The community, which has been active in Turkey since the first period of the Republic, stood out with its student dormitories and Quran courses. Süleyman Hilmi Tunahan, from whom the group that describes themselves as 'Süleymanliler' or 'Students of Süleyman Efendi' takes its name, was born in 1888 in Silistra, on the banks of the Danube river, today within the borders of Bulgaria. He received madrasa education. He worked as a 'dersiam' (muderris-hodja who has the authority to teach madrasah students or anyone who wants) in Istanbul.
After the proclamation of the Republic, when the madrasahs were closed, he left his job as a teacher. After a while, he started working as a 'preacher'. The first circles of the community were formed in this period. During the single-party period, he expanded his religious group with 'unofficial' Quran courses and religious education groups. He was detained from time to time and underwent investigations. After 1950, with the Democratic Party in power, it carried out its activities in a relatively 'comfortable' environment. Later, during this period, he also underwent an investigation. He passed away in 1959. He was succeeded by his first son-in-law, Kemal Kacar.
COURSES AND DORMITORIES
Apart from student dormitories and Quran courses, which increased in number during the Qajar period, members of the community were also active in trade. Activities also started abroad. They concentrated in Germany, with Cologne as the center. Kacar did not stay away from politics either. He served as a member of parliament from the National Party and the Justice Party. He had no children. When he died in 2000, he was succeeded by his grandson, Ahmet Arif Denizolgun, from Tunahan's other son-in-law. He did not stay away from politics either. He first served as a member of parliament in the Welfare Party and then as a minister in the ANAP government. Denizolgun passed away in 2016. Since he had no children, his elder brother Mehmet Beyazıt Denizolgun was expected to succeed him. However, his sister Gülderen Kuriş's son, Alihan (Ali Erhan) Kuriş, came to the fore. Conflicts within the group, which has a wide network of religious education and business, have continued since then.
PROF. DR. KIRMAN: AN EXPANDING RING OF THE COMMUNITY
Prof. from Çukurova University, who wrote his doctoral thesis on this subject. Dr. Mehmet Ali Kirman's evaluation is as follows: "Tunahan received high-level madrasa education during the Ottoman period. He has objections and criticisms to some secularism practices in the field of education after the Republic. He has been a preacher in the large mosques of Istanbul since the 1930s. He has an expanding community circle. It is a structure that expands through courses and dormitories. It is a group that adheres to the Sunnah, that is, the main body of Islam, in terms of belief and worship. He is also sensitive and sensitive about this issue." "They are uncompromising. Therefore, they are at odds with marginal groups such as Salafism and Wahhabism. Although they generally do not have problems with the state, they also have criticisms about the secular education system."
