Turkey’s Diyanet Partners With IUMS for Forum Featuring Hamas Officials
Turkey’s Diyanet, which has an extensive U.S. network, partnered with the Muslim Brotherhood-linked International Union of Muslim Scholars for a Palestine forum featuring Hamas officials
Jewish Onliner is an independent publication. If you find our work valuable, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. You can also subscribe to us on WhatsApp and Telegram. Follow us on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Discord, and X.
Turkey’s state-run Presidency of Religious Affairs, known as Diyanet, has partnered with the Muslim Brotherhood-linked International Union of Muslim Scholars and Ibn Haldun University for a five-day, Palestinian-focused forum in Istanbul aimed at training young influencers to shape public opinion across the Islamic world and the West.
Promotional material for the Aug. 14–18, 2026, “Hope Forum” advertised U.S.-sanctioned Hamas official Basem Naim as a “Palestinian politician” and listed former Hamas leader Abd al-Nasser Issa among its guests. IUMS subsequently promoted remarks by Hamas political bureau member Suhail al-Hindi while identifying him only by his former position with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
The IUMS partnership comes shortly after the organization was examined during an Aug. 5 Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing chaired by Sen. Ted Cruz on the Muslim Brotherhood network in America. In written testimony, retired FBI agent Lara Burns documented IUMS links to Hamas leadership, noting that former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh attended an IUMS conference in Qatar in 2024.
The partnership connects Hamas political figures and a Muslim Brotherhood-linked organization with the religious authority of Turkey, a NATO member. Diyanet operates directly under Turkey’s presidency, administers more than 90,000 mosques and maintains an established network of mosques, officials and outreach programs inside the United States.
Forum Targets Western Public Opinion on Palestinians
The official event page describes the gathering as bringing together scholars, young preachers, intellectuals and opinion-makers from different Muslim countries.
Palestinians are one of its central subjects. The published objectives include moving religious discourse on Palestinians “from slogans to building awareness,” developing messaging for the Islamic world and teaching participants how to address Western public opinion “in a language it understands.”
Applicants were required to be between 25 and 45 and active in religious, intellectual or community institutions. Preference was given to postgraduate students and degree holders. Participants were also expected to carry the forum’s conclusions back to the organizations and communities in which they operate..
U.S.-Sanctioned Hamas Official Advertised as “Palestinian Politician”
A guest roster published through IUMS’s Instagram account featured Basem Naim, with the description “Palestinian politician.” The U.S. Treasury Department designated Naim in November 2024, identifying him as a senior Hamas member and a leader of the organization’s Council on International Relations. Treasury said Naim had participated in Hamas engagements with Russia and joined Hamas delegations to other countries.
Naim was designated under U.S. counterterrorism authority for acting for or on behalf of Hamas. His property and interests in property under U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and transactions involving him are generally prohibited for U.S. persons unless authorized.
The same promotional image featured Abd al-Nasser Issa and explicitly described him as a former Hamas leader. Issa spent decades in an Israeli prison and was previously identified as a senior figure in Hamas’s prisoner leadership.
IUMS Omits Suhail al-Hindi’s Hamas Leadership Position
IUMS separately promoted remarks delivered by Hamas member Suhail al-Hindi. The accompanying promotional material identified al-Hindi as the former head of the Arab Employees Union at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, or UNRWA. It omitted his current Hamas position.
Al-Hindi is a member of Hamas’s political bureau. In 2024, UNRWA acknowledged that it dismissed al-Hindi in 2017 after verifying that he had been elected to political office with Hamas. He had previously headed UNRWA’s local staff union in Gaza and served as a school principal.
Diyanet Operates Under Erdoğan’s Presidency
Diyanet is not an independent Turkish religious charity. The U.S. State Department states that it operates under Turkey’s presidency and that its head is appointed by the Turkish president. Current Diyanet leader Safi Arpaguş assumed office in September 2025 following a presidential decree.
Diyanet administers more than 90,000 mosques across Turkey, trains and employs the country’s imams and coordinates the religious message delivered through its national network. Since 2016, its central administration has prepared a weekly Friday sermon for nationwide delivery, according to research published in Diyanet’s own academic journal. The journal estimates that these centrally prepared sermons reach approximately 20 million listeners each week.
Its partnership with IUMS therefore represents the participation of an Erdoğan-controlled state institution capable of delivering an aligned weekly message through more than 90,000 Turkish mosques.
Diyanet-Linked Foundation Reports Activity in 149 Countries, Including a 36-Site U.S. Network
Diyanet’s reach extends far beyond Turkey. The affiliated Türkiye Diyanet Foundation, established to support Diyanet’s activities, has reported conducting religious, educational, cultural and charitable work in at least 145 countries.
In the United States, its Turkish-American Religious Foundation currently lists 11 direct branches and 25 affiliated local mosque associations. Its flagship Maryland campus, which TARF describes as a center of “religious diplomacy,” reported approximately $78.6 million in assets in 2024.
Turkish officials are embedded in Diyanet’s American programming. The scientific committee for its 2026 Graduate Student Symposium included Turkey’s religious-services counselor in Washington and Turkish religious attachés stationed in Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and New York. It also included Ahmet Selim Tekelioğlu, executive director of CAIR-Philadelphia, and Kadir Ustun, executive director of the SETA Foundation’s Washington office.
American government funding has also flowed to the Maryland complex. In 2023, the Turkish American Community Center received two federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program awards totaling $295,025. The grants were designated for security improvements rather than general religious programming.
Diyanet’s American operations additionally include student outreach and a fully funded master’s program in Istanbul for U.S. citizens and permanent residents, covering tuition, airfare and accommodation assistance.
IUMS Was Founded by the Muslim Brotherhood’s Spiritual Guide
IUMS was founded in 2004 by Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the Qatar-based cleric described by Reuters as a spiritual guide to the Muslim Brotherhood. Qaradawi led IUMS for approximately 14 years.
Reuters previously reported that the union was formed predominantly by scholars belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood. IUMS presents itself as an independent international organization representing Muslim scholars from different schools and orientations.
In 2017, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain jointly placed IUMS on their terrorism lists. Turkey rejected that decision, calling the designation a “grave mistake”. IUMS is not currently designated as a terrorist organization by the United States.
Diyanet’s involvement gives the forum a direct connection to the Turkish state. Its substantial American infrastructure demonstrates that the event’s government partner already maintains established channels for reaching mosques, students, academics and Muslim organizations inside the United States.