politician
A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...
, and
cleric
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
.
Early life and education
Özkes was born on 1 August 1957 in
Çorum
Çorum () is a northern Anatolian city in Turkey. Çorum is located inland in the central Black Sea Region of Turkey and is approximately from Ankara and from Istanbul. It is the seat of Çorum Province and of Çorum District.< ...
, Turkey. He graduated from Ankara İmam Hatip Lisesi in 1976 and served as an
imam
Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...
Tafsir
Tafsir ( ; ) refers to an exegesis, or commentary, of the Quran. An author of a ''tafsir'' is a ' (; plural: ). A Quranic ''tafsir'' attempts to provide elucidation, explanation, interpretation, context or commentary for clear understanding ...
-
Hadith
Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...
in first place. During higher education, he served as a
Qur'an
The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...
teacher in
Beyoğlu
Beyoğlu (; ) is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 9 km2, and its population is 225,920 (2022). It is on the European side of Istanbul, Turkey, separated from the o ...
. He holds a master's degree in
Hadith
Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...
from
Al-Azhar University
The Al-Azhar University ( ; , , ) is a public university in Cairo, Egypt. Associated with Al-Azhar Al-Sharif in Islamic Cairo, it is Egypt's oldest degree-granting university and is known as one of the most prestigious universities for Islamic ...
.
Career
In 1981, he was assigned as the
mufti
A mufti (; , ) is an Islamic jurist qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion ('' fatwa'') on a point of Islamic law (''sharia''). The act of issuing fatwas is called ''iftāʾ''. Muftis and their ''fatāwa'' have played an important role thro ...
of Gerze. During 1983–1985, he served as the Mufti of Sorgun,
Yozgat
Yozgat is a city in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. It is the seat of Yozgat Province and Yozgat District.Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı for a period of two years during when he earned master's degree in Hadith from
Al-Azhar University
The Al-Azhar University ( ; , , ) is a public university in Cairo, Egypt. Associated with Al-Azhar Al-Sharif in Islamic Cairo, it is Egypt's oldest degree-granting university and is known as one of the most prestigious universities for Islamic ...
in
Cairo
Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...
. In 1987, he was appointed as the Mufti of
Akçakoca
Akçakoca is a town in Düzce Province, in the West Black Sea Region of Turkey, located about 200 km east of Istanbul. It is the seat of Akçakoca District.Bolu
Bolu is a city in northern Turkey, and administrative center of the Bolu Province and of Bolu District,Marmara University
Marmara University (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Marmara Üniversitesi'') is a Public university, public research university in Istanbul, Turkey. The university, named after the Sea of Marmara, was founded as a university in 1982. However, its ...
's Divinity College, under Hadith section, whilst attending Diyanet's Haseki Education Center.
While he was the Central Preacher of
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 was assigned as the Mufti of
Üsküdar
Üsküdar () is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 35 km2, and its population is 524,452 (2022). It is a large and densely populated district on the Anatolian (Asian) shore of the Bosphorus. It is border ...
in 1992. Before the municipal elections in 1999, he left office to run for Üsküdar District Mayor with Democratic Left Party. After the elections he became the Mufti of
Şile
Şile is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 800 km2, and its population is 43,464 (2022). Bordering Şile is the province of Kocaeli Province, Kocaeli (districts of G ...
. Finally, in October 1999, he assumed office as the Mufti of
Beyoğlu
Beyoğlu (; ) is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 9 km2, and its population is 225,920 (2022). It is on the European side of Istanbul, Turkey, separated from the o ...
.
In December 2010, he was elected as a member of the Party Assembly of
Republican People's Party
The Republican People's Party (RPP; , CHP ) is a Kemalism, Kemalist and Social democracy, social democratic political party in Turkey. It is the oldest List of political parties in Turkey, political party in Turkey, founded by Mustafa Kemal ...
(CHP). And in 2011 general elections, Ozkes was elected as CHP Deputy for Istanbul's 1st region. He ran for mayor of Uskudar during the 2014 Municipal Elections. He narrowed a 15% deficit (from 2011 elections) to about 2% and his dispute of the election results is currently at the Constitutional Court.
Ozkes was elected to the party council on September 6, 2014, with the highest number of votes. He is reelected as an MP for Istanbul in 2015 general elections.
Current and recent positions
* CHP Deputy for Istanbul (1st Region)
* Member of CHP Party Assembly
* Member of Turkish PUIC Delegation
Stance on current debates in Turkey
He claimed, asked on the debate on new abortion law proposal which is expected to restrict abortions, that "Islam is more permissive than Christianity" and that the issue is rather political than religious, and that the ruling party is trying to distract attentions from a recent governmental failure that caused killing of 35 villagers in Southeastern Turkey.
Akçakoca
Akçakoca is a town in Düzce Province, in the West Black Sea Region of Turkey, located about 200 km east of Istanbul. It is the seat of Akçakoca District.Üsküdar
Üsküdar () is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 35 km2, and its population is 524,452 (2022). It is a large and densely populated district on the Anatolian (Asian) shore of the Bosphorus. It is border ...
, Istanbul
*
Şile
Şile is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 800 km2, and its population is 43,464 (2022). Bordering Şile is the province of Kocaeli Province, Kocaeli (districts of G ...
, Istanbul
*
Beyoğlu
Beyoğlu (; ) is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 9 km2, and its population is 225,920 (2022). It is on the European side of Istanbul, Turkey, separated from the o ...
, Istanbul
*
Yüreğir
Yüreğir () is a district-municipality of the Adana Province. It is the second most populated district of the province with a population of over 400 thousand, mostly concentrated on the east side of the Seyhan river, within the city of Adana. Man ...
, Adana
Publications (Turkish)
* Riyaz'üs-Salihin Terceme ve Şerhi (Translation of
Riyadh as-Saaliheen
''Riyad as-Salihin'', ''The Meadows of the Righteous'', or ''The Gardens of the Righteous'' (), is a compilation of verses from the Quran, supplemented by Hadith narratives by Al-Nawawi of Damascus. The Hadith is part of the canonical Arabic col ...
with Commentary)
* Peygamberimiz Döneminde Kadınlar (Women at the Time of Our Prophet)
* Oruç, Mübarek Geceler ve Bayramlar (Fasting, Religious Nights and Feasts)
* İnanç Sömürüsü İslam'a ve Uygarlığa Büyük Engeldir (Religious Exploitation is A Great Hindrance for Islam and Civilization)
* Siyasallaştırılan Din, Dinleştirilen Siyaset (Religion Politicized, Politics Religionized)
* Daraltılan Din, Tartılan İman (Religion Narrowed, Faith Weighed)
* Emevi Siyaseti - Dinin Saltanata Dönüşmesi (Umayyad Politics - From Religion to Empire)