Secularism in Turkey
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Since the establishment of the republic in 1923, there has been a strong tradition of secularism in Turkey. Even though an overwhelming majority of the population adheres to Islam, the state has no official religion nor promotes any and it actively monitors the area between the religions.
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[edit] Secularism or "laïcité"?
From a philosophical point of view, Turkey practices "laïcité" (Turkish: laiklik) which is a prevailing conception of secularism and the absence of religious interference in government affairs, and vice-versa. While it is thought that there is no English word that captures the exact meaning of "laïcité", which comes from the Greek λαϊκός (which means "secular"), it is related to the English word "laity" or "laymen"; and "laicity" is the natural English spelling or rendering of the French term. French secularism is also considered to belong to the laïcité school of secularism.
[edit] History of secularism in Turkey
[edit] Ottoman Empire and the Caliphate
- See also: Caliphate, Sharia, and Ottoman Empire
Before the establishment of the republic on October 29, 1923, the Ottoman Empire, to which Turkey is the successor state, was an absolute theocratic monarchy based on the Sharia, the body of Islamic law. The supreme ruler was the Sultan of the Empire, who was also the holder of the title of Caliph, the spiritual and moral leader of all the Muslims in the world.
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[edit] Fall of the Empire and the end of the Caliphate
- See also: Turkish War of Independence and Grand National Assembly of Turkey
After the fall of the Ottoman Empire after the First World War, the title of the Caliphate that was held by the Ottoman Sultans since 1517 was abolished on March 3, 1924, along with all the remaining vestiges of Islamic Law by a law of Turkish Grand National Assembly during the Turkish War of Independence (Its powers within Turkey were transferred to the National Assembly and the title has since been inactive. Though very unlikely, the Turkish Republic still retains the right to reinstate the Caliphate, if it ever chooses to do so).
[edit] Republican era and Atatürk's reforms
After the abolishment of the caliphate under the Turkish constitution of 1921, many reforms were undertaken by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the modern Turkish Republic, to ensure that the separation of religion and state were to be respected. Many of these reforms affected every aspect of life to erase the vestiges of a society dominated by religion and tradition, and included the granting of right to vote (in 1931) and to be elected (in 1934) to women, instauration of a secular education system and closure of many religious orders. Complete separation of government and religious affairs was achieved by the inclusion of the principle of laïcité in the constitution on February 5, 1937. These reforms included:
- Abolition of the office of the Ottoman Sultan ruling since 1218, sending the last members of the House of Osman out of the country, and therefore giving the Turkish nation the right to exercise popular sovereignty via representative democracy (November 1, 1922)
- Proclamation of the new Turkish state as a republic - Republic of Turkey (October 29, 1923)
- Abolition of the office of caliphate held by the Ottomans since 1517 (March 3, 1924)
- Abolition of the religious education system and the introduction of a national education system as the uniform standard (Unification of education) (March 3, 1924)
- Closure of Islamic courts and the abolition of Islamic canon law (1924 - 1937)
- Transfer to a secular law structure by adoption from Swiss Civil Code and other laws (1924 - 1937)
- Reform of headgear and dress (November 25, 1925)
- Closure of sectarian convents and dervish lodges (November 30, 1925)
- Adoption of international calendar, hours and measurements (1925 - 1931)
- Introduction of the new penal law modeled after Italian Penal Code (March 1, 1926)
- Recognition of equality between the sexes (1926 - 1934)
- Adoption of the new Turkish alphabet, derived from the Latin Alphabet (November 1, 1928)
- Law on family names (June 21, 1934)
- Abolition of titles and by-names (November 26, 1934)
- See also: Turkish Constitution of 1921
[edit] Founding principles of the Turkish Constitution
The Constitution asserts that Turkey is a secular and democratic republic, deriving its sovereignty from the people. The sovereignty rests with the Turkish Nation, who delegates its exercise to an elected unicameral parliament, the Turkish Grand National Assembly. Moreover, Article 4 declares the immovability the founding principles of the Republic defined in the first three Articles, "laïcité, social equality, equality before law, the Republican form of government, the indivisibility of the Republic and of the Turkish Nation", and bans any proposals for their modification.
[edit] Secularism in everyday life
[edit] Education system
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[edit] Impact on politics
The Turkish Constitution recognises freedom of religion for individuals whereas the religious communities are placed under the protection of state, but the constitution explicitly states that they cannot become involved in the political process (by forming a religious party for instance) and no party can claim that it represents a form of religious belief. Nevertheless, religious sensibilities are generally represented through conservative parties.
In recent history, two parties have been ordered to close (Welfare Party (Turkish: Refah Partisi) in 1998 and Virtue Party (Turkish: Fazilet Partisi) in 2001) by the Constitutional Court for Islamist activities and attempts to "redefine the secular nature of the republic". The first party to be closed for suspected fundamentalist activities was the Progressive Republican Party on June 3, 1925.
The actual governing party in Turkey, the conservative Justice and Development Party (Turkish: Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi or AKP) has often been accused of following an Islamist agenda.
- See also: Politics of Turkey, Constitutional Court of Turkey, and List of political parties in Turkey
[edit] Impact on individuals
The constitutional rule that prohibits discrimination on religious grounds is taken very seriously. Turkey, as a secular country, prohibits by law the wearing of religious headcover and theo-political symbolic garments for both genders in government buildings, schools, and universities;[1] a law upheld by the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights as "legitimate" on November 10, 2005 in Leyla Şahin v. Turkey.[2]
The strict application of secularism in Turkey has been credited for enabling women to have access to greater opportunities, compared to countries with a greater influence of religion in public affairs, in matters of education, employment, wealth as well as political, social and cultural freedoms.[3]
- See also: Secular state
[edit] Impact on groups
The mainstream Hanafite school of Sunni Islam is largely organised by the state, through the Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı (Religious Affairs Directorate), which controls all mosques and Muslim clerics.
- See also: Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı
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[edit] See also
[edit] External links
[edit] Notes
- ^ British Broadcasting Corporation (2006-11-17). The Islamic veil across Europe. BBC News. Retrieved on December 13, 2006.
- ^ European Court of Human Rights (2005-11-10). Leyla Şahin v. Turkey. ECHR. Retrieved on November 30, 2006.
- ^ Çarkoǧlu, Ali (2004). Religion and Politics in Turkey. Routledge (UK). ISBN 0-4153-4831-5.
[edit] References
- Çarkoǧlu, Ali (2004). Religion and Politics in Turkey. Routledge (UK). ISBN 0-4153-4831-5.
