The 18th President of Religious Affairs, Prof. Dr. Ali Erbaş, who had held the presidency since 2017, formally handed over his office to Prof. Dr. Safi Arpaguş in a ceremony held at the Presidency of Religious Affairs Campus in Ankara.

Prof. Dr. Safi Arpaguş, a faculty member in the Department of Sufism at Marmara University Faculty of Theology, had been serving as the Mufti of Istanbul since 2021. On 17 September 2025, he was appointed as the 19th President of Religious Affairs. In addition, Prof. Arpaguş will also assume the position of Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Turkish Diyanet Foundation, one of the most prominent civil society organizations in Turkey, recognized both nationally and internationally for its charitable and scholarly contributions.

We extend our sincere gratitude to Prof. Dr. Ali Erbaş for his valuable service within the Presidency of Religious Affairs and the Turkish Diyanet Foundation, and we wish Prof. Dr. Safi Arpaguş every success in his new responsibilities.