The Role of Turkiye in the Modern Islamic World: Perception vs. Reality

Halil Demir

Born in a remote village in Southeastern Turkey, Halil understood poverty at a young age. Raised by unschooled parents, he thirsted for knowledge and pieced together the scraps of literacy his parents could offer him, teaching himself to read at a young age. Halil began his activist career as a student before leaving Turkey to pursue his education in Switzerland. There, he obtained a bachelor’s degree in sociology before continuing on to the United States, where he obtained advanced degrees in history and nonprofit management.

He founded Zakat Foundation of America in 2001 with a group of Muslims driven to improve the lives of the poor worldwide. Since then, he has overseen the establishment of schools, orphanages, vocational training programs, and health clinics around the world; the construction of water wells, mosques and community centers in Africa, USA, and the Navajo reservation; the delivery of millions of dollars in emergency humanitarian aid to survivors of wars, natural disasters and other catastrophes.