Ibrahim Kalın, Turkish academic, bureaucrat and diplomat, was born on 15 September 1971 in Istanbul into a family from the İspir district of Erzurum. He completed his undergraduate studies at Istanbul University, his master’s at the International Islamic University, and his doctorate at George Washington University. Throughout his academic career, he has focused particularly on Islamic philosophy, intercivilizational relations, and epistemology, delivering lectures at various universities in Türkiye and USA. He was ranked 23rd in 2025 on the list of the world’s 500 most influential Muslims published by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre. Public He has held critical roles in government positions including Chief Advisor to the Prime Minister, Spokesperson of the Presidency, and Director of the National Intelligence Organization like. At the same time, Kalın, who has signed numerous academic publications and translations, has emerged as a prominent figure in Türkiye’s domestic and foreign policy.

Education and Academic Career

Undergraduate Education: He graduated from the Department of History at the Faculty of Letters, Istanbul University, in 1992.

Master’s Education: Seeking deeper engagement with Islamic thought and philosophy, he pursued his master’s at the International Islamic University in Malaysia. There, in 1994, he completed his master’s degree with a thesis titled “Molla The Theory of Substantial Motion in Sadra.”

Doctoral Education: He continued his academic work in the United States, earning his doctorate in human sciences and comparative philosophy at George Washington University. In 2002, he received his doctorate with a thesis titled “Mulla Sadra’s Information Theory and the Possibility of an Anti-Subjectivist Epistemology.”

Academic Appointments:

• Researcher, Center for Islamic Studies (İSAM), Turkish Foundation for Islamic Research: Conducted academic research on Islamic thought.
• Faculty Member, College of the Holy Cross (2002–2005): Served as a faculty member at the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts, USA, teaching courses on Islamic philosophy.
• Faculty Member, Georgetown University: Taught courses on Islamic thought and Islamic-Western relations at Georgetown University.
• Faculty Member, Bilkent University: Taught courses on Islamic thought and Islamic-Western relations at Bilkent University.
• Founding President, Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA) (2005–2009): Founded SETA in 2005 and served as its president until 2009.
• Member of the Board of Trustees, Ahmet Yesevi University (2011): Appointed as a member of the Board of Trustees of Ahmet Yesevi University in 2011.
• Faculty Member, Ibn Haldun University (2019–2023): Taught graduate students in Islamic philosophy at Ibn Haldun University.
• Professorship (2020): Awarded the title of professor on 29 May 2020.

Academic Interests

• Islamic philosophy and thought
• Relations between Western and Islamic civilizations
• History of civilizations and comparative philosophy
• Epistemology and theories of knowledge

Public Offices

• Chief Advisor on Foreign Policy to the Prime Minister (2009–2012): Appointed as Chief Advisor on Foreign Policy to then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
• Coordinator of Public Diplomacy, Prime Ministry (2010–2012): Appointed as the first Coordinator of the newly established Prime Ministry Office of Public Diplomacy in January 2010, overseeing Türkiye’s public diplomacy activities.
• Undersecretary to the Prime Minister (2012–2014): Appointed as Undersecretary responsible for Foreign Relations and Public Diplomacy at the Prime Ministry.
• Deputy Secretary-General and Spokesperson of the Presidency (2014–2023): Appointed in 2014 as Deputy Secretary-General and Spokesperson of the Presidency, serving as the official spokesperson for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during this period.
• Deputy Chairman and Chief Advisor of the Presidential Council on Security and Foreign Policy (2018–2023): Appointed in 2018 as Deputy Chairman and Chief Advisor for Security and Foreign Policy of the Presidential Council on Security and Foreign Policy.
• Director of the National Intelligence Organization (2023–): Appointed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as Director of the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) on 5 June 2023. He continues to hold this position.

Personal Life

Ibrahim Kalın married Neriman Kalın in 1992, and the couple has three daughters. In addition to his academic work, he is also engaged with music, playing the bağlama and what. He is known for his interest in Turkish people music and has participated in various musical projects. His interest in music began in the middle school years, during which he learned to play the guitar and bağlama. Kalın has composed several pieces inspired by Turkish folk music, including the folk songs “Seni Mene Vermez İse” and “Elif Bacı.” Additionally, Ibrahim Kalın speaks English, Arabic, Persian, and French.

Research and Publications

BOOKS

Kalın, İbrahim. İslam ve West. Istanbul: İSAM, 2007.

Nightingale, Power, Bekir Berat Özipek and İbrahim Kalın, eds. Love Turkey’s Perception of the West Between Hate and Understanding. Ankara: SETA, 2008.

Kalın, İbrahim. Knowledge in Later Islamic Philosophy: Mulla Sadra on Existence, Intellect and Intuition. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.

Kalın, İbrahim. Akıl ve Erdem. Istanbul: Sphere Publications, 2013.

M. Ghazi bin Muhammad, İbrahim Kalın and M. Hashim Kamali, eds. War and Peace in Islam: The Uses and Abuses of Jihad. Amman: MABDA, 2013.

Kalın, İbrahim, ed. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Science, and Technology in Islam. New York: Oxford University Press, 2014.

Sadra, Mulla. The Book of Metaphysical Penetrations, A Parallel English-Arabic Text of Kitab al-Masha’ir. Ed. İbrahim Kalın. Utah: Brigham Young University Press, 2014.

Kalın, İbrahim. Existence and Perception: Mulla Sadra’s Concept of Knowledge. Trans. Nurullah Koltaş. Istanbul: Classical Publications, 2015.

Kalın, İbrahim. I, Self, and the Other: An Introduction to the History of Islamic-Western Relations. Istanbul: İnsan Publications, 2016.

Kalın, İbrahim. Barbar, Savage, Civilized: Notes on Civilizations. Istanbul: İnsan Publications, 2018.

Kalın, İbrahim. Veil and Meaning: An Analysis of Reason. Istanbul: İnsan Publications, 2020.

Kalın, İbrahim. Açık Horizon: On the Good, the True and the Beautiful Thinking. Istanbul: İnsan Publications, 2021.

Kalın, İbrahim. Sky Under the Dome. Istanbul: Medium Books, 2022.

Kalın, İbrahim. Öze Yolculuk. Istanbul: İnsan Publications, 2023.

Kalın, İbrahim. İslam, Aydınlanma ve Gelecek. Istanbul: İnsan Publications, 2024.

BOOK CHAPTERS

Kalın, İbrahim. “The Sacred Versus the Secular: Nasr on Science.” Library of Living Philosophers: Seyyed Hossein Nasr. Ed. L. E. Hahn, R. E. Auxier and L. W. Stone. Chicago: Open Court Press, 2001, 445–462.

Kalın, İbrahim. “Three Views of Science in the Islamic World.” God, Life, and the Cosmos: Christian and Islamic Perspectives. Ed. Ted Peters, Muzaffar Iqbal and Syed Nomanul Haq. Oxford: Routledge, 2002, 19–53.

Kalın, İbrahim. “Roots of Misconception: Euro-American Perceptions of Islam Before and After September 11.” Islam, Fundamentalism, and the Betrayal of Tradition. Ed. Joseph E. B. Lumbard. Indiana: World Wisdom, 2009, 143–187.

Kalın, İbrahim. “Islamophobia and the Limits of Multiculturalism.” Islamophobia and the Challenges of Pluralism in the 21st Century. Washington DC: Georgetown University Press, 2011, 50–61.

Kalın, İbrahim. “The Ak Party in Turkey.” The Oxford Handbook of Islam and Politics. Ed. John L. Esposito and Emad El-Din Shahin. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013, 423–439.

ARTICLES

Kalın, İbrahim. “An Annotated Bibliography of the Works of Mullâ Sadrâ with a Brief Account of His Life.” Islamic Studies. 42/1 (2003): 21–62.

Kalın, İbrahim. “Islam and Peace: A Survey of the Sources of Peace in the Islamic Tradition.” Islamic Studies. 44/3 (2005): 327–362.

Kalın, İbrahim. “Debating Turkey in the Middle East: the Dawn of a New Geo-Political Imagination?” Insight Turkey. (2009): 83–96.

Kalın, İbrahim. “Modern Dünyada Geleneksel İslâm’ın İzini Süren Bir Hakim: Seyyid Hüseyin Nasr.” İş Ahlakı Dergisi. 2/3 (2009): 135–142.

Kalın, İbrahim. “US-Turkish Relations under Obama: Promise, Challenge and Opportunity in the 21st Century.” Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies. 12/1 (2010): 93–108.

Kalın, İbrahim. “Soft Power and Public Diplomacy in Turkey.” Perceptions: Journal of International Affairs. 16/3 (2011): 5–23.

Kalın, İbrahim. “Turkish Foreign Policy: Framework, Values, and Mechanisms.” International Journal. 67/1 (2012): 7–21.

Kalın, İbrahim. “After the Coup Attempt, Turkey’s Success Story Continues.” Insight Turkey. 18/3 (2016): 11–17.

Kalın, İbrahim. “Teacher Ahmed Yesevi, Rule and Wisdom.” Bilig. 80 (2017): 1–14.