In the Name of Allah, the
Beneficent, the Merciful
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN TURKEY – A
Positive Sign
Towards Change
[Shamim Siddiqi, New York]
Turkey is a predominant Muslim country of Asia holding a significant enclave in the Continent
of Europe since its days of glory during Ottoman Khilafah which was abolished
by Mustafa Kamal Pasha in March 1923. Ata-Turk practically abandoned Islam
from the political arena of Turkey
altogether, abolished Arabic language, adopted secularism as his cult and made
military Establishment its guardian. Since then, all efforts to change the
pattern of government from secular to Islamic have been thwarted four
times from 1962 and onward by forceful intervention by the Military
establishment. Turkey's
military and its secular constitution are zealously protecting the secular
characteristic of the Republic, come what may. This situation was the
hanging sword on the head of Islamic forces for the last 84 years
As such, time and again the Islamic forces in Turkey were
trying unsuccessfully to change the flow of secularism but failed. A
president was put to gallows while another was dismissed and jailed in this
process. Now secularism has become its need to continue till Turkey gives up
its desire to be the member of European Common Market which currently appears
as next to impossible. The newly elected President Abdullah Gul is its greatest
and ardent advocate who talks secularism but lives like a Muslim with his
wife Hayrunisa wearing head scarf, wrongfully being taken as symbol of
“Islamism” in Turkey, Europe
and America. To Turkish secularist it is
a landmark towards the "restoration" of Islam in Turkey but he is appreciated very much by
secular Europe except President Sarkozi of France who is not prepared to
accept a Muslim Turkey to its European Christian Club. However, Turkey, with
Abdullah Gul elected as its President on Tuesday, August 28, 2007 has
reached to a climax, a turning point towards Islam in due course of
time.
President Gul is the candidate of Justice and
Development Party [AKP} which is rooted in the banned Justice Party of ex-PM
Arbakan. It has successfully brought an economic revolution and
given stability to its market condition. Due to attaining economic stability
and bringing prosperity to Turkey’s
middle class, AKP has recently secured 340 seats in the house of 550 and thus
created a broad based vote bank of its own. It augers well for the future. It
guarantees stability in state policies and pledges to continue secularism as
its creed. The newly elected President Abdullah Gul has committed himself
in his inaugural address with a clear declaration that he represents the
cross-section of Turkish people, will strict abide to the principle
of secularism and the public will be completely free to practice and
observe what they would prefer to do in their private sector. Maintaining
the principle of secularism, Government will not interfere in their private
affairs. In fact, this is the real spirit of secularism. The AKP will carry it
out as an axis of state policies. It would not disturb the "secular
apron" of Ata-Turk but help in flourishing the Islamic Character of
Turkish people by strictly observing the spirit of secularism.
In my recent visit to Turkey in March 2006, I
noticed with concern clear signs of division of masses in two
different camps: one of Islamic and the other secularist. It looked as if the
country is on the path of polarization in two antagonistic cultures. The
pattern of educational system in Turkey is totally secular in
government sector whereas in private sector Islamic education is gaining
ground. For some time this difference will remain visible but ultimately
the private sector is likely to grow more and more Islamic, giving true “inherent”
color to Turkish society. The secularism as defined by President Gul will help
in developing Islamic Institutions at accelerated pace in Private sector.
It would help the Turkish people to carve out their collective life as Islam
ordains without any “interference” or support from the state. It would
help the Muslim masses in maintaining and promoting the Islamic values and
building the Islamic character of the
people in greater spectrum, Insha Allah.
Shamim Siddiqi
August 29, 2007