The Turkish religious authority, Diyanet, conducted a five-year investigation in Vienna concerning the misuse of certain donations. The organisation uncovered a scandalous issue: donations collected on various occasions were allegedly not used for their intended purposes.

At the centre of the case is the Austrian-Turkish Islamic Union (ATIB), Austria’s largest mosque organisation, which, alongside the Islamic Federation (AIF), operates 63 mosques and is a dominant force within the Islamic Religious Community (IGGO).

Escort Scandal

The Turkish channel Veryansin TV called it an „escort scandal”. The most shocking allegation concerns donations collected on Fridays and Islamic holidays, which were used to pay „escort ladies”—in other words, prostitutes. At least four escorts were reportedly hired using this money.

The accusations concern employees working abroad, including imams, who were responsible for Austrian Diyanet foundations and the ATIB.

According to the Turkish news site Sozcu, Diyanet has already dismissed the two individuals involved for „indiscipline and incompetence”. The embezzled funds originated from pilgrimages (hajj), sacrificial animals (kurban), book sales, and funeral funds. The illicit expenses were disguised in falsified accounting records as costs for residence permits and rent payments, among others.

Sozcu also reported that the suspects attempted to bribe the investigators in Vienna: Diyanet auditors were allegedly invited to luxury events to influence the outcome of the investigation.

ATIB’s Vienna headquarters has remained silent on the matter. No response has been given to written or telephone inquiries from the Austrian outlet Exxpress. According to Turkish media, Austrian authorities have already been informed of the scandal. Vienna officials are also investigating ATIB’s financing from abroad. The office responsible for religious affairs at the competent ministry stated that it would request a statement from the association in response to the articles published in Turkish media.

Bağış Paraları Eskortlara gitti!

„Avusturya Türk İslam Birliği’nde 100 binlerce TL’nin “eskort hizmetleri” için kullanıldığı iddia edildi.

Diyanet, 5 üst düzey yetkiliyle kurumun ilişiğini kesti.

(Birgün – Mustafa Bildircin) pic.twitter.com/QR3SA4fxX4

— 57. ALAY 🇹🇷 (@SonKaleVatn) August 1, 2025

Non-Transparent Donation Collection

The case raises concerns about donation collection practices among Austrian Islamic organisations. ATIB is not the only one collecting donations on numerous occasions. There is also an Islamic equivalent to the Catholic Caritas: the Hasene organisation, which is part of the Islamic Federation (Milli Gorus). It operates worldwide and regularly collects donations within the Turkish community, including for Gaza.

However, unlike Caritas, Hasene does not ensure transparency. Although aid deliveries to those in need are frequently posted on social media, Hasene Austria does not publish reports about the exact donations or how the funds are used—despite the fact that donations made to this organisation are exempt from tax, the Austrian Exxpress noted.