Culture of Co-existence in Islam: The Turkish Case

ALİ BARDAKOĞLU
ligious groups since their arrival to Anatolia in the 11 th century, and Turks on
the move have always had commercial, cultural and political relations with other
nations and states. The resulting web of relations contributes to an inclusive understanding
of religion, as Turkish Muslims have never lived in their own ghettos
in cultural and geographical terms. Turks sustained this non-isolationist legacy
and developed it further in the process of their social, cultural, political and economic
relations with the other communities they have encountered throughout
their history.
Turkey’s western orientation, known affectionately as Turkey’s European vacation
has, since at least the 19 th century, shaped Turkey’s political culture, legal
instruments and public policy. Even during the Ottoman Empire, it contributed
to the rise and expansion of the ideas of liberty and equality. Constitutional
reforms and modernization efforts, as well as increasing contacts with the
western intellectual and cultural heritage, have served to strengthen Turkey’s
European orientation. Moreover, Turkey’s EU membership project, begun in
the early 1950s and gathering momentum in 2005, brought Turkey much closer
to Europe. The legal and political reforms undertaken during the membership
process have also consolidated the freedom of religion and protection of minority
faith communities.
Secularism and the culture of democracy in Turkey likewise provide principles
that are crucially important for the protection of pluralism and freedoms. By embracing
democracy, the rule of law, and secularism, Turkey has chosen a path that
enables people of various backgrounds to live peacefully in the same social and
political order without abandoning their culture, religion or identity. Structural
and legal provisions, as well as their social acceptance by the majority of Turkish
citizens, have led to the establishment of individual freedom of religious belief
and practice, as well as the freedom of expression as far as interpreting religion is
concerned, i.e. what might be called intra-religious freedom or freedom within a
religion. This is one of the peculiar characteristics
of modern Turkey today.
The Presidency of Religious
Affairs (the Diyanet) has made
considerable institutional
contributions to the promotion
of religious diversity and the
culture of co-existence in
Turkey
Although there is a wide consensus
on the acceptance of secularism and democracy,
there is an ongoing debate in
Turkey on state-religion relations, as is
to be expected in a dynamic society. This
debate is sometimes extended to include
the limits of freedom of religion in the
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