Turkish adhan

{{Short description|Period of time when the adhan was read in Turkish}} The '''Turkish adhan''' ({{Langx|tr|Türkçe ezan}}) was the use of the Turkish language to officially recite the Adhan for a period of time in Turkey. The usage of Arabic was banned by the Diyanet on order of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in 1932 and was unbanned 18 years later on June 16, 1950.<ref>{{Cite web |last=IlmFeed |date=2020-09-17 |title=When Turkey Banned the Arabic Adhan |url=https://ilmfeed.com/when-turkey-banned-the-adhan/ |access-date=2023-10-26 |website=IlmFeed |language=en-GB}}</ref>

== History == With the rise of Turkish nationalism in the 19th century and the modern Turkish language being given more attention, Ali Suavi argued that the Adhan, and even the Khutbahs and Quran should be in Turkish.<ref name="Osmanlı'da Türkçe ezan">{{Cite book |title=Türkiye'de Laikliğin Sosyal ve Kültürel Kökleri |isbn=978-975-10-2814-3 |pages=45}}</ref>

After the Turkish War of Independence and the establishment of the Republic of Turkey, the Turkish language became the only official language of Turkey and became more strictly implemented in the whole country as part of Atatürk's reforms. The Diyanet was established on order of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk to handle religious affairs in Turkey. With the encouragement of Atatürk, nine huffaz began working on Turkifying Islam to make it more compatible with Turkish nationalism, and translating everything into Turkish. The Turkish translation of the Quran was first recited by Yaşar Okur on January 22, 1932. Eight days later on January 30, 1932, the first Turkish adhan was recited by Hafiz Rifat Bey in Fatih Mosque, Istanbul, after that it became official and everything was mandated to be in Turkish.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-06-28 |title=İlk Türkçe ezan ve taşplakları |url=https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/ilk-turkce-ezan-ve-tasplaklari-308439 |access-date=2023-10-26 |website=www.cumhuriyet.com.tr |language=tr}}</ref> After the adhan and Quran became officially in Turkish, the President of Diyanet, Rıfat Börekçi, decided that entire Salah should be in Turkish too. The Turkish salah was made official on March 6, 1933.<ref>{{cite news|title=Sala da Türkçeleştirildi|language=Turkish|page=17|date=7 March 1933|publisher=Cumhuriyet (gazette)}}</ref> In 1941, the Diyanet officially made the use of Arabic in mosques as a punishable crime.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=17 February 2017|archive-date=12 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112090438/http://www.sabah.com.tr/galeri/yasam/iste_turkce_ezan_ile_ilgili_bilinmeyen_22_not/3|title=İşte Türkçe ezan ile ilgili bilinmeyen 22 not|url=http://www.sabah.com.tr/galeri/yasam/iste_turkce_ezan_ile_ilgili_bilinmeyen_22_not/3|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1941 they enacted a new law numbered 4055, in which a paragraph was added to Article 526 of the Turkish Penal Code. According to the change, those who read the salah, Quran, and adhan in the Arabic language will be imprisoned for up to three months and have to pay a fine from 10 liras to 200 liras.<ref name="Türk Ceza Kanunu">{{cite book |title=Türk Ceza Kanunu (1926) |date=2005 |publisher=Final Yayıncılık |pages=412 |language=tr |id=ISBN 9789754251479}}</ref> In 1950 the ban was lifted by Celâl Bayar. Although the Turkish adhan is still legal by law, the adhan has not been read in Turkish after 1950.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|access-date=9 November 2021|archive-date=19 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120619012509/https://www.timeturk.com/tr/2012/06/16/turkce-ezan-18-yil-devam-etti.html|language=tr|title=‘Türkçe Ezan’ 18 yıl devam etti - Timeturk Haber|url=https://www.timeturk.com/tr/2012/06/16/turkce-ezan-18-yil-devam-etti.html|work=www.timeturk.com}}</ref> In 1954, in Cyprus, the Turkish Cypriot Mufti Dânâ Efendi gave a fatwa saying that it is permissible to read the Adhan in Turkish because the people want it to be read in Turkish rather than Arabic.<ref>{{cite news|title=Ezanın Türkçe okunması caizdir|language=Turkish|pages=3, 4|date=14 February 1954|publisher=Vatan}}</ref>

=== Decriminalisation === After the 1950 Turkish general election, the Democratic Party won the election. After they won they made a proposal to unban the Arabic language for religious purposes.<ref name="Türkçe ezan">{{cite book |last=Meydan |first=Sinan |title=Atatürk ile Allah Arasında |date=2009 |publisher=İnkılap Yayıncılık |pages=680-728 |language=tr |id=ISBN 978-975-10-2814-3}}</ref> Cemal Reşit Eyüboğlu, the CHP deputy of Trabzon, who spoke on behalf of the CHP in the meetings in the TBMM, said that they were against the use of the Arabic language and that it wasn’t even worth opening a discussion about. Later, both CHP and DP members voted in the proposal.<ref>{{cite web|archive-date=14 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160814191649/https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/adnan-menderes-i-suclamaktan-vazgecin-arapca-ezani-dp-ile-chp-beraber-serbest-birakmislardi-4560385|title=Adnan Menderes’i suçlamaktan vazgeçin! Arapça ezanı DP ile CHP beraber serbest bırakmışlardı|url=https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/adnan-menderes-i-suclamaktan-vazgecin-arapca-ezani-dp-ile-chp-beraber-serbest-birakmislardi-4560385}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|archive-date=18 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118144056/https://www5.tbmm.gov.tr/tutanaklar/TUTANAK/TBMM/d09/c001/tbmm09001009.pdf|title=TBMM Zabıt Ceridesi, 16. 6. 1950, birleşim 9, oturum 1, sah: 182|url=https://www5.tbmm.gov.tr/tutanaklar/TUTANAK/TBMM/d09/c001/tbmm09001009.pdf}}</ref> On the same day, the result of the votes was sent to Celâl Bayar, in which he accepted to unban Arabic for religious purposes. With the law enacted, the use of Turkish for religious purposes was still legal, however Arabic became more popular.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|access-date=9 November 2021|archive-date=19 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120619012509/https://www.timeturk.com/tr/2012/06/16/turkce-ezan-18-yil-devam-etti.html|language=tr|title=‘Türkçe Ezan’ 18 yıl devam etti - Timeturk Haber|url=https://www.timeturk.com/tr/2012/06/16/turkce-ezan-18-yil-devam-etti.html|work=www.timeturk.com}}</ref>

=== Reactions to decriminalisation === After the 1960 Turkish coup d'état, Celal Bayar, who lifted the ban on Arabic, was overthrown and Adnan Menderes was executed. The coup was led by Turkish nationalists, who harshly criticised the use of the Arabic language. Alparslan Türkeş, founder of the MHP and Grey Wolves and leading figure in the Turkish-Islamic nationalism movement, was one of the leaders of the coup. In a post-coup interview, Türkeş described the usage of Arabic for religion as a "betrayal", and said "In a Turkish mosque, the Quran should be read in Turkish, not Arabic."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cumhuriyetçi Köylü Millet Partisinden Milliyetçi Hareket Partisine Tarihsel Süreç, İdeoloji ve Politika (1960 – 1969) |url=http://www.openaccess.hacettepe.edu.tr:8080/xmlui/bitstream/handle/11655/3375/10145228.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |pages=20-21}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=ALBAY TÜRKEŞ’İN CUMHURİYET GAZETESİ RÖPORTAJI (17 TEMMUZ 1960) |url=https://misakizafer.com/2020/06/04/albay-turkesin-cumhuriyet-gazetesi-roportaji-17-temmuz-1960/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=48 yıl sonra ortaya çıkan 27 Mayıs gerçeği |url=https://www.timeturk.com/tr/2008/05/26/48-yil-sonra-ortaya-cikan-27-mayis-gercegi.html}}</ref>

== References == {{Reflist}} Category:History of the Republic of Turkey Category:Reform in Turkey Category:1930s in Islam Category:Islam in Turkey Category:Turkish nationalism Category:1940s in Islam