Mustafa Akyol | |
|---|---|
 Akyol in 2013 | |
| Born | (1972-02-20)20 February 1972 (age 53) Turkey |
| Nationality | Turkish |
| Occupation(s) | Writer, journalist |
| Website | mustafaakyol |
Mustafa Akyol (born 20 February 1972) is a Turkish writer, intellectual, and journalist. Notable for his advocacy on reform on blasphemy, apostasy and gender relations in the Muslim world,[1] he has been called “probably the most notable Muslim modernist and reformer”.[2]
Akyol has written regular columns for Turkish dailies likeHürriyet Daily News.[3] He has criticized bothIslamic extremism andTurkish secularism, which he likened toJacobinism[4] andfundamentalism.[5]
Akyol's earlier articles in Turkish newspapers were often friendly to the incumbentJustice and Development Party (AKP).[6][7] In later commentary in a U.S. newspaper, he criticised the party's governance as having "adopted the very authoritarian habits it used to oppose" and thus having "failed as a model of liberal Islamism."[8]
He also spoke atTED, giving a lecture on "Faith versus tradition in Islam".[9]
Akyol is also author of the English-language bookIslam Without Extremes: A Muslim Case For Liberty (W.W. Norton), an argument for religious freedom in the Muslim world.[10]
Since 2018, Akyol has been a senior fellow at theCato Institute, a libertarian think tank.[11] He is also an affiliate scholar at the Acton Institute.[12]
In September 2017, he was detained for 18 hours in Malaysia following a talk on the commonalities between the Abrahamic religions by Malaysia’s Federal Territory Islamic Affairs Department (JAWI), for allegedly teaching religion without getting authorization from the government.[13] His bookIslam Without Extremes was subsequently banned by the Home Ministry for being "not suitable to the societal norms".[14]
Akyol has been described as a "fiercely pro-AKP" voice by fellow Turkish journalists.[6]
Stephen Schwartz criticizes Akyol's lack of full disclosure regarding his own family's Turkish history and involvement in politics inIslam Without Extremes. He also faults Akyol for not carefully laying out the facts surrounding Turkish democracy, and rushing to conclusions about the country's AKP political party that are not fully supported by the evidence.[15][16]
Akyol used to be an outspoken promoter ofintelligent design[17][18] and was identified as a former spokesman for Science Research Foundation (Bilim Araştırma Vakfı), anIslamic creationist group, started byAdnan Oktar.[19] Akyol later noted[20] that he had ended all his "cooperation with [Bilim Araştırma Vakfı]... due to some serious disagreements on issues other than intelligent design." He was also affiliated with theDiscovery Institute.[21] Akyol has testified in theKansas evolution hearings in favor of introducing intelligent design[22] and arranged a government-sponsored intelligent design conference inIstanbul.[23] In 2019, he said he changed his mind, noting that "the theory of evolution is perfectly compatible with the faith."[24]
Even in this newspaper there are several fiercely pro-AKP columnists, including my sparring partner, Mustafa Akyol.
Mustafa Akyol has left no stone unturned in his efforts to convince the readers of the Turkish Daily News of the benefits of the Islamic revival which has taken place since the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government came to power over five years ago.
He also has identified himself as a spokesman for the murky Bilim Arastirma Vakfi, a group with an innocuous-sounding name -- it means "Science Research Foundation" -- but a nasty reputation.
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