Sermons as a tool for the construction of a new citizenship in the Early Republican period

The subject of sermons was also criticised in the Ottoman period in terms of its language. The Republic's reforms on religious language reforms, of course, led to an arrangement in the sermons, which had been subjected to frequent criticism in the past. In terms of form, content and language, it was decided to write a sermon book with a parliamentary decision, and then the second sermon book, which had more sermons and addressed wider topics, was published by the Directorate of Religious Affairs in 1936. This two-volume book of sermons, titled "Yeni Hutbelerim" (My New Sermons), contains content that tries to bring the society emerging from the war to the level of contemporary civilisations. With the ideal of progress in every sense, the sermons became a textbook on military, scientific, political, social, sanitary and moral issues, so to speak, for the illiterate public. In the sermons based on the interest of the Republic, this interest was treated under the name of its similarity with religion, and a subject that appealed to the interest was explained as a good deed. We can say that this was not done for every subject and that the subjects were supported by hadiths, verses or traditions. The educated part of the society was given citizenship education in schools and the uneducated part of the society was given citizenship education in mosques; in addition, sermons realised their national and religious duties.