Clash of Civilizations?
Thursday, November 30, 2006
With the pope in Turkey, lots of reporters are looking for evidence of a rise in Muslim extremism. But looking for a clash of civilizations in Turkey? Look again. Turks are becoming more Muslim in private but decidedly less so in public. Since 1999, public wearing of head scarves has dropped from 16 percent to 11 percent. Mosque attendance has also dropped sharply. All this while more people describe themselves as Muslim. The headline: Keep religion private and out of public life.
Here's the key graf from the Globe and Mail:
More important, according to a study of 1,500 Turks over a seven-year period by the respected Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation, people here are far less interested in seeing their religious beliefs reflected in politics, a secularizing trend that is almost unique among Muslims, not just in the Islamic world but also in the West.
Islamic sharia law is now supported by only 9 per cent of Turks, down from 21 per cent in 1999. Only a quarter of Turks now believe there should be political parties based on religion, down from 41 per cent seven years ago. (The ruling AK Party of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has a history of Islamism.) And the number of Turks who do not want to live in an Islamic state now stands at 76 per cent, up from 58 per cent in the previous decade.
Labels: Christianity, Islam, Middle East
Posted by B Feiler at 9:05 AM
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