ABSTRACT
Over 2.9 million Syrian refugees entered Turkey since 2011 through an open-door policy, making Turkey the country with the largest Syrian refugee population worldwide. Kara argues that religion and religiosity were important factors in the management of the refugee crisis and the legitimization of the open-door policy in the Turkish case. In particular, Diyanet (The Directorate of Religious Affairs), an official state institution that carries out religious affairs pertaining to faith, worship and moral principles, played a key role. Diyanet used an extensive network of mosques and religious institutions across country to motivate the Turkish society for inclusiveness and reaching out to the refugees. In addition, Diyanet contributed to the education of refugees and coordinated the humanitarian aid projects. Kara investigates various efforts of Diyanet and argue that they contributed significantly in forming a positive public opinion toward the refugees and their integration into the society.
