Yaşar Nuri Öztürk

Yaşar Nuri Öztürk (February 5, 1951 – June 22, 2016) was a Turkish Islamic scholar, university professor of Islamic philosophy, lawyer, columnist and a former member of Turkish parliament. He has been described as a Quranist and has given many conferences on Islamic thought, humanity and human rights in Turkey, the US, Europe, the Middle East and the Balkans. In 1999, members of a violent extremist group called Great Eastern Islamic Raiders' Front (İBDA-C) confessed that they had planned an assassination attempt that never took place.

Life He was born in Bayburt on February 5, 1951, but grew up in the village of Fındıcak of Sürmene, Trabzon in Turkey's Black Sea Region. On June 24, he was interred at Kanlıca Cemetery following the religious funeral service held at Şakirin Mosque in Istanbul. during the first fifty pages of his recently published book about Mansur Al-Hallaj and the achievements of their social revolution.

The articles, poetry and interviews that have been published on Öztürk in the Turkish and international press now make up an archive, and an independent effort is in progress to assemble it all into book form.

He also made the first Turkish translation of the Qur'an after Elmalılı Muhammed Hamdi Yazır's Qur'anic exegesis-Hakk Dīni Kur'an Dili originally published in 1935. This translation, which went into 126 printings between 1993 and 2003, is recognized as the most printed book in the history of the Turkish Republic.

In addition to his many books on understanding Islam and the Qur'an he has written sociological/historical books; notably the "Kur'an Penceresinden Kurtuluş Savaşı'na Bir Bakış" (An Investigation of The War of Independence Through a Qur'anic Point of View). In this book he explains the true Islamic/Qur'anic roots of the secular Turkish republic. Thereby, Öztürk establishes that the founders of the Turkish Republic, their revolutions, and even the separation of religion and state were principles decreed by Islam and the Qur'an, and the founders (Kemal Atatürk in particular) were true followers of Islam, and Qur'anic principles. Moreover, he maintains some views on the possibility of reincarnation by the ta'wil of some mutashabih ayah of Qur'an.

Öztürk was among the contributors of the Hareket magazine.