Recep İhsan Eliaçık (born December 23, 1961) is a Turkish Islamic theologian and writer. He is the founder of the Turkish Islamic socialist organisation

Anti-Capitalist Muslims The Anti-Capitalist Muslims (), also known by their official name Association for Struggle Against Capitalism (), is a Turkish Islamic left-wing political organisation. They advocate a spiritual form of socialism, believing that the teachings ...

. He has over 20 books, including a translation of the

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

into Turkish.

Biography

Having completed his primary, secondary and high school education in different schools in

Kayseri Kayseri () is a large List of cities in Turkey, city in Central Anatolia, Turkey, and the capital of Kayseri Province, Kayseri province. Historically known as Caesarea (Mazaca), Caesarea, it has been the historical capital of Cappadocia since anc ...

and

Kırşehir Kırşehir, historically known as Mocissus or Mokissos () and Justinianopolis () in ancient times, is a city in Turkey. It is the seat of Kırşehir Province and Kırşehir District.Erciyes University Erciyes University (), commonly referred to as ERU, is a public research university located in Kayseri, Turkey. Established in 1978, the university has become a center for education, research, and innovation, contributing to academic and scientifi ...

Faculty of Theology between 1985 and 1990. He is married and has five children. He speaks Arabic and lives in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

. He is known as the "taboo breaker". During the

Gezi Park protests A wave of demonstrations and civil unrest in Turkey began on 28 May 2013, initially to contest the urban development plan for Istanbul's Gezi Park. The protests were sparked by outrage at the violent eviction of a sit-in at the park protesting ...

, he used expressions such as "dictator, harasser, provocateur, insolent, liar" for

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician who is the 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as the 25th prime minister of Turkey, prime minister from 2003 to 2014 as part of the Jus ...

on Twitter, and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan filed a lawsuit for compensation of 50,000 TL against him.

Views

Eliaçık believes that it is mandatory per Quranic verse 4:136 for all Muslims to donate everything they do not use. He stated in an interview that he believes the Islamic duty is not just caring for the poor, but overthrowing the "capitalist devilish system" that he thinks makes them poor, "just like the

Islamic prophets Prophets in Islam () are individuals in Islam who are believed to spread God's message on Earth and serve as models of ideal human behaviour. Some prophets are categorized as messengers (; sing. , ), those who transmit divine revelation, most ...

overthrew the devilish systems of their times". He continued by saying that they want a world without exploitation and privileges. He claimed that many use Islam to advance their interests, and countries such as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Afghanistan all interpret Islam with an " extreme understanding". When asked him about

secularism Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on naturalistic considerations, uninvolved with religion. It is most commonly thought of as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state and may be broadened ...

, he stated that "classical secularism" excludes the holy book, and an alternative way can be found. He advocates for a "borderless world of peace". On evolution, he commented that it is a matter for science to discuss, not religion, and that Islam will never be proven wrong anyways. On polygamy, he stated that the verses about polygamy are widely misunderstood and that Islam is strictly against the practice.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eliacik, Ihsan Living people 21st-century Turkish writers 20th-century Turkish non-fiction writers Turkish theologians Muslim reformers Turkish Quranist Muslims 1961 births Erciyes University alumni 20th-century Turkish male writers