Internationalization and the Expansion of Islamic Higher Education in Turkiye: Historical Legacies, Policy Shifts, and Mobility Challenges in Theology Programs
Abstract
This article examines the internationalization and expansion of Islamic higher education and theology programs in Turkey. It argues that Turkey represents an important case because its theology education has been shaped by the transformation from Ottoman medrese traditions to modern university-based faculties, secular republican reforms, political Islam, state regulation, and changing geopolitical aspirations. Using a qualitative literature-based method with a thematic and conceptual-critical approach, this study synthesizes scholarly works on Turkish Islamic higher education, curriculum reform, English-medium instruction, scholarship programs, educational diplomacy, governance, and academic mobility. The findings show that internationalization in Turkish theology programs is not merely a technical process of increasing international students, adopting English-medium instruction, or expanding global partnerships. It is also an institutional and epistemological process involving religious identity, curriculum integrity, linguistic plurality, quality assurance, stakeholder participation, and soft power. The article concludes that Islamic higher education requires a context-sensitive model of internationalization that combines academic excellence, religious and ethical identity, intercultural competence, educational diplomacy, and participatory governance.
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References
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Iskarim, M., Aenurofik, M., & Junaeti, M. (2025). Readiness of Islamic Higher Education Institutions in Indonesia for future quality assurance. Quality Assurance in Education, 33(1), 80–92. https://doi.org/10.1108/QAE-03-2024-0046
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Published
2026-06-01
How to Cite
DEMIR, Kerem Alp; AYDIN, Selim Efe.
Internationalization and the Expansion of Islamic Higher Education in Turkiye: Historical Legacies, Policy Shifts, and Mobility Challenges in Theology Programs.
Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan Islam, [S.l.], v. 14, n. 1, p. 42-68, june 2026.
ISSN 2621-8275.
Available at: <http://riset-iaid.net/index.php/jppi/article/view/2349>. Date accessed: 01 june 2026.
doi: https://doi.org/10.36667/jppi.v14i1.2349.
Section
Articles
