Religious associations make up 15 percent of all associations in Turkey
Religious associations make up 15 percent of all active associations in Turkey, the daily Cumhuriyet reported on July 25 citing the Interior Ministry data. A total of 18,443 active foundations in the country are focused on "facilitating the offer of religious services."
Duvar English
Some 15 percent of all active associations in Turkey "work to realize the conduct of religious services" according to data from the Interior Ministry, the daily Cumhuriyet reported on July 25.
The number of religious associations surpasses the number of any other foundation in Turkey's 14 provinces.
Interior Ministry data showed that 122,147 foundations out of 316,957 in Turkey are active in their operations, while 194,810 have been closed down.
Some 18,443 of the active associations are focused on religious activities.
Meanwhile, 38,321 of active associations are focused on "solidarity of profession," whereas 27,355 on sports and sports-related activities.
Religious organizations are often used by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) as a method of redistributing wealth from the government, with millions of liras poured into their operations.