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April 30, 2005
True Islam
Ran into this interesting bit from the ANZAC Day observances earlier this week:
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a correction to the expression "moderate Islam" of his Australian counterpart John Howard whom he met on Tuesday, April 26.
According to information received, Howard spoke at a dinner held in his honor where he said, "One of the factors that will block the path of terrorism is the formation of democracy in moderate Islamic countries like Indonesia and Turkey." Upon this, Erdogan taking the floor corrected: "After the September 11 attacks, the expression, 'moderate Islam' that is widely being used is leading to different interpretations. There is no need to put a different adjective before or after the word 'Islam'. Islam means peace. It rejects all kinds of excessiveness." Howard then noted that he had meant "true Islam". [emphasis mine]
Coming from Erdogan -- an avowedly observant Muslim politician who also preaches the importance of a secular state and is aggressively pursuing Turkey's goal of EU membership -- such commentary is of particular interest. This is not to ascribe positive or negative value to it, but just simply to point it out. Indeed, the irony that Erdogan and his AK Party (with its roots in Islamist politics) have pursued EU membership so aggressively -- and, compared to previous Turkish PMs, so successfully thus far -- is often noted. But I have also found references to the fears held by some ardent Kemalists in Turkey, who also happen to be Erdogan's political enemies. In their view, Erodgan is pursuing EU membership aggressively in order to reduce the influence of the military in Turkish politics, to bring Turkey in line with EU norms. Once the military is put in its place, Erdogan will sweep away secularism and Kemalism and create an Islamic state, in the Iranian mold.
That's the fear, anyway. I don't buy it. Erdogan isn't perfect, but there's something very appropriate about an Islamic prime minister leading Turkey into the EU. If nothing else, it demonstrates that piety, politics, and secularism are not necessarily contradictory values. If Turkey does gain EU membership, I don't think Ataturk himself would much criticize Erdogan's means.
Posted by Daniel Widome at 11:32 PM to Australia/NZ,
