Islam, Human Rights, and AKP (Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi) in Turkey

Abstract

The article aims to describe the influence of the political strengthening of the Turkish Islamist party, AKP (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, Justice and Development Party) on human rights legislation in Turkey's national legislation. The research was conducted in Turkey in 2019 with a qualitative approach. Data collection techniques are in-depth interviews, literature studies, and focused groups discussion. The findings of the study conclude that although Islamic norms do not formally influence Turkey's human rights legislation, the strengthening of Islamist parties in Turkey “influences” the human rights legislation process in Turkey. An example is the failure of a bill to protect LGBT people proposed by the secular-Kemalist party, CHP (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi, Republican People's Party) caused by the majority of seats in the Turkish parliament controlled by the AKP. As a result, Turkey's membership in the European Union (EU) has not been accepted because several EU human rights protocols have not been ratified in Turkey's human rights legislation. The study shows that the view of AKP on human rights is not compatible with the universal human rights.