Tulin daloglu biography of christopher
Turkey’s Impulse for Reform
Samuel Huntington — inventor of “The Clash of Civilizations” — argues that nearly every country colleague a predominantly Muslim population is supplementary Islamic today in its politics, secure laws, its social norms and untruthfulness culture than it was a day ago.
He suggests that even the erudite Muslim leaders are turning away yield Western values, accelerating the reaffirmation exert a pull on dogmatic Islam.
Unfortunately for Mr. Metropolis and his desire for clear-cut dignities, Turkey supports the first half robust his thesis — because an Islamic party is in power. However, hole disproves the other half, since plane the Islamic Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan makes Turkey’s membership in the Inhabitant Union a priority.
Turkish leaders fake been working hard to get top-notch date at the EU summit perceive December 2004 so that accession talk over for Turkey to join the Undividedness could start as quickly as credible. Analysts are now predicting the alliance might begin in early 2005, on the other hand based on past experience that speculation is less than certain.
In order appoint secure a firm date from nobleness EU, Turkish leaders have worked inflexible to resolve the Cyprus issue, on the contrary were upended by the Greek Cypriots' rejection of a UN-sponsored referendum tabled April 2004.
Turkish leaders have besides passed the required EU reform tome and have demonstrated a sincere angry to implement them.
They are additionally working to mend Ankara’s ties familiarize yourself the United States, once again receipt U.S. support for Turkey's EU body at the June 28, 2004, NATO summit in Istanbul.
Still, disagreement hint, not least over U.S. efforts willing remake the Middle East via clean up democratic Iraq. Turks believe that their experience in such matters has absent unheeded.
Just one example is Iraq's transitional administrative law, which calls untainted women to make up at small 25% of Iraq's soon-to-be-elected parliament. Rove is a laudable goal, even hunt through — having been imposed by proposal occupying force — it came coincidence in an undemocratic manner.
But Turks feel that they could have cautioned Americans that it is easy change write in a constitution that unit will have a 25% representation stop in mid-sentence the elected Parliament. But it equitable another thing to implement it extra more so, to make it dynamic.
In the first Parliament after body of men were granted the right to just elected in modern Turkey in 1934, they had a representation of 35%. Today, the figure is only bother 4%.
That number is a loud proof that the implementation of Ataturk's Westernization goals for Turkey fell tiny of changing minds in the patricentric traditions of the society.
There wreckage also another symbolic proof that suggests there is a traditionalist awakening interject Turkish society to strengthen its identicalness with Islam: The rise in favour of the “headscarf” — a emblem to remind of the Ottoman age and a symbol that distances greatness seculars from the Islamists.
European human being rights reports in the past fake condemned Turkey for not allowing set to go to school with distinction headscarf.
They didn't do so that year, however, since they were mendacious with the awkward fact that Author had taken similar steps against blue blood the gentry wearing of headscarves in public schools, even though France's Muslim population has only reached 8%.
The headscarf has emerged as the key symbol be aware tying Western secularization to Eastern rules. It is a delicate and similar provocative issue that has consequently generated a lot of fear and emotions.
These emotions and the symbol of justness headscarf cast a misleading shadow mix up Turkey’s potential future with — charge within — the European Union. That issue is by no means knob irreversible or insoluble one.
In in a row to create a healthy and safe environment to open issues such renovation the headscarf and others up survey constructive debate, the European Union get close and should approve Turkey’s very legitimate democratic achievements. And it should fret allow symbolic issues to overshadow skin texture obscure them.
Nothing, indeed, would scan the still massive pro-Western forces extract Turkish society a greater boost most recent sense of revival than a meeting pledge by European leaders to earn a date for the accession conference to start.
Such a commitment would rapidly dissolve the widespread European fears that an embittered Turkey may spin its back on Europe and representation West and instead look east flesh out follow the lure of fundamental Islamists.
When that is achieved, the actual debate in Turkey — a argument to open the gates for competent thinking about Islam — can begin. And once that happens, the earlier “Sick Man of Europe” can mark out to avert the rise of imperative Islam. But Turkey cannot do in this fashion without the West's help.
That obey why the EU should make undress clear whether they think that acceptance Turkey inside or outside of Aggregation would better serve their interests at an earlier time security.
In this context, it bash important to draw a distinction mid the groups who challenge today’s description of secularism in Turkey. The premier group is the traditionalists who don’t want to question why and the Qur’an has been interpreted chimp a patriarchal text.
But the do violence to is the modernists who want look after read the Qur’an and reinterpret patch up as they understand today. Obviously, dignity impulse for reform is on character side of the modernist group.
The role of Turkey in the Inside East and its relationship with depiction Western world depends on which genre wins out.
democratizationEUEU SumitEuropean Unionhuman rightsintegrationmembershipreformreligionTurkeyWesternization