Monday, September 24, 2007

Canary Redux

[This reader's comment on a previous post about Turkey is informative enough that I thought I'd pop it onto the front page.]

Yes I agree that Turkey's route is, and has always been, an important stick where Islam and democracy's compatibility can be measured.

I am a secular Turk. The western, and eastern for that matter, media portrays us seculars as some kind of rich spoiled "elites", who have the army at our disposal to pound on the poor, religious and innocent masses at anytime. We are somehow related to autocrats of Egypt, Algeria and Syria. This is not only ridiculously simplified, it is also not true.

Instead of my words, I'll let the numbers do the talking. These following numbers are taken from a May 1999 survey (please consider the fact that that year was considered to be the height of Islamic fundemantalism in Turkey):

Those who define themselves as Muslim: 97%

I pray 5 times a day: 46% [ in '07 : 25%]

I never pray: 53%

Even if someone drinks, if they have faith they are Muslim: 67%

Even if someone doesn't pray, if they have faith they are Muslim: 87%

Even if someone doesn't fast, if they have faith they are Muslim: 82%

If a woman has faith, but doesn't cover her hair, she is still a Muslim: 85%

As you can see Turkey's people always had a very relaxed point of view when it came to religion.

I, being a secular, probably would have been considered a liberal in the US, however that title in Turkey is given to the current administration, which came to being from a religious background.

But the most important number comes from a PEW report. Only 9% of Turks had a favorable point of view regarding the US. This is astonishing as it is even lower than the 11% of Palestinians who were favorable. In fact the favorable numbers have all fallen greatly for Russia, European Union, Iran, Israel etc. We are becoming isolated and very very confused with our neo-liberal religous, hardline seculars, elites and masses, the army, the Kurds, the Armenians want to stick another one here and there, European Union will never takes us, we shouldn't even be there etc etc.

We are in a locked battle with ourselves and somehow, without bloodshed or assassinations or coups we have managed to get through it.

So yes I agree that what happens in Turkey is very important to the whole region, but we are not slipping into theocracy. Our people wouldn't allow it.

Posted by Judah in:  Turkey   

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