@article{article_889774, title={TURKEY’S SECULARISM EXPERIMENT AS AN IMPEDIMENT TO DEMOCRATIC CONSOLIDATION}, journal={Journal of Political Administrative and Local Studies}, volume={4}, pages={54–71}, year={2021}, author={Burak, Begüm}, keywords={Türkiye’deki Aleviler, Baskıcı laiklik, Başörtüsü meselesi, Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı, Demokratik pekişme}, abstract={Despite having a secular government since the foundation of Turkish Republic, certain segments of Turkish society have suffered from the pathological state-religion relationship. Turkey has been one and only Muslim and also a secular democratic country in the Middle East. Thus politics and religion relationship in Turkey has been of scholarly endeavor. The sui generis secularism style of Turkey has steadily undermined democratic consolidation as a result of weakening the principles of religious pluralism and equality. Using “assertive secularism” coined by Ahmet Kuru (2006) and “democratic consolidation” described by Alfred Stepan and Juan Linz (1996) as the theoretical framework, the purpose of this study is to cover the problem of democratic consolidation in Turkey vis-à-vis the illiberal and nondemocratic practices secularism policies have steadily caused. The Alevi citizens, and practicing Muslim citizens (in this study the women wearing headscarf) have been subjected to unfair state policies. The argument of this study is that Turkey’s secularism weakens democracy rather than making it a consolidated one. The headscarf ban until it is lifted in 2013 has been one of the problems that eroded democratic consolidation in Turkey. With regard to Alevi citizens, the Directorate of Religious Affairs (DRA) which put a state-sponsored monopoly over religious life has been another factor that has undermined democracy. DRA has narrowed the social and legal grounds of religious pluralism. The exclusion of Alevi citizens from the DRA has created crisis repeatedly. Alevi citizens face discrimination and this erodes democratic consolidation as well.}, number={1}, publisher={Sakarya Üniversitesi}