The Prophet’s Lovers Foundation (Peygamber Sevdalıları Vakfı) issued a strong statement ahead of the 2025–2026 academic year, calling for significant reforms in Türkiye’s education system.

The Foundation urged making Qur’an lessons compulsory, ensuring constitutional protections for headscarf freedom, and promoting values-based education through collaboration between schools, families, neighborhoods, and mosques. The statement also highlighted the achievements of Imam Hatip schools and advocated for the removal of mandatory co-education policies to better reflect Türkiye’s Muslim-majority population.

Yakup Kaya, a board member of the Foundation, delivered the message, opening with prayers for the Prophet Muhammad and quoting the Qur’anic verse: “Read in the name of your Lord who created! He created man from a clot of blood! Read! Your Lord is the Most Generous.” He described schools as “sacred spaces” where future generations are shaped and extended wishes for the success of students, teachers, and parents.

Kaya praised the high performance of Imam Hatip Project Middle Schools and High Schools in the 2025 High School Entrance Exam (LGS), attributing their success to the absence of forced co-education. He noted that in Europe, the lack of separation of boys and girls after puberty is seen as a challenge and advocated for parental choice between single-gender or co-educational schools, emphasizing that such flexibility aligns with societal and religious values.

Citing the participation of 2.54 million students in the 2025 Summer Qur’an Courses organized by the Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet), with parental satisfaction at 98.32%, Kaya called for Qur’an lessons to be compulsory rather than elective. He proposed that parents who object should submit written exemptions, arguing that the current system “does not reflect the sociological reality of our nation.”

The Foundation also called for the constitutional guarantee of headscarf freedom, stressing that Muslims should be able to observe religious obligations freely in schools and public spaces. Kaya described such protections as a “mandatory requirement of religious freedom,” amid ongoing debates in Turkey about the place of religion in public education.

Kaya emphasized the importance of values-based education and collaboration among schools, families, neighborhoods, and mosques to counter social decay among youth. He urged teachers, administrators, parents, and mosque imams to work together to instill cultural and moral values. The Foundation also called for increased government investment in education to meet schools’ physical and resource needs.

As part of the 2025 “Year of the Family,” Kaya proposed organizing activities to strengthen family bonds and support families facing divorce. He also requested that schools celebrate Mawlid Week, marking the birth of the Prophet Muhammad, with events supported by the Diyanet and mosque imams. The Foundation pledged to continue supporting schools in guiding students and promoting societal well-being.

The message comes amid ongoing discussions in Türkiye about aligning the education system with religious and cultural values. While some communities express strong support for compulsory Qur’an education and headscarf protections, critics advocate for maintaining secular principles in public schools. The call to end mandatory co-education has sparked debate, with proponents highlighting academic benefits and critics cautioning against potential social exclusion.

As the 2025–2026 academic year begins, the Lovers of the Prophet Foundation’s statement underscores its commitment to shaping an education system rooted in Islamic values, community engagement, and cultural preservation, expressing hope for a “blessed” year that advances the nation’s spiritual and societal growth. (ILKHA)