Islamic Political Identity in Turkey

islamic social movements 29great “model-setting” impact on current Islamic movements. Thus many currentidentity-centered Islamic movements in Turkey have a powerful nationalistdimension and state-centric orientation.Those who seek state-imposed change from above stand on the vertical levelof the model of socioreligious movements. Such movements consist of peoplewho perceive both religion and nationalism as belonging within the frameworkof the nation-state. They seek total transformation of society by means of thestate. The degree of change sought is cataclysmic. The goal of replacing the stateor, at the very least, providing a substitute for it means that this becomes thelocus for the production of popular identity. The goal of forging a standardizedmodern religious identity requires a leader to determine the deWnitive dogmaand practices. Thus dialogue is problematic for state-oriented Islamicmovements and may cause erosion of their memberships.Another deWning feature of state-oriented Islamic identity is that this identity,in seeking to accommodate itself to a hostile environment, has attemptedto assimilate the external world into its own religious dogma. This identity ischaracterized by textual uniformity and a desire for homogeneity. It perceivesdiversity and diVerences generated by market forces, emerging discursive spaces,and technology as threats to its faith in unity. At the same time, however, stateorientedIslamic movements depend on populist democracy to mobilize followerstoward the goal of capturing the state.How do we account for this paradoxical increase in rigidity, which is occurringamong some Islamic groups even as the new public spaces occupied byelectronic media publications and associations create many more options foradaptation and diVerentiated interpretations of Islamic identity and ideology?The explanation for this development lies in the search for an absolute foundationto prevent pluralistic readings of Islamic practices and identity (see chapter4). Economic and political liberalization allows these movements the freedomto advance their agenda while at the same time promoting pluralism and thefragmentation of social control, which Islamist movements Wnd very disturbing.These movements therefore are engaged in a search for an absolutist readingof Islamic practices and identity that will leave no room for pluralisticreadings.We can divide the state-oriented Islamic movements into two subcategorieson the basis of their strategies for accessing power and shaping society.Revolutionary Islamic movements reject the legitimacy of the prevailing politicalsystem and use violence as their means of accessing power, usually becauseall other avenues are blocked by the establishment. 49 Some Islamic groups treatviolence as a means to create opportunity spaces; other movements seek a completeoverthrow of the current sociopolitical system. The purpose of their violenceis to establish an Islamic state and apply Islamic law. Reformist Islamicmovements, in contrast, participate in the political processes (as political opportunityspace) currently available to them in the hope of gaining control ofthe state or shaping state policy; such movements take the form of Islamic politicalparties or alliances with other parties. In keeping with their ideologicaland social priorities, their main focus is on matters within the spheres of edu-