Rifts in Turkey

As Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) publishes a draft constitution on Saturday, a storm is brewing over putative plans to ease a ban on the wearing of the Islamic headscarf in universities. The headscarf issue is symbolic of a wider debate about the role of religion in the public sphere, exposing a growing rift between Islamists and secularists over the country's direction.

A recent Gallup Poll indicates that Turks' attitudes to Sharia, the body of Islamic religious law, are vastly different from those in other predominantly Muslim countries in the Middle East.

When asked earlier this year whether Sharia should be the only source of legislation; a source, but not the only source; or not a source of legislation, 41% of Turks chose the latter option. This figure was not nearly as high in other predominantly Muslim countries -- including Indonesia and Pakistan, which have largely secular constitutions and laws.  More than one in four Turks (26%) say Sharia should be one source of legislation, but not the sole source, while 7% say it should be the only source.

The Turkish public is also ambivalent about the positive effects of Sharia:

• 21% of Turks say Sharia limits the power of rulers, but 20% say it gives government unlimited power
• 34% of Turks believe Sharia limits personal freedom, but 37% believe it protects human rights
• 43% of Turks think Sharia compliance provides justice for women, but 32% say it oppresses women.

The prevalence of conflicting perspectives reveals the depth of the rift between the country's secularists and Muslim democrats.

For some, Turkey's 2007 elections represented a symbolic referendum on Islam's compatibility with democracy. AKP, which portrays itself as a moderate, conservative, pro-Western party, won a landslide victory despite accusations from secularists that there were traditionalists within the party that would implement an Islamic agenda once they took control.

The way in which Turks move toward greater consensus on the appropriate role of religion in public life may eventually have ramifications for similar processes elsewhere in the Muslim world. Yet in the short-term, the lifting of the headscarf ban may be seen as a move towards political Islam and perhaps a direct challenge to Turkey's separation of religion and state.

Reformist agenda?

With strong ties to both the Muslim world and the West, Turkey seems to be making up its own rules. It is pursuing membership in the European Union, reaffirming ties with Middle Eastern countries and also questioning the ban on women wearing the hijab in public buildings and universities. Yet any hint of a reformist agenda or a sustained move towards modernised Islamic law will anger the country's secular elite, who are keen to preserve the system of laïcité that has held sway since Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's westernisation movement in the early 20th century.