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Turkey’s Political Issues

Turkey’s Political Issues. Sevilay Ece Gumus Ferit Tuzer Batuhan Yukselen. Outline. Turkey’s Islamic Landscape The Court Case Turkey and European Union. Part 1: Turkey’s Islamic Landscape. Overview. Modernism vs. Traditionalism State Religion vs. Sects and Mystic Brotherhoods

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Turkey’s Political Issues

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  1. Turkey’s Political Issues SevilayEceGumus Ferit Tuzer Batuhan Yukselen

  2. Outline Turkey’s Islamic Landscape The Court Case Turkey and European Union

  3. Part 1: Turkey’s Islamic Landscape

  4. Overview Modernism vs. Traditionalism State Religion vs. Sects and Mystic Brotherhoods Radical vs. Obedient Islam Mainstream vs. Fundamental Islam Islam and Democracy

  5. Timeline of Religion in TurkeyLate - Ottoman Period • Military & territorial losses (1774-1912): • Change of empire’s constituents • Start of the modernization effort • Appearance of ‘Young Ottomans’: materialistic, scientific worldview, rational, natural islam : defend liberal values using islamic arguments • Gradual secularization of the state

  6. Late - Ottoman Period • Ottomanism (failed) and Islam to hold the now 80% Muslim (1878) community together • Standardization of Islam by the state - Codification of religious law (mecelle, printed & distributed) • Young Turks (1908): materialist and positivist, but see Islam as social cement. ‘True’ Islam is progressive - Ministry of Justice takes over jurisdiction of religious courts from the Seyhulislam. - Rel. foundations (evkaf) transferred to M. of Finance - Rel. schools placed under M. of Education

  7. The Kemalist State • With wars over, no need for religion to mobilise population. • M Kemal pasha was a Young Turk. - Accepted islam as a rational and natural religion - Outlawed mystic brotherhoods, sheikhs etc (1925) • Caliphate abolished (1924) , islam no longer state religion (1928) • Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) founded and replaces the Seyhulislam

  8. The Kemalist State • Sacred law replaced by Swiss Penal code in family law. (1926) • Swiss family law and banning of dervish orders causes dissatisfaction and protest • Country’s two dozen colleges for imams and preachers closed (1930-1931) • The only theological faculty closed (1935) --maxim: despite the people for the people— --an old enemy: irtica (religious reaction)--

  9. Post - WWII • US the most important ally against intense pressure from the Soviet Union - US demands in democratization and economic liberalism • Domestic tension built up due to impoverishment and oppression in war years • Result: Competition for electoral support - Democratic party founded (1946) - CHP (ruling party) makes concessions for rel. ed. (1948) • DP wins by wide margin (1950), more concessions to rel. sentiments. • No change to the secular character of the state • A new view of secularism (protecting freedom of religion vs. protecting freedom of thought from Islamic interference)

  10. 1960 - • DP tradition continued to be dominant politically • Cold war years: Islamic values + Kemalist nationalism as counterweight socialism and communism • Industrialization: - Center right and left geared to big business, civil servants and organized labor - Small entrepreneurs (esnaf) cannot identify with either, organize under N. Erbakan (1970) • Erbakan’s vision: ‘National vision’: - emphasis on ethics and morality in education - Fight against usury and corruption - Secularism preserved - Complete freedom of religion • Erbakan gets 12% vote in 1973, later dropped to 9%, banned after 1980 coup

  11. 1970 - • ‘Turkish-islamist synthesis’ takes root - Sees common points b/w islam and early Turks: high regard for justice, monotheism, belief in immortal soul, devotion to family and decency - Gathers support among business, politics, university, military figures (Alpaslan Turkes, Kenan Evren)

  12. 1980 - • Gen. Kenan Evren: President following 1980 coup d’etat. - Also believes islam is an enlightened religion, open to science and technology - Result: more state adoption and control of islam - Goal: to render youth immune to socialist propaganda and temptations of radical islamic movements • Lessons in religion and ethics compulsory for all classes (1982) also aided by the media • Directorate of Rel. affairs given task of “protecting the Turkish national identity” -Staff grows from 51K to 84K from 1979 to 1989

  13. 1980 - • Principles adopted by the Directorate of Religious Affairs handbook: • Obligations of the faithful towards God and the prophet, himself, his relatives and neighbors, his country and humanity: - Marriage and family are central - “The Islamic Turkish nation is one of the [best] in history of mankind. Turkish history is full of sublime heroic deeds, which are rooted in faith.” - “Patriotism is derived from faith”

  14. Principles Adopted by Directorate of Religious Affairs Handbook • “Bowing before the laws and regulations of the government is our duty. Our book, the Noble Koran, orders it thus.” • “ national service is … prescribed by the faith” • “ martyrdom [follows] prophethood” • “evading national service or deserting the army constitutes treason, a foul act and a great sin” • God crated man free, and man is free insofar as he does not endanger the freedom of others • Man’s natural rights are: “the right to life, freedom, freedom of thought, and the right to ownership” --- traditional social values, solidarity, hierarchy ---

  15. 1990 - • Erbakan and the Welfare Party - State- Islam paved the way for an Islamist breakthrough (1994, 1995) • demographic facts helped: - Migration in the 80s and early 90s - Istanbul doubled in size in this period - New migrants depend on private networks and mystic brotherhoods (tarikat) for employment housing, fuel : leaders’ electoral advice followed • 1999: Loss in national elections, split within the Islamic movement

  16. 2000 - A New Right • Young leaders: R T Erdogan and A Gul. • Realized that a strictly Islamic party (as still continued by Erbakan) will never - be accepted by the state apparatus (post-modern coup of 1997) - cater to more than 20% of voters • Justice and Development Party (AKP) launched in 2001 - a broad conservative party with Islamic values - liberal economy policy - respect for human rights and technology • The AKP has so far not granted additional religious and cultural freedoms to Christian minorities and has not moved against ultra-nationalist cronism in the Interior and police forces and similar youth organizations out of which the assassin of Hrant Dink and his accomplices emerged.

  17. Reference Hemerijck, A.C (editor). The European Union, Turkey and Islam. Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy. Amsterdam University press 2004 and included volume: Zuercher, EJ and van der Linden, H. Searching for the Fault Line.

  18. Part 2: The Court Case

  19. The Court Case • February 8, 2008 - Turkey's parliament approved two constitutional amendments that would lift a decades-old ban on Islamic headscarves in universities. • March 14, 2008 - The 162-page indictment against the ruling party was issued. 

  20. The Court Case • The Chief Prosecutor of Turkey’s Court of Cassation asked the court to ban the party, and exclude Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan, President Abdullah Gül, and 69 other party members from participating in politics for five years. • July 28, 2008 - Turkey’s highest court began deliberation on an indictment against the ruling Justice and Development Party.

  21. The Court Case • Justice and Development Party View: • They won 47% of the vote at the last elections, and most opinion polls show strong support for lifting the ban on the headscarf. • The European Union has expressed concern at the case, saying it could jeopardize Turkey's ambitions to join the 27-nation bloc. • Mr. Rehn said “Turkey should devote all its energies to undertaking long-awaited reforms to pave the way for Turkish EU membership and this case should not distract attention from those reforms".

  22. The Court Case • Staunch Secularists View: • Justice and Development party has been known as a party pursuing Islamist agenda. Recep Tayyip Erdogan explicitly conveyed his anti-secular view prior to his service as a prime minister. Then, he has distanced himself from this view. • This is a first step to an Islamic state. If students are allowed to attend universities wearing scarves, this could lead to a relaxation of the ban on headscarves in public offices and the civil service and increased pressure on all women to cover their heads.

  23. The Court Case • Two opposite views: • Nobody can be deprived of his or her right to higher education regardless of what she wears. • Political parties must be prohibited from activities that violate the principles of the secular Republic. • Debate Questions: • Is this case an attack on democracy? • Is this case violation of secularism?

  24. Part 3: Turkey and European Union

  25. The Stages of EU Membership Process • A member of the Council of Europe in 1949 • A member of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 1961 • September, 1963 Ankara Agreement sought to integrate Turkey into a customs union

  26. The Stages of EU Membership Process • The “Additional Protocol” signed at November, 1970 • The European Commission responded in December 1989 by confirming Ankara’s eventual membership • However, refused to begin negotiations because of “poor relations with Greece” and the “conflict with Cyprus”

  27. Customs Union • “Customs Union” was signed in 1995. • Turkey was expecting that the customs union not only help Turkey to harmonize with EU norms in the areas, but also brought a new impetus to these relations with an even stronger perspective for membership.

  28. Customs Union • Each member of Custom Union get some economic help from the Union itself to cover harmful effect of agreement on industries. • Turkey is the still only country which has not get any economic help from EU!

  29. Customs Union • Luxembourg European Council of 1997 “Greece & Cyprus” • The Helsinki European Councilof1999 Turkey was recognized as a candidate on equal footing with other potential candidates

  30. Negotiations • December 2002 Copenhagen European Council • The EU would open negotiations with Turkey without delay with condition • Condition Copenhagen political criteria • Who would decide?  2004 Copenhagen European Council • What happened? The EU leaders agreed on 16 December 2004 to start accession negotiations

  31. Negotiations • The main goal of these relations has always been Turkey's eventual full membership to the EU. • The issue of Cyprus continues to be a major obstacle to negotiations. • The earliest date that Turkey could enter the EU is 2013

  32. Any Questions?

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