Erdogan addresses religion council in Ankara

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday attended the Fourth Religion Council held by the Religious Affairs Directorate in Ankara on the theme "Religion and Society." In his opening speech to the gathering, also attended by Interior Minister Besir Atalay, State Minister Faruk Celik, Religious Affairs Directorate head Ali Bardakoglu, and many Islamic theologians, Erdogan said it is high time to review and update religious scholarship to come up with solutions for today's problems. Dismissing any reforming of Islam, Erdogan said, however, that altering the language of Islamic theology to fit current needs was inevitable. Urging Islamic theologians to adopt a language and approach based on people's needs, demands and problems, Erdogan said anything else will lead to a gap between the public and religion, and unqualified people will rush in to fill this gap and speak for Islam. Erdogan also stressed the role of religion in overcoming social problems. "It is wrong to exploit religion, and it is also wrong to ignore the role it may play in solving social problems," Erdogan said. He also complained that anti-Islamic propaganda has caused the Muslim world to lead poor lives punctuated by acts of terror. "Particularly after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, Muslims failed to rebut propaganda carried out against them," he said. "As adherents of this religion, we must engage in self-criticism. We should strive to achieve what is ideal." Turning to secularism, Erdogan said secularism has become an area of heated debate in Turkey for decades. "I see religious exploitation as disrespectful to religion," he said. "It is aimed at undermining religion. Similarly, the exploitation of secularism is not right. Turkey has witnessed unhealthy debates over secularism and paid a heavy price for them. I believe the recent maturity about secularism is very promising for our country. I am never pessimistic." Also speaking to the council, Bardakoglu said that it gives religious thinkers the opportunity to express their ideas on social problems. "Religious men certainly have something to say at a time when violence and terror threaten the whole world, when all of us feel suffocated by the network of relations based on material gains, and when the poor and lonely are left to their own devices," he said. "This is what the Fourth Religious Council offers us all."