Ali Ünal, a prominent Turkish Islamic scholar, Qur’an translator and longtime columnist for the now-closed Zaman newspaper, was honored this week at the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit in Washington, D.C., as one of several prisoners of conscience cited for their continued imprisonment over their faith and peaceful expression.
According to Abdülhamid Bilici’s report published on Turkish Minute, the event took place at the Washington Hilton Hotel on February 2-3, bringing together international religious freedom leaders, advocates from around the world and a diverse coalition of civil society actors that passionately support religious freedom worldwide.
Following a failed coup in Turkey in July 2016, the Turkish government launched a sweeping crackdown on the faith-based Gülen movement and other critics.
Ünal was taken into custody on August 14, 2016, and was sentenced in November 2018 to 19-and-a-half years in prison on charges of “establishing and leading an armed terrorist organization” due to his links to the Gülen movement.
He is currently held in İzmir Prison in western Turkey.
Ünal was recognized at the summit during a special session organized by the Prisoners of Conscience Working Group under the International Religious Freedom Roundtable. The panel drew attention to individuals around the world jailed for practicing their faith or expressing their beliefs peacefully.
Speaking at the session, Ismail Royer, director of the Islam and Religious Freedom Action Team at the Religious Freedom Institute (RFI), devoted the panel discussion to Ünal, describing him as a prisoner of conscience.
“For decades, Ali Ünal contributed to Turkey’s religious life through dialogue between faiths and cooperation based on shared values,” Royer said. “His imprisonment is unjust and motivated not only by politics but also by religion.”
Ünal is widely known for his English translation of the Muslim holy book, the Qur’an, titled “Qur’an: With Annotated Interpretation in Modern English,” as well as numerous books and essays promoting interfaith dialogue, education and peaceful civic engagement.
For years he wrote extensively on Islamic thought and contemporary issues, becoming one of Turkey’s most respected religious intellectuals.
Human rights organizations and international observers have condemned Ünal’s conviction as politically motivated, arguing that journalism, scholarship and peaceful religious activity should not be criminalized. His case has been cited as an example of Turkey’s broader erosion of freedom of religion and expression.
The Gülen movement, which Ünal was convicted of having links to, is a faith-based group that Ankara has targeted in an unprecedented crackdown over the past decade.
The movement, inspired by the views of the late Turkish cleric Fethullah Gülen, is renowned worldwide for its contributions to education, social welfare and interfaith dialogue.
The Turkish government, however, labeled the group as a “terrorist organization” in May 2016, a designation not recognized by the United States, the European Union or major international bodies.
The government accuses the group of orchestrating a failed coup the same year, a claim the movement strongly denies.
Despite nearly a decade behind bars, supporters say Ünal’s writings continue to inspire readers worldwide.
“Ali Ünal’s case reminds us that religious scholarship and peaceful belief should never be treated as crimes,” Royer said.
“I met him as an excited new Muslim in 1994, and he advised me to stay away from certain Muslim [extremist] groups. I didn’t listen and joined some radical groups, which led my imprisonment. Later I understood his views and advice. It’s a pity that a scholar who directed me to stay away from extreme groups is now accused with bogus terror charges. We stand with him and all prisoners of conscience who suffer simply for their faith,” he added.
Since converting to Islam in 1992, Royer has studied religious sciences with traditional Islamic scholars and spent over a decade working at non-profit Islamic organizations. In June 2003 he was indicted for assisting the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LET) and pleaded guilty to weapons charges related to the violation of United States neutrality laws. Since his release he has worked with nonprofits to promote peace between faiths. His writing has appeared in prominent publications.
The Washington event also honored five other religious prisoners of conscience from Nigeria, Pakistan, China and elsewhere, including Leah Sharibu, a Nigerian Christian woman who was abducted by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram in 2018 for refusing to renounce her faith, and Shehzad Masih, a Pakistani Christian who was sentenced to death in 2022 under blasphemy charges.
Organizers also urged lawmakers in the US Congress and advocates to continue raising the names of prisoners like Ünal publicly, noting that international pressure can help improve prison conditions and secure releases.
The evidence presented by prosecutors was 17 of Ünal’s articles published in the Zaman daily, his appearances on a program aired on Samanyolu TV, an interview he gave to Bugün TV in front of the İstanbul courthouse and two books he had written. Zaman, Samanyolu TV and Bugün TV were all shut down following the coup attempt due to their alleged affiliation with the Gülen movement.
The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) concluded in June 2023 that the arrest and detention of Ünal were arbitrary. WGAD urged the Turkish government to ensure a full and independent investigation of the circumstances surrounding the detention and to take appropriate measures against those responsible for the violation of his rights.
