Prof. Dr. Mehmet Aydın
Former Turkish Minister of State for Religious Institutions, Turkish Population Residing Abroad & Government's Relations with Central Asian Republics
Biographie
Professor Mehmet Aydin has a scholarly background in theology and holds a Ph.D. in the History of Philosophy from the University of Edinburgh.Professor Mehmet Aydin is one of Turkey's Ministers of State, responsible for overseeing the Directorate of Religious Affairs. He has taught a wide range of subjects, including the philosophy of ethics, politics and religion at Universities in Erzurum, Ankara and Izmir, Turkey, and served as Dean in the Faculty of Theology, at the Dokuz Eylul University in Izmir from 1993 to 1999.
He served in the Turkish Council of Ministers as Minister of State, encompassing religious institutions, the Turkish citizenry in residence abroad, and state relations with Central Asian Republics. As a representative of the Justice and Development Party from Izmir, he was elected to Parliament in the 2002 general elections. Professor Aydin maintains active involvement in European Affairs with particular regard to cultural and religious issues. He was re-elected as Member of Parliament for Izmir in the 2007 general elections and is now Minister of State in charge of Science, Technology and Information. He is also co-chair of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations.
Professor Aydin is the author of numerous articles on philosophical and religious topics, as well as on broader cultural issues and human right policies. The innovative aspect of his work draws upon the role of Turkish and Islamic scholarship in the history of philosophy. In addition to being an active participant in national and international academic institutions, he served as a member of the Higher Advisory Committee for Human Rights.
“The End of Super Powers and a New International Order, “Some Remarks On Cultural Diplomacy in the Muslim World”
A Lecture by Prof. Dr. Mehmet Aydın, Former Minister of State of Turkey; Former Member of ParliamentThe Annual Conference on Cultural Diplomacy 2013
(Berlin; December 17th - 21st, 2013)
