Religious Pluralism in Turkey's Attempt to Become a Secular State

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Religious Pluralism in Turkey's Attempt to Become a Secular State

Religious Pluralism in Turkey: an Overview

In 1923, a modern nation-state was forged by the reforms of Mustafa Kemal in the form of the Turkish republic. The Kemalist state sought to remove religion from the public realm by totally separating religion and politics. It was expected that the modernization process would lead to a decline in religious fervor. However, the process has actually moved Muslims into a more public sphere. Today, fundamentalists and secularists are at odds regarding the future of the Turkish state. A fundamental question has evolved out of this struggle: is it possible to impose a secular state in the midst of strong religious pluralism? This is simply a tangent of the age old question is it possible to maintain a rigid separation of religion and politics? Some believe that Turkey has set a model for the Middle Eastern world that should be followed, while others believe that the state needs to address the growing dichotomy that has arisen.1

Islamists v. Secularists

Islamists view Islam as a revitalized politico-religious vision and seek to advance its values, ideal, and institutions.2 While some promote a more moderate view, many Islamic Militants use their ideology to encourage political violence. On the other hand, secularists put a great deal of emphasis on the separation of religion and politics. Secular conservatives defend the status-quo, while secular reformists challenge the status-quo through legal means.3 Despite their differences, all secularists in Turkey are becoming increasingly sensitive and aware of the problems of maintaining and developing a secular state within the framework of a Muslim region.

The logic of the secularist sensitivity stems from Kemalist ideology. It is extremely important to take into account the history of secularism. That history is well summarized by Hakan M. Yavuz, in his recent article ?The case of Turkey (on secularism & religion)?:

?The history of the contestation between religion and secularism is the story of the struggle between a state-imposed modernization run by a circumscribed Kemalist political elite and a popular resistance that has often assumed a religious cast.? The Kemalists outlawed Islamic identity claims, as well as Kurdish ethnic claims.? Instead of being viewed as a strength, the Ottoman-Islamic tradition of pluralism, tolerance, and cultural diversity was viewed as a debilitating weakness.

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