Bardakoglu: "Turkey has no design for a moderate Islam project"

Speaking to the Milliyet daily, Directorate General for Religious Affairs head Ali Bardakoglu yesterday said that the directorate was conducting a study to interpret the words of prophet of Islam in accordance with the conditions in 21st century but rejected claims that it was a "moderate Islam" project against the fundamental interpretation of Islam. "Some associate this Project with the 'moderate Islam project,' but this is not true. This study doesn't aim at a revision or reform in Islam. It only intends to understand and interpret the words of prophet of Islam in line with the conditions of our time." Bardakoglu also added, "This kind of study was Ataturk's will. He asked for such a study for holy book of Islam, Koran and the words of the prophet, during the initial years of the republic. The study on Koran was completed, but the other study couldn't have been finished then. The directorate aims to conclude it." An article recently published in Newsweek asserted that Turkey was trying to introduce a new vision for Islam against fundamentalists.