Turkey to train 467 Syrian imams

By Aynur Ekiz

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate, also known as the Diyanet, will train 467 Syrian imams in northern Syria, the state body said Thursday.

The efforts are directed to provide appropriate religious services to Syrian residents in various cities, including Al-Bab, Jarabulus, Azaz, Mare and Al-Rai, where terrorists were eliminated following the Turkish-led Operation Euphrates Shield.

The directorate chose the imams after various interviews, and sent many of them to Turkey for training.

So far 61 imams have completed their training in Turkey, including 40 in central Kayseri and 21 in southeastern Gaziantep.

A training center for imams has been established in Gaziantep where assistant muftis give lessons.

The directorate has also assigned 50 Quran teachers for refugee camps in Syria.

It surveyed the area rid of terrorists and repaired 60 mosques before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, including one in Al-Bab which opened for service for 1,500 worshipers. Repair work for 42 mosques in the region is underway.

Syria has been locked in a devastating civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests -- which erupted as part of the Arab Spring uprisings -- with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people are believed to have been killed and millions more displaced by the conflict.

Operation Euphrates Shield, which began last August and ended this March, was aimed at eliminating terrorist threats along the border. It was led by the Free Syrian Army and backed by Turkish artillery and air cover.