“I WONDER ABOUT GOD I KNOW MY PROPHETS” WORKSHOP

Let Us Not Suffocate Youth by Narrowing the Sphere of HalalAt the “Talking About Islam with Youth – 2” workshop organized by the Bülbülzade Foundation, the “algocracy” order brought about by the digital age, young people’s identity quests, and the sphere of freedom in religion were discussed. Prof. Dr. Muhammet Enes Kala emphasized that young people’s questioning should be read not as a threat, but as a search for truth.The second of our “Talking About Islam with Youth” workshop series, organized under the leadership of the Education and Teachers Unit of the Bülbülzade Vakfı to understand the world of faith of young people, produce solutions to their problems, and develop an authentic language of communication with them, was held on Saturday, February 14, 2026, at Zade Life Hotel Zeugma Hall. Organized under the main theme “Religious Searches of Youth: Identity, Faith and Society,” the program was completed with a Qur’an recitation, a poetry performance, student presentations, and an illuminating conference by Prof. Dr. Muhammet Enes Kala.YOUTH ASKED, YOUTH SPOKEThe program began in a spiritual atmosphere with a Qur’an recitation and the recitation of the poem Amentü by Muhammet Ensar Cünedioğlu. Following the opening speech delivered on behalf of our foundation by Ayşegül Ağcalar Günaslan, we gave the floor directly to the youth. In the session moderated by our Foundation Director Zeynel Kaplan, our young brothers and sisters addressed matters of faith from their own perspectives. Ahmet Ali Bozar presented on “What Did Religion Tell Us, What Did We Understand?”, İkbal Osanmaz on “Religious Dilemmas Faced by Youth,” Betül Kübra Aydağ on “Freedom and Responsibility in Faith,” and Ali Sait Özmantar on “Youth and Religion in the Postmodern Age: Opportunity or Obstacle?” The insights of the young speakers were followed with great interest by educators and participants in the hall.DO NOT REDUCE RELIGION TO A LIST OF PROHIBITIONSReferring to the youth presentations in his speech, Prof. Dr. Muhammet Enes Kala made striking remarks regarding today’s religious education and language of communication. Stating that one of the fundamental mistakes made while conveying religion is “narrowing the sphere,” Kala said: “We must not narrow the sphere of permissibility (ibaha). Without showing young people the breadth of the halal sphere, we should not directly present the sphere of the haram and suffocate them.”NOT ABRAHAM, BUT THE MODEL OF PROPHET IBRAHIMDrawing attention to the misreading of young people’s questioning processes through the figure of “Abraham” in Western theology and “Prophet Ibrahim” in the Qur’an, Prof. Dr. Kala shared the following important observation: “The Abraham model in Western theology represents blind faith, ‘fideism.’ However, the Prophet Ibrahim described in the Qur’an is a young man who questions, who rejects what is merely imitated, and who seeks verified truth. This search, inquiry, and even opposition that exist in the nature of our youth are in fact innate qualities. We should see their questions not as threats but as efforts to reach the truth.”FROM DEMOCRACY TO ECHO CHAMBERSAddressing the impact of digitalization on faith, Kala stated that today “Democracy” has been replaced by an “Algocracy” regime governed by algorithms. Noting that social media algorithms imprison individuals in “echo chambers,” Kala said: “These echo chambers, where everyone only hears those who think like themselves, prevent us from seeing the whole truth. Our youth are within a digital ‘oasis’; our duty is to transform this oasis into a meaningful space for them.”WHAT IS DISTANCING YOUTH FROM ISLAM?Touching upon the recent rise in discussions on deism and atheism, Prof. Dr. Kala emphasized that this situation should be read not merely as a “deviation” but as a “search for answers.” Kala concluded his remarks by saying: “What did a young person fail to find while being a Muslim that led them into another search? What deficiency in religious representation, justice, or sincerity pushed them to this point? Before judging the youth, we must ask these questions to ourselves.”The program concluded with an open microphone session in which participants’ questions were answered. As the Bülbülzade Foundation, we will continue to listen to the voices of youth and think together with them.

The “Concept Workshop” was held on November 22, 2025, by the Bülbülzade Foundation Education Teachers Unit. The workshop, organized at Zade Life Hotel, was moderated by Ebuzer Nas. The event included various presentations aimed at enhancing conceptual clarity and reassessing intellectual frameworks.The workshop began with an opening speech by Turgay Aldemir, President of the Bülbülzade Foundation. Reflecting on concepts, Aldemir emphasized that the human mind thinks through concepts, yet a sound mind does not reduce truth solely to concepts, stating, “Truth is greater than the concepts and meanings that describe it.”The first session of the workshop continued with a presentation titled “Rethinking Our Concept Sets” by Ali Özcan, President of the Refar Institute. Özcan addressed the background of concepts and the need to reassess established sets of thought.Ebuzer Nas, the coordinator of the Concept Workshop, detailed the intellectual framework of the event in his presentation titled “Purpose and Goals of the Workshop.” Following the presentation, an “open discussion” consisting of two questions was conducted by Cumali Kaplan, head of the Secondary Education Commission, to evaluate the workshop’s fields of study.The workshop continued with Ahmet Taşkesen’s presentation “Evaluation of Existing Contexts.” After the presentation, focus groups were formed and group discussions were held.The third presentation of the workshop was delivered by Şehadet Gerçek, titled “Identifying New Conceptual Contexts.” Highlighting the importance of concept sets, Gerçek stated, “The time has come for us to produce our own concepts and contexts with a strong, confident, and self-assured psychology.” After the presentation, participants engaged in a brainstorming session on concept analysis, paving the way for new ideas to emerge.Following the analyses, the workshop continued with the sessions “Concepts and Contexts to Be Avoided” and “Risk Analysis,” in which the potential impacts of the conceptual preferences were discussed. Finally, after the session titled “Concepts/Contexts to Be Prioritized and Abandoned,” the workshop concluded with the sharing of views on the subject of concepts and a closing speech.

2nd Children's Workshop: Little Hearts, Big Questions – How Can We Explain Abstract Concepts to Children?Organized by the Bülbülzade Foundation Teacher Education Unit, the 2nd Children’s Workshop was held under the title “Little Hearts, Big Questions: How Can We Explain Abstract Concepts to Children?”. Educator-Author Şule Kala and Clinical Psychologist Merve Doğanlar gave presentations at the workshop.The opening speech was delivered by Hatice Neşe Çandır, a member of the Education and Teacher Unit. Emphasizing the aim of the second children’s workshop, Çandır stated: “How should we as adults respond to children's abstract questions and what kind of attitude should we adopt? We will seek answers to these questions.” After the opening speech, the results of a survey conducted within the scope of the workshop were shared. In the survey, which evaluated the answers given by families to the questions children ask, the following points were made: “Children learn concepts such as good and evil by concretizing them; they evaluate their behavior through these images. Some participants, however, believe that misusing these images may lead to fear or pressure.” The Education Unit has carried out many educational activities for children, youth, and adults. It was also announced that two upcoming workshops will be held: the “Concept Workshop” and “Discussing Islam with Youth Workshop”.The first presentation of the workshop was delivered by Educator-Author Şule Kala. She addressed how to respond to children's religious questions and provided participants with strategies for age-appropriate answers. Emphasizing the importance of nurturing children’s spiritual world, Kala said: “The answers given to children become seeds of faith. For these seeds to sprout, they need the soil of curiosity, the water of love, and the light of patience. Faith saplings can only flourish through a healthy religious education. It is important to highlight these values in conclusion.”The second presentation was delivered by Clinical Psychologist Merve Doğanlar. She explained how the concept of faith is formed and how children make sense of it. She particularly focused on the questions that children ask their parents. Doğanlar also discussed the brain-based perception of reality, sharing detailed information about the neuropsychological development of children aged 4 to 12.Following the presentations, workshop activities were conducted with the participants. The workshops were organized under four categories: Death–Afterlife, Heaven–Hell, Angels–Devil, and Good–Evil, based on questions children often ask their families. The aim was to seek answers to the questions: “What do children ask most, and how can we respond to them?”. The program concluded with the evaluation of the workshop results.Click here for the survey results of the 2nd Children's Workshop.