FREEDOM OF RELIGION AND MULTICULTURALISM IN TURKEY-EU RELATIONS

Abstract

As the social role and visibility of the religion in the public sphere has been increased since the late 1990s, the issues of multiculturalism and religious freedoms become more important. Debates on multiculturalism have further pushed the international actors as well as nation states to search for common standards. At this point, the European Union (EU) emerges as an important actor which tries to protect the freedom of religion within its borders as an intrinsic element of its "unity in diversity" motto. Nevertheless, it appears that EU has not been very successful to prevent problems originating from the implementation of the freedom of religion in its Member States. This area proves to be even more problematic in its relations with candidate countries. The study argues that unless problems stemming from the implementation of freedom of religion in Turkey-EU relations are being examined within the greater picture of multiculturalism debates, they will create further obstacles both for Turkey's EU candidacy and religious freedoms in European integration. Accordingly, the aim of this study is threefold: to problematize freedom of religion in the EU's multicultural fabric, to discuss the EU's attitude on this issue and to analyze how the freedom of religion appears in Turkey-EU relations.