Moderation of Assertive Secularism: Turkish Muslims in Politics

Year 2018, , 259 - 278, 28.12.2018

Nail Tanrıöven

https://doi.org/10.18070/erciyesiibd.400093

Abstract

This paper entails that assertive secularism—the basis of communitarian ideology in Turkey—creates a dilemma of democratization. The policies regulating Muslim identity hinder democracy while blocking movements that might reverse democratization. For higher level of democracy, the religious market should be liberalized. This has been partially achieved due to the increasing cost of suppressing religion. Since early 1980s, various changes softened assertive secularism. The emergence of new conditions affecting the regulation of religious identity is discussed. It is concluded that public sphere should be isolated from any sort of explicit positive endorsement of any doctrine—including secularism—for democratization.

Keywords

Assertive Secularism, Islam, Turkey, Democratization, Religious Market, Laicism

Zorlayıcı Sekülarizmin Ilımlılaşması: Türkiye Siyasetinde Müslümanlar

Abstract

Bu çalışmada Türkiye’deki toplumcu ideolojinin temelini de oluşturan zorlayıcı sekülarizmin neden olduğu demokratikleşme ikileminden bahsedilmektedir. Müslüman kimliği düzenleyen politikalar bir yandan demokrasiye zarar verirken bir yandan da demokratikleşme sürecini geri çevirebilecek hareketleri engellemiştir. Daha katılımcı bir demokrasi seviyesi için ‘din kimliği alanı’ daha da özgür bırakılmalıdır. Bu, dini sembol ve kimliklerin kamusal alandaki görünürlüğünün engellenmesinin elit çevre için masrafının artmasından ötürü kısmen de olsa gerçekleşmiştir. 1980lerin başından itibaren gerçekleşen değişiklikler zorlayıcı sekülarizmin yumuşamasına neden olmuştur. Sonuç olarak, daha ileri bir demokrasi seviyesi için kamusal alanın—laiklik de dahil olmak üzere—herhangi bir doktrinin pozitif vurgusundan korunması gerekmektedir görüşü vurgulanmaktadır.

Keywords

Zorlayıcı sekülarizm, İslam, Türkiye, Demokratikleşme, Laiklik

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