“Personalized Islam” published in 2019

My book titled “Kişiselleştirilmiş İslam” was published in German last February. After my book “Personalized Islam” was published in German, I received inquiries regarding the Turkish edition. 

My primary goal in publishing the book in German was to convey this new and different perspective to people of Turkish origin living in Germany.

About four million of our compatriots from Turkey—first, second, and third generation—live in Germany. Some of them have taken German citizenship, while others continue to live as Turkish citizens. The publication of my book in German was very important. The first generation opened mosques and lived among themselves, isolated from society. The second generation learned a little German, but at the same time was in closer contact with the German majority society. The second generation did not bring any innovations. It continued the mosque and religious practices of the previous generation. The generation in which the differences began was the third generation of Muslims of Turkish origin. Eighty percent of them speak German. At home, while traveling to Turkey, or when visiting relatives during religious holidays and festivals, as well as in TV series, they use exclusively Turkish or listen only to Turkish. The language in which they absorb academic and written information is German. Even if their sentences begin in Turkish, they switch to German after a few words. For this reason, the language of learning has now shifted to German starting with the third generation. Therefore, it was necessary to offer works in German to the new generations, and for this reason, I placed great importance on publishing my book in German.

Islam in Germany became more visible with the arrival of refugees in 2015. Over time, the number of immigrant refugees grew, and what society knew about Islam was limited solely to these newly arrived foreigners. Even the Turks who immigrated in the 1960s had, in a sense, built only mosques in the name of religion to satisfy their own needs. These mosques were opened in warehouses and similar buildings, such as backyards. With the increasing use of the internet and social media, posts about Islam grew among the younger generations, and society focused on this portrayed image of Islam. It is an Islam that appeals to emotions, is presented in a specific form (with fixed patterns for men and women), and is depicted as it was 1,400 years ago, when there were only prayers. The people who publish these posts do so using devices that did not exist 1,400 years ago, and no one questions whether this is “halal” or not. 

Did the internet, social media, and photography exist 1,400 years ago?

No.

So those who believe they are doing something good in the name of Islam are using things that do not exist in Islam…

That is: Bid‘ah.

That means it is harmful to Islam.

That means it is HARAM….

The rhetoric used and its roots are worlds apart, which is why it seems so out of place.

The reason for all this is the inability to offer intellectual solutions. That is precisely why it was so important to me to publish my thesis “Personalized Islam” in German.

I felt that it wasn’t enough for it to appeal only to German-speaking countries. Because this new idea, this perspective, and this approach to solutions had to be made known to the world. For this reason, the English edition of the book was also published in April.

I believe that the English version is important not only for English-speaking countries but also for academic staff in Muslim countries. 

The personalization of Islam is a very new reality today and one that is difficult for Muslims to accept. 

In cancer treatment, personalized mRNA vaccines are now the new standard. There are many people who have defeated cancer thanks to these vaccines. 

Personalized cancer treatments are a very effective method. Pharmaceutical companies combat diseases with broadly effective drugs and treatment methods, but every organism is very different. That is why we need drugs tailored to each individual organism.

Islam today is no longer just a matter for Muslims. We now live in a globalized world. At the same time, transnationalism has increased significantly. Refugees, people seeking a new home, students who wish to study abroad, and those who go abroad for academic work bring their religion and culture with them.

When Muslims move to Europe or the U.S., they live there alongside the local population and bring their religion and culture with them. For this reason, these local populations, even if they belong to a different faith, inevitably come into contact with Islam.

This presents us with two problems:

1. These people, who bring their religion and culture with them, live in the modern Western world with customs, cultures, and perspectives that are in some cases from 1,400 years ago. They are forced to lead a double life. Contradictions arise between their words and deeds. 

2. The local population accepts the attitudes and behavior of these people who come in the name of Islam. Sometimes due to their backward, sometimes due to their ghettoized way of life, integration into society cannot take place.

The local population—that is, non-Muslims—does not need to learn about Islam from works written from a 1,400-year-old perspective. If these people read the information from Islamic sources from a different perspective, they will learn what Islam actually is and how Muslims have altered it.

Why is the thesis of this book so complex for Muslims?

There are two aspects to this issue. The first is the historical legacy; the second is the human brain’s tendency to choose the easy path.

The Muslims who, following the Prophet, entered into a struggle for power and conquest began to adapt their understanding of Islam accordingly. Under the pressure of political power, hadiths were fabricated. Quranic verses were interpreted differently than originally intended. Muslims did not consider how they might adopt innovations from other cultures. Believing that “our religion is the final and only true one,” they were driven by greed to subjugate other cultures and peoples in the name of religion. Efforts at Islamization turned into a drive toward Arabization rather than the recognition that differences might give rise to various forms of Islam. The new converts chose Islam under this pressure. 

With this repressive understanding of Islam, which persisted until industrialization, Muslim rulers did not allow for innovation.

Religious leaders, too, out of greed for income, prestige, and power, endorsed everything the political rulers said.

Thus, they were supported by political power and also exercised dominion over the Muslims. Islam was portrayed as a highly complex religion that the people could not understand. For these clerics, it was impossible for the people to understand Islam correctly, let alone engage in “ijtihad” (independent legal reasoning).

There were clerics to explain the religion to the people, and that was sufficient. Religion became the monopoly of a guild. 

Once these obstacles had been placed in the path of the Muslim people, the people turned away from this way of thinking entirely. For religion was under the control of the clerics. To practice ijtihad, thousands of books had to be read, and the conditions for its implementation were very difficult.

This situation persisted until industrialization and the Industrial Revolution. As the dawn of industry began to alter the customs of agrarian society, the gap between Islam and lived life widened exponentially and became a chasm.

By the 2000s, the gap between Islam and everyday life had become very wide. It was impossible to bridge this chasm anyway, and there was no one thinking about it either. For interpreting the law is just as impossible as establishing a colony on Mars.

Under these circumstances, an Islam that appeals to emotions has permeated everywhere.

Amid debates over the headscarf, the manipulation of emotions, the emotional dimension of religious rites, and the separation of state and religion (secularism), a clear chasm has emerged for Muslims between true Islam and an Islam lived out purely on an emotional level.

As a result, the beautiful aspects of Islam—those that transform and develop people, that is, individuals—have disappeared. Immoral Muslims, deceitful Muslims, lying Muslims, unjust Muslims, and oppressive Muslims have emerged. These Muslims performed their prayers, but Islam was not present in their lives. 

The second topic is the human brain’s tendency to choose the easy path.

Muslims left religion to the clerics and chose the simpler path. 

They set aside the verse “Do you not reflect?”—which appears nearly a thousand times—and left all decisions in the name of Islam to the clerics. 

This complacency made Muslims complacent, demoralized them, and turned them into liars and people who accept injustice.

Muslims who prevented the formation of legal opinions (ijtihad) belonged to an Islamic faith that had something to say for all ages. I think everyone understands how contradictory this statement is. 

Muslims who were unable to make decisions for themselves began to explain and proclaim Islam to others.

Muslims who prevented the practice of ijtihad introduced the system of “interest-free banking”!

Muslims who prevented the practice of ijtihad sought to lead dynamic state administrations!

These are highly contradictory things. 

Anyone looking for the causes of the Muslims’ failure should, in my opinion, first consider this point. 

That is why this book is so important. 

Because it opens the doors to being a Muslim who can practice ijtihad. That is why I speak of a Muslim renaissance. 

Even though the German and English editions of my book will not be published until 2026, my book was already published in Turkish in 2019. 

Seven years ago, I put these thoughts into book form in Turkish and published them. 

Why hasn’t it sparked the necessary debate? 

Because Muslims are not ready for it. 

Those who are not ready are the defenders of the status quo and the oppressors. Yet a massive undercurrent (Deep Wave) is rolling in. Muslims do not perceive this undercurrent. They still blame the West. Yet the greatest blame lies with themselves, but they refuse to acknowledge it.

When this approaching undercurrent breaks to the surface, nothing will remain of the Islam practiced today—or this wave will completely alienate Muslims from Islam.

To prevent this, I wanted to publish my book in German and English.

I maintain that it will be a solution for young Muslims worldwide, for people in search of meaning, and even for a Europe that is searching.

Stay with love and knowledge