Islam, Nation-State, and the Military: A Discussion of Secularism in Turkey

Abstract

Both in theory and in practice the issue of secularism has become a major object of academic inquiry. The Weberian idea of disenchantment that formed the basis of the secularization thesis in particular and the modernization theory in general seems to be less and less tenable in the face of what people perceive as the resurgence or de-privatization of religion in a globalizing world.1 Secularism seems to be under attack in all parts of the world. Even in Europe, where a principled consensus, not a simple modus vivendi, concerning the proper domains of religion and politics is thought to have been achieved long ago, the claims of Muslim citizens who feel excluded from public spheres because of their religious identity raise serious questions about the limits of toleration that secularism is supposed to yield in modern democracies.2 Therefore, scholars often talk about a pressing demand and need to identify those forms of separation between religion and state that are compatible with and necessary for the actualization of basic rights and freedoms in a world where different conceptions of the good life often seem incompatible and arouse fear and resentment.3After all, not all forms of separations are said to be compatible with the basic tenets of liberal democracy. In comparative and theoretical discussions, secularism in Turkey, which is imposed from above as one of the irrevocable founding principles of the constitution, is criticized for being religiously hostile, impeding the consolidation of democracy fully.4