Abstract:
This comprehensive article covers the most notable points of Turkey‘s
geography and history. Politically, it traces the advent of the modern
secular state from the time of the Uthmani caliphate to its present
quandry where numerous Islamic political parties are vying for ascendency
inspite of the fanatical secularist proclivities of members of
its ruling elite. The paper also comments on the multi-ethnic and multi-
religious fabric of Turkish society, stressing on the role played by
various official religious organs of the state as well as the grassroot
presence of various Islamic movements, most prominently the Sufi
Ôuruq and orders. By so doing, the author underlines the great potential
that lies between the surface of Turkish laicity, alluding to the
possibility of the Turkish Muslims regaining their former place of
honour and influence in the Ummah.
Machine summary:
1 Political Circumstances Historical Background What constitutes modern Turkey is in fact the lands remnant after over 600 years of Ottoman rule; that is, the remnant after the surrender of the Ottoman sultan before the harsh stipulations of the peace treaty with the Allies and the empire’s dissolution in 1923 by Mustafa Kemal Pasha, commander of the resistance forces fighting against the Dardanelles Campaign in World War I.
The most important undertakings of Atatürk in his 15 year reign on this newly emerged country were cultural and social in nature, including opposition to the interference of religion in politics, propagation of un-Islamic clothing and abolishment of Islamic hijab, substitution of the Arabic alphabet with the Roman alphabet, supplanting of the Islamic calendar with the Gregorian calendar.
In article 2, the characteristics of the Republic of Turkey have been defined as a "democratic, secular and social state governed by the rule of law; bearing in mind the concepts of public peace, national solidarity and justice; respecting human rights; loyal to the nationalism of Atatürk.
The unique status of the coffee shop in the social, political, and cultural life of Turkey has long and colourful antecedents from the time of Ottoman rule (Abolqasemi & Hussain, 1999-2000:248).
Even though the growth of Islamism and following of religious canons has increased in the current decade, the government and its laic officials strive to bar Muslims from all religious mores and propagate a culture of nudity and Western forms among the women of Turkey.