Summary: Islam has a long history in Turkey. The religion was adopted early by the various tribes there and it was ultimately the Ottoman Turks who would revive the Sunni caliphate. The caliphate would remain in Turkey until it was abolished in 1924 by Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern Republic of Turkey. Ataturkrsquo;s country was to be a secular nation. Although, not quite in the Western sense. Although outward signs of devotion are prohibited in public, there is an Office of the Directorate of Religious Affairs which controls the practice of Islam within Turkey. A practice this is decidedly Sunni-focused. Tensions have been mounting for years as Turkey struggles with its secular and religious sides. Those tensions came to the forefront with the election of the conservative JDP party six years ago. The JDP was at one time banned in Turkey and came to power claiming to be a moderate, democratizing force in the nation. But, critics think thatrsquo;s little more than hot air, and say recent actions of the JDP prove the party is quite the opposite. Rights For Some Indiana Universityrsquo;s Erdem Cipa grew up in Istanbul and is among those critical of the JDP. ldquo;In my opinion, the manifestation of Islam as a political movement is absolutely incompatible with democracy as we know it,rdquo; said Cipa. Democracy is based on the equality of citizens in the eyes of the law and Cipa says that Islamic law is not at all egalitarian. He says women, minorities and non-Muslims will not have the same rights as Muslims. Currently, the JDP is trying to establish itself as a democratizing force, says Cipa. Although they are making changes that are actually democratic, they are also proposing changes that will take away the rights of a Muslim minority group that makes up 25 percent of the population of Turkey, as well as the rights of women and children. These changes are happening right now and have been the subject of controversy. Cipa said that in the beginning, the JDP had strongly and coherently expressed its democratic ideas to the public, However, they are using their appointment of officials and establishment of the democratic regime to create a traditional Islamic society. ldquo;But later, just because of numbers and electoral processes in Turkey, will lead the people to what they want and according to the JDP, what the people want is an Islamic society.rdquo; Cipa believes that the JDP and Islam can never be the basis for an Islamic society. The two are simply incompatible.
