Turkey’s changes echo Islamic resurgence
By Zan Tao
Source: Global Times
Published: 2016-5-5 23:38:01
Illustration: Liu Rui/GT
Addressing an Islamic academics' meeting in Istanbul on April 25, Turkish Parliament Speaker Ismail Kahraman said Turkey, as a Muslim country, needs "a religious constitution," in which "a description of secularism" should be wiped out. Kahraman's remark ignited a public outcry, and the opposition has demanded his resignation. In international discourse, concerns about whether Turkey is being Islamized are growing.
For decades, there have been numerous discussions about whether secularism is retreating in Turkey. From the Democrat Party leader Adnan Menderes in 1950s to the die-hard Islamic fundamentalist Necmettin Erbakan in 1990s, Turkish politicians have never stopped trying to restore Islam's dominance in politics. Erbakan's ascent to the prime minister's office in 1996 greatly heightened public concern about a new wave of Islamic fundamentalism, so he was prompted to step down a year later with his Welfare Party dissolved by the worried Turkish military.
This didn't mark the end of the conflict between religion and secularism. The incumbent Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was a member of the Welfare Party, built the AK Party with some pragmatic young Turks and obtained the top office in 2002.
The controversies and anxieties caused by Kahraman's remark are indicative of people's uncertainties about whether the ruling AK Party is willing to sustain secular. The past decade has seen Turkey's social climate growing more conservative under the rule of the AK Party. In a bid to lift the constitutional, but rarely enforced, ban on women wearing head scarves in public, the AK Party pledged to challenge the constitution but failed in 2008. But Islamic values have been given a new emphasis by Turkish leaders with intensive publicity around Islamic costumes, anniversaries and rituals. Turkey's secular forces are feeling very stressed by the change. After all, Turkey has been the most secular state in the Muslim world since it was founded by the then Mustafa Kemal Pasha, better known as Ataturk, in 1923. Turkey's secular forces regard the country's tone-changing as a step backward.
Secularism was embedded in Turkey's constitution in 1937 by the country's founding father. Religion was officially forbidden in politics, economy and education. The government had to impose a lot of restrictions on religious groups and activities, because Turkey was a traditional Muslim empire before its modernization and secularization. Islam was given a heavy blow by the government.
After a democratic Turkey was solidified in late 1940s, Islam revived. But it has never managed to get the better of secularism. The most prominent example is the fall of the Welfare Party. As a descendant of the Welfare Party, the AK Party is basically inclined to pragmatism. The ruling party has significantly improved the Turkish economy and wellbeing without challenging the red line of secularism.
Kahraman's remark caused backlash in Turkey. High-ranking AK Party members, including Erdogan himself, came out to declare their insistence on secularism, and Kahraman also clarified that this is only his personal view.
The AK Party's response to this incident and Kahraman's clarification have actually reinstated Erdogan's elaboration of secularism during his visit to Egypt in 2011. Incorporated within the AK Party's 2023 Political Vision, Erdogan's elaboration claims to aim to redefine secularism instead of discarding it. In his new theory, the focal point of secularism should be set to ensure freedom of religion to make sure all religions are fairly treated in Turkey. This deviates from the traditional approach, which highlights religious control.
Kahraman's call for abandoning secularism won't work because it is unconstitutional. But the AK Party's effort to redefine secularism stands a chance. Kamel's version of secularism is being altered by the AK Party, and the new version might be accepted as an amendment to the constitution.
Turkey's shift heralds the downfall of Western ideologies that used to be popular in the Muslim world. Islamic fundamentalism and even radical ideas are gaining the upper hand. Turkey's adjustment of its hard core secularism is a typical manifestation of the trend. The rejuvenation of Islam is becoming a fact in the Middle East, and any power that ignores it will lose its leverage.
The author is an associate professor at Peking University and an academic committee member of Pangoal Institution.
