Taha Akyol: “Censoring Quran Interpretations Is a Threat to Freedom of Thought”

Veteran columnist and legal scholar Taha Akyol has raised alarms over a new Turkish bill passed in parliament, granting the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) the authority to censor Quran translations (“meals”) it deems inconsistent with “the essential characteristics of Islam.” Akyol argues that the measure not only restricts religious expression but also echoes historical attempts to suppress theological and philosophical inquiry in Islam.

Diyanet Empowered to Ban Quran Translations

Under the newly adopted law, Diyanet will review and evaluate Quran translations, hadith and fikh which are admitted as words of Prophet Mohammed to his disciples, and interpreations by different Islamic schools of thought published in Turkey, and if it finds any part of them objectionable “in terms of the fundamental qualities of Islam,” it will file a case for their ban. The judiciary, Akyol warns, is expected to side with Diyanet, either directly or by appointing a religious expert from Diyanet as a legal advisor.

Once a Quran interpretation is labeled “objectionable,” its publication and distribution may be halted, already-printed editions may be confiscated and destroyed, and if it’s available online, access may be blocked or content removed.

Reports suggest that up to ten existing hadith may soon be withdrawn from circulation.

Like Banning Philosophy

Akyol criticizes lawmakers for approving the bill, questioning whether they acted out of religious conviction or partisan obedience. Regardless of the motive, he argues, the result is another restriction on freedom of thought and expression.

“This is not just about religion,” he notes. “This is about the ability of scholars to reinterpret and contextualize the Quran for the modern age.”

Citing thinkers like Muhammad Iqbal, who called for the “reconstruction of religious thought in Islam,” and Mehmet Akif, who stressed the importance of aligning Islamic teachings with contemporary understanding, Akyol warns that this law threatens such intellectual evolution.

“Theologians capable of writing Quran translations—those with mastery of Arabic, theology, and history—will now be vulnerable to censorship by Diyanet’s rigid and bureaucratic interpretations,” he warns.

A Continuation of Anti-Intellectual Trends

Akyol links the new law to earlier moves such as the 2013 decision to ban philosophy and sectarian history courses in theology faculties. He notes that the current President of Diyanet is himself a professor of comparative religion, yet the institution appears uninterested in consulting academic theologians in the fields of tafsir (exegesis) and kalam (Islamic theology).

“Diyanet may be the highest authority in religious services, but it is not the highest scientific or academic institution,” he reminds readers.

Islam Has Grown Through Debate—Not Censorship

According to Akyol, the greatest evidence against censorship lies in Islamic history itself. New sociopolitical and philosophical questions—emerging in different times and regions—have continuously driven new interpretations of religious texts.

He recalls how, just fifty years after the Prophet’s death, Muslim scholars began engaging with concepts like free will and predestination. Even Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik wrote to famed scholar Hasan al-Basri asking for clarification on such emerging questions. The turning point came when Muslims encountered Greek philosophy, necessitating deeper theological engagement.

Akyol cites the late Prof. İsmail Cerrahoğlu’s two-volume work History of Tafsir, previously published by Diyanet itself, which documents a wide variety of interpretive schools: lexical tafsirs, legal tafsirs, philosophical tafsirs, sectarian tafsirs, and scientific tafsirs—each reflecting different methodologies and contexts.

“Which of these tafsir traditions will Diyanet now ban from being used in contemporary Quran translations?” he asks.

21st Century Realities Require Evolving Interpretation

Akyol reminds readers that we live in the 21st century, and that even Cerrahoğlu emphasized that interpretations of the Quran should respond to the scientific and intellectual needs of the era.

Tafsir and translation are not identical, but the intellectual openness or narrowness of the climate in which they’re written affects both.

“Censorship is always a mistake,” Akyol concludes.

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