Founded in 1976 as the Samsun Higher Islamic Institute, the Faculty marked half a century of academic life with current and former academics, graduates, students, a commemorative documentary, and 50th Anniversary Awards.

The Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU) Faculty of Theology celebrated its 50th anniversary with a ceremony bringing together academics, graduates, students, former faculty members, and guests.

Established in 1976 as the Samsun Higher Islamic Institute and continuing its academic journey as the Ondokuz Mayıs University Faculty of Theology from 1982 onward, the Faculty commemorated half a century of academic and institutional development.

The ceremony, held at the OMU Atatürk Congress and Culture Center, was attended by OMU Rector Prof. Dr. Fatma Aydın, Samsun University Rector Prof. Dr. Mahmut Aydın, former President of Religious Affairs Prof. Dr. Süleyman Ateş, Deputy President of Religious Affairs Prof. Dr. Ahmet İshak Demir, Chair of the High Board of Religious Affairs Prof. Dr. Abdurrahman Haçkalı, Faculty of Theology Dean Prof. Dr. Faruk Sancar, representatives of public institutions, academics from different universities, senior former faculty members, graduates, students, and guests.

Following a moment of silence and the Turkish National Anthem, speakers reflected on the Faculty’s 50-year history, its contribution to higher religious education, and the future of theological scholarship.

Rector Aydın: “We are honoring half a century of scholarship, thought, and educating generations”

Speaking at the ceremony, OMU Rector Prof. Dr. Fatma Aydın highlighted the Faculty’s long-established academic tradition.

“Today, we are not simply celebrating the anniversary of a faculty,” Aydın said. “We are also honoring a half-century tradition of scholarship, thought, and educating generations.”

“Fifty years is not merely a period of time. It represents effort, accumulated knowledge, experience, and institutional memory. It also represents the determination to preserve one’s values while continuing to speak to the future under changing circumstances.”

Referring to the Faculty’s origins, Aydın said that the institution, established by academics from the Samsun Higher Islamic Institute in 1976, had grown substantially over the following five decades.

“The importance of theological education continues to grow”

Rector Aydın also emphasized the role of theological education in responding to contemporary social and intellectual change.

“Faculties of Theology are institutions that examine human existence, the meaning of life, and the search for truth within an academic discipline,” she said.

“Preserving the historical accumulation of religious scholarship is important, but bringing that knowledge into dialogue with the questions of our own age is an equally significant responsibility.”

Aydın noted that digitalization, artificial intelligence, globalization, and social change are reshaping individuals' relationships with themselves and society.

“What humanity fundamentally needs today is not simply easier access to information,” she said. “We need an understanding of wisdom that gives meaning to knowledge and connects it with ethical responsibility.”

She added that theological education should also contribute to social peace, a culture of coexistence, justice, respect for human dignity, and tolerance toward differences.

“Our Faculty will continue strengthening its academic capacity for the future”

Addressing the Faculty’s future, Aydın said the strength of long-established institutions does not come solely from their history.

“The real strength of an institution lies in its goals for the future and in the people it educates,” she said.

She emphasized the importance of preserving intellectual and cultural heritage without allowing universities to become confined by the past.

“An academic structure that observes universal academic standards, remains open to critical thought, and draws strength from its own civilizational heritage will help shape the future,” Aydın said.

She expressed confidence that the Faculty of Theology would continue to make significant contributions to OMU and Türkiye through its graduates, scientific research, and engagement with society.

Prof. Dr. Mahmut Aydın: “Administrative positions end, but being a teacher of theology remains”

Prof. Dr. Mahmut Aydın, a faculty member of the OMU Faculty of Theology and Rector of Samsun University, said the Faculty’s 50-year history represented more than the passage of time; it reflected a deep-rooted intellectual tradition.

“I came to this podium with two titles, but I want to speak with one heart,” Aydın said. “One part of me is the founding Rector of Samsun University, while another is a theologian who was educated in these classrooms.”

“Administrative duties eventually come to an end, but being a teacher of theology remains in people’s hearts.”

Aydın also referred to the opportunities created by emerging technologies. While artificial intelligence has made access to information easier, he emphasized that knowledge cannot fully serve its purpose without conscience and ethical responsibility.

He called on younger academics and students to preserve and further develop the academic legacy entrusted to them.

Honorary guest Süleyman Ateş delivers lecture on understanding the Qur’an

The ceremony’s honorary guest, Prof. Dr. Süleyman Ateş, the 12th President of Religious Affairs, who had also previously served as Head of the Department of Basic Islamic Sciences at the Ondokuz Mayıs University Faculty of Theology, addressed the audience with a lecture titled “Understanding the Qur’an.”

“The Qur’an’s primary purpose is to bring humanity together around shared values”

At the heart of Ateş’s address was the universal character of the Qur’an, grounded in human nature.

Prof. Dr. Süleyman Ateş emphasized that religion carries a fundamentally unifying spirit and that the different interpretations and sectarian divisions that have emerged over time should not obscure this primary purpose.

Ateş stressed the vital importance of coming together around fundamental human values and preserving a culture of tolerance.

“Spiritual heritage cannot be reduced to outward forms”

Addressing the spiritual depth of the Islamic tradition and the importance of properly understanding its spiritual figures, Prof. Dr. Ateş said it would be incomplete to approach this heritage solely through shrines and physical places associated with them.

He emphasized that what truly matters is preserving and living by the spiritual insight and moral values represented by these figures.

Ateş said there was a need for a more contemplative understanding that goes beyond purely outward or formal approaches.

“What matters is not merely repeating the words, but living their meaning”

Turning to approaches to reading and studying the Qur’an, Prof. Dr. Süleyman Ateş emphasized that the ultimate purpose of recitation is to understand the wisdom contained in its verses and bring that meaning into everyday life.

Drawing on examples from Imam al-Ghazali’s Ihya, Ateş compared reading without engaging with the essence of the message to looking only at the cover of a letter containing instructions without understanding what the letter actually says.

Ateş also referred to fundamental principles of hadith methodology and historical reform movements, concluding that religious knowledge should be approached through scholarly methods and in harmony with the Qur’an’s central message.

Following his address, Faculty of Theology Dean Prof. Dr. Faruk Sancar presented Prof. Dr. Süleyman Ateş with the Faculty of Theology 50th Anniversary Recognition Award.

Deputy President Demir: “Faculties of Theology have strategic importance for our country”

Deputy President of Religious Affairs Prof. Dr. Ahmet İshak Demir conveyed the greetings of President of Religious Affairs Prof. Dr. Safi Arpaguş, who was unable to attend due to a last-minute engagement in Saudi Arabia.

Discussing the historical development of theological education in Türkiye and the challenges it has faced, Demir described Faculties of Theology as institutions of strategic importance.

“Faculties of Theology have strategic importance for our country,” Demir said.

He argued that reliable theological education also plays an important role in preventing the exploitation of religion and in supporting social stability.

OMU graduates contribute to theological education across Türkiye

Demir also highlighted the Faculty’s influence beyond OMU through the academics it has educated.

He referred to the late Prof. Dr. Kemal Sandıkçı, founding Dean of the Faculty of Theology in Rize, and noted that many academics working at other faculties of theology are graduates of OMU.

Demir congratulated the Faculty on its 50th anniversary and expressed his hope that its contributions to theological education would continue.

Dean Sancar: “Our Faculty has accumulated half a century of scholarship and thought”

OMU Faculty of Theology Dean Prof. Dr. Faruk Sancar reflected on the Faculty’s historical development and its role in higher religious education.

“Founded in 1976 as the Samsun Higher Islamic Institute and continuing its academic life from 1982 as the Ondokuz Mayıs University Faculty of Theology, our Faculty has established an important place in Türkiye’s higher religious education through its scholarly accumulation, intellectual tradition, and sense of ethical responsibility,” Sancar said.

He noted that over five decades, the Faculty had contributed to the academic, intellectual, and cultural life of both OMU and Türkiye through the scholars it had educated, the thousands of graduates it had produced, and the scholarly works it had produced.

“Faculties of Theology have a responsibility to produce reliable religious knowledge”

Sancar emphasized that the role of Faculties of Theology goes beyond transmitting religious knowledge or reproducing traditional scholarship.

“The principal task is to examine this knowledge through academic methods, evaluate it within its historical and social contexts, and reinterpret it through a critical perspective,” he said.

“In my view, the mission of theology is neither to preserve the past exactly as it is nor to reject it entirely. The real achievement of our institutions lies in establishing a genuine and meaningful relationship between the past and the present.”

Sancar said reliable academic knowledge about religion had become increasingly important at a time when religious claims can circulate rapidly and the boundaries between reliable information and manipulation may become blurred.

“Strengthening Faculties of Theology is a strategic responsibility”

Emphasizing the importance of producing religious knowledge from reliable sources and communicating it accurately to society, Sancar continued:

“Today, our country, and indeed the wider Islamic world, needs Faculties of Theology more than ever. We are living in a period in which religious discourse circulates rapidly, widely differing claims are put forward in the name of religion, and the distinction between truth and manipulation can at times become blurred.”

“In such an environment, the need for academic institutions that produce reliable knowledge about religion is steadily increasing.”

“Therefore, strengthening Faculties of Theology cannot be regarded merely as a matter of higher education policy. It is also a strategic responsibility that concerns social peace, national cohesion, and our future.”

50-year journey presented through documentary

Following the speeches, participants watched a 50th anniversary documentary tracing the Faculty’s journey from its establishment to the present day.

The documentary highlighted the Faculty’s academic development, educational history, and institutional legacy accumulated over five decades.

Academics and staff honored with 50th Anniversary Awards

As part of the anniversary ceremony, awards were presented to individuals who have contributed to the Faculty in scientific, academic, cultural, and administrative fields.

The 50th Anniversary Awards were presented as follows:

• Thought and Arts Award: Prof. Dr. Burhanettin Tatar
• Scholarly Work Award: Prof. Dr. Mehmet Okuyan
• Research and Development Award: Prof. Dr. İbrahim Turan and Prof. Dr. Yavuz Ünal
• Academic Service Award: Prof. Dr. Mustafa Köylü, Prof. Dr. Cafer Sadık Yaran, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kenan Ayar
• Administrative Service Award: Dilaver Çankaya

50th Anniversary Recognition Awards were presented to:

• Prof. Dr. Erhan Yetik
• Prof. Dr. İshak Yazıcı
• Prof. Dr. Muhsin Koçak
• Prof. Dr. Mustafa Zeki Terzi
• Prof. Dr. Mevlüt Kaya
• Prof. Dr. Erkan Perşembe
• Prof. Dr. Yaşar Kurt
• Prof. Dr. Hayrettin Öztürk
• Dr. Alaaddin Şükür

Musical recital presented

The program also featured a four-piece musical recital performed by Prof. Dr. Ahmet Çakır, Prof. Dr. Burhanettin Tatar, Research Assistant Dr. Senem Arslan, and Research Assistant Reha Elçi.

The recital included Prof. Dr. Burhanettin Tatar’s Acem-Kürdî Longa, a composition included in the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) repertoire.

Anniversary celebrations continue with photo exhibition

The 50th anniversary program also included a photography exhibition documenting the Faculty’s half-century journey.

Through photographs reflecting different periods in the Faculty’s history, participants were given an opportunity to explore its academic and institutional development from the past to the present.