseyin Demirtaş was appointed in place of Sönmezoğlu.

"SECULARISM IS NOT AN ANTI-RELIGIOUS IDEOLOGY"

Sönmezoğlu had made headlines when he announced that a Mevlid-i Şerif (mawlid) would be recited in mosques across the province on November 10, 2025, for Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, martyrs, and veterans who have passed away. The announcement included the statement, "I request information and necessary action regarding the recitation of the Mevlid-i Şerif in all our mosques on Monday, November 10, 2025, at 12:30 PM."

Hüseyin Demirtaş, who was appointed to Kocaeli, had previously drawn attention with his social media assessment during his time as Bolu Provincial Mufti, following a legal challenge against a Friday sermon prepared by the Presidency of Religious Affairs. Demirtaş had argued that it should be the High Board of Religious Affairs, not the courts, that is authorized to oversee sermons.

In Demirtaş's statement, the words, "Secularism is not an anti-religious ideology and should not be," stood out. Demirtaş also assessed the Diyanet as, "Born from the spirituality of the days of the National Struggle, it is the institutional continuation of that spirit."

With the same decisions, Enver Osman Kaan, President of the Diyanet Academy of the Presidency of Religious Affairs, was also dismissed. Ahmet Bostancı was appointed in place of Kaan. The Official Gazette also published high-level personnel changes in the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Family and Social Services, the Ministry of National Defense, and other public institutions.

News Source: 12punto