The majority of Turkish people are Muslim

Most of Turkish people are Muslims and Islam has an important role in the culture and traditions of Turkey. Some significant religion points about Turkey and its society impact are as follows:

1. Islam in Turkey

• The majority of Muslims in Turkey are Sunnis with about 96% of them being Hanafis. Some other people are Alevi Muslims:
• There are some other people in Turkey besides Alevi Muslims that consider their religion different from mainstream Islam and have their practices and beliefs which closely resemble Sufism and some features of Shi’ite Islam.

2. Religious Freedoms

• Turkey is a secular state according to its constitution. Secularism was founded in the early days of the Republic under the auspices of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, this ensured a complete state-religion separation despite the mostly Islamized Turkish society.
• However, there are other religiously communing populations under the Turkish republic, which are also included in the community, like these are small to the general populace like the Christians (Armenian, Greek Orthodox, and some other communities like the Syrian) plus these minuscule tiny- Jew populations.

3. Religious Practices

• Most Turks undertake Islamic practices like fasting in the month of Ramadan, keeping the Eid al-Fitr (Ramazan Bayramı) and Eid al-Adha (Kurban Bayramı) festivals and praying five times a day (Namaz).
• Mosques are the beating hearts of the communities, and Ezan, the the call to prayer, is heard everywhere.

4. Religious Institutions

• The Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı (Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Affairs) is a government agency responsible for Islamic affairs, such as mosques and the education of religion.
• Most schools offer compulsory religion classes; however, in most cases, the instruction reflects only the Sunni teachings.
• When considering any of the above, most but not all can relate to the people of Turkey.

5. Modern Influences and Trends

• However, notwithstanding such traditional religious values, the effects of modernization and globalization are felt in the lives of many, with some identifying themselves as secular or non-practicing Muslims.
• One of the popular issues now being debated in Turkey is between secularism and religious conservatism within public life and politics.

The culture of Turkey has a strong connection to religion, predominantly Islam, which shapes its art, food, music, and social customs. Although Islam dominates in Turkey, the secular structure gives way to a different open expression of beliefs and practices.