How religion is lived, argued and imagined in contemporary Europe
Dr. Ömer F. Gürlesin is a sociologist of religion. His research looks at how religious meaning, moral orientation and authority take shape in everyday life and public debate, with a focus on Islam in Europe, the Sufi tradition and, more recently, religious language in climate discourse. He is a fellow researcher at the Center for Religion in the Public Sphere (CRiPS), Tilburg University.
Background: first-generation Turkish workers at tarāwı̄ḥ prayer in a Protestant church in Karlsruhe, Germany, 16 November 1971. Image shared by DiasporaTürk (@diaspora_turk).
Four areas of research
Lived religion and Islam in Europe
Popular and everyday religiosity among Muslims in the Netherlands, from Friday sermons and the changing role of imams to religious identity among young people.
Sufi thought and Islamic art
Classical Sufi texts, alongside the arts they shaped: calligraphy, manuscripts and music.
Religion and climate
Religious and apocalyptic language in Dutch climate debates, studied with computational text analysis. NWO-funded project at Tilburg University, 2023–2026.
religionclimate.org →Religion, cohesion and public policy
Research with direct policy relevance: prevention of radicalisation, transnational religious governance through mosque sermons, citizenship and religious education, and polarisation in public debate.
Since the 1980s, Turkey has used Friday sermons to convey the state’s and religious authorities’ interpretations of Islam to a wide public.
Since 2002, sermons on religious and ethnic minorities by Diyanet and its Dutch branch passed through three stages: plurality, superiority, and polarisation and suppression.
The ethos and institutional culture of Turkey’s Presidency of Religious Affairs changed markedly within fifteen years.
In recent years, Friday sermons were intensively modified to safeguard Sunni Islam and to monopolise the Turkish interpretation of Islam.
Growing nationalist and authoritarian tendencies in Turkey turn Diyanet’s informal religious education into a vehicle for ultra-nationalist ideas.
Recent articles and chapters
Tussen geloof en groene taal: Klimaatorganisaties op Twitter/X in Nederland (2023)
Islamic history and philosophy, explained for a wider audience
Tahqiq Studio is a YouTube channel with videos on Islamic intellectual history, Sufi thought and religion in today’s world.
Conferences co-organized
Cosmos: Goddelijk Canvas? Kunst, religie en klimaatverandering
Geloven in tijden van stijgende zeeën
New events and talks will be announced here.