Instrumentalization of Religious Conspiracy Theories in Politics of Victimhood: Narrative of Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Affairs

While victimhood has been studied from very different perspectives, the question how secular nation states have instrumentalised religion for politics of not studied. This paper addresses this gap in literature on by analysing empirical case Turkey. As is well known, constitutionally Turkish state, first under rule Kemalists and now Erdoganists, using Directorate Religious Affairs (Diyanet) to propagate state ideology faithful. shows that recently Islam construct disseminate a religious narrative, mainly based conspiracy theories via Diyanet’s Friday sermons. To do this, article investigates texts, such as sermons produced Diyanet are read verbatim, every mosque Turkey during prayers attended more than half adult male population. The contributes showing religion, i.e., Islam, construction an Islamist populist civilisationist narrative. Further studies needed see if what extent narrative impactful mosque-goers country.