Turkey: new university
In an aggressive move to position itself as the intellectual centre of the Muslim world, Turkey announced in late October plans to open an Islamic university similar to Egypt’s Al-Azhar, the oldest and most respected centre of Islamic learning.
World Watch Monitor
Ankara’s announcement comes amid years of legal stonewalling for Turkey’s Christian minorities to build their own seminaries. The Turkish Ministry of Religious Affairs put forth plans in October to transform the private Istanbul 29 Mayis University into an Islamic school. According to state officials, it will become an ‘example’ to Al-Azhar.
