DIB religious music course and local activities of course graduates: The example of Kahramanmaraş and Şanlıurfa

This study examines the education applied in the religious music courses organized by the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı- DİB) since 2013 and the reflections of this training in the field. The main objective of the research is to investigate the course contents, the approaches and professional competencies of the educators, and the quality and effectiveness of the religious music activities carried out by the graduate religious officials in their places of duty. The sections of the study cover the history of religious music, the purpose and curriculum of DİB courses, their development process, social impacts, the employment status of graduates, and detailed local activities in Kahramanmaraş and Şanlıurfa. The study is largely based on comprehensive personal interviews conducted with educators in Ankara and graduates in various cities. As a result of these interviews, significant findings and problem areas regarding the educational content and practices were identified, and structural problems related to religious music lessons in DİB-affiliated Quran courses were also addressed. In line with the findings, solutions were proposed for the problems in the education, and evaluations were made for the development of more qualified activities. The current study aims to contribute to the literature gap by presenting original and qualified data on religious music education within DİB, along with solution-oriented proposals for the identified issues.