The Directorate General of Foundations ( tr, Vakıflar Genel Müdürlüğü), founded 2 May 1920, is a Turkish governmental institution that manages and audits

waqfs A waqf ( ar, وَقْف; ), also known as hubous () or '' mortmain'' property is an inalienable charitable endowment under Islamic law. It typically involves donating a building, plot of land or other assets for Muslim religious or charitab ...

() (an

inalienable ''InAlienable'' is a 2007 science fiction film with horror and comic elements, written and executive produced by Walter Koenig, and directed by Robert Dyke. It was the first collaboration of Koenig and Dyke since their 1989 production of ''Moon ...

charitable endowments under

Islamic law Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the ...

) dating back to the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

and that still exist today.

History

The establishment of the Vakıflar was part of Atatürk's Reforms. It was established under the authority of Prime Minister of Turkey,

İsmet İnönü Mustafa İsmet İnönü (; 24 September 1884 – 25 December 1973) was a Turkish army officer and statesman of Kurdish descent, who served as the second President of Turkey from 11 November 1938 to 22 May 1950, and its Prime Minister three tim ...

on 3 March 1924, alongside the Directorate of Religious Affairs ( tr, Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı, links=no). These two departments replaced the

Ottoman era The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

ministry with the responsibility of governing Islamic affairs, the Ministry of Sharia and the Foundations ( tr, Şerriye ve Evkaf Vekaleti, label=none). This ministry had survived the

Turkish War of Independence The Turkish War of Independence "War of Liberation", also known figuratively as ''İstiklâl Harbi'' "Independence War" or ''Millî Mücadele'' "National Struggle" (19 May 1919 – 24 July 1923) was a series of military campaigns waged by th ...

into the Republican era and the

1st government of Turkey The 1st government of Turkey (30 October 1923 – 6 March 1924) was the first government formed in the Republic of Turkey. In reality, there were other governments between 23 April 1920 and 29 October 1923, but the republic was proclaimed on 29 O ...

. Aside from its stated responsibilities, a secondary aim was to enable the confiscation by the state of properties belonging to traditionally non-Muslim minorities (such as

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

Greeks The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...

, and

Armenians Armenians ( hy, հայեր, ''hayer'' ) are an ethnic group native to the Armenian highlands of Western Asia. Armenians constitute the main population of Armenia and the ''de facto'' independent Artsakh. There is a wide-ranging diaspora ...

) by transferring such properties into foundations so that they could be placed under the administration of the Vakıflar. Initially, this allowed the state to control and harass members of religious minorities; however, starting in the 1950s and 1960s, the VGM would frequently seize and dispose of real-estate assets belonging to religious minorities on the basis of dubious court decisions. A notable example of this was the confiscation of the Tuzla Armenian Children's Camp in 1984.

Responsibilities

The directorate manages the estates and restorations of around 18,500 historical buildings and 67,000 estates. The directorate employs about 38,000 people. It also handles charity organisations, such as food or monetary support, based on the charters of the managed foundations. Currently, actions of 4,500 foundations are audited by the directorate. As of March 2017 the Directorate General of Foundations has a 58.5% share stake in

VakıfBank VakıfBank is the second largest bank in Turkey in terms of asset size, established with an initial capital of TL 50 million on January 11, 1954 and later started operating on April 13, 1954. Abdi Serdar Üstünsalih has been selected as the CEO ...

In May 2017, reports emerged that the Turkish government was considering a draft law to transfer that 58.5 percent stake, worth around $2.5 billion, to Vakıf Katılım Bankası because it is sharia-compliant.Turkey considering draft law to transfer $2.5 bln VakifBank stake -Islamic lender chairma

/ref>

References

Turkish governmental institutions Foundations based in Turkey {{Turkey-org-stub