PDF Dosyası - Ankara Üniversitesi Kitaplar Veritabanı

Turkey initiated the expansion of religious education in state schools, butEvren explained this in the following terms:Our childretı will thus learn about their religion in stateschools, through state lessons. In this manner we are servingthe principles oflaicism. Laicism does not mean that the citizensshould be left ignorant on the issue of religion and thusbe left in the hands of the instigators of sectarian differences12 .One aspect of secularism, most common in addresses made to membersof different denominations or sects vvithing Turkish society or else inthose directed to the outside wold, has been "religious freedom". Eachcitizen is allovved to believe in whatever religion or faith he wishes, ornot to believe at ali. As put by Tansu Çiller, "the concept of contemporarylaicism vvhich means that the state vvill respect the right to beliefsand function independent of these differences in belief vvill continue to beour fundamental principle" 13 . Obviously, no challenges to the principle ofreligious freedom could have appeared in the discourse of political leaders,but this definition of secularism could also be open to question. Didreligious freedom hinge upon the state being secular? Was it not possiblefor states based on religious foundations to be tolerant tovvards other religions,or, conversely, could secular states not be hostile to one particularreligion or religion generally? These questions seem not to have featuredat ali in the pronouncements of political leaders. Hovvever, it has beennoted by some that the Ottoman Empire vvhich vvas far from being a secularstate, stili did not limit the freedom of religion and allovved its citizensto practice vvhichever religion they vvished 14 .In any event, vvhatever contradictions exist betvveen the Turkishsecularists' vievv of islam and the traditional conception islam, orbetvveen islam as they see it and strict secularism, political leaders are, ofcourse, excused if they are sometimes inconsistent or do not succeed inbridging betvveen al these concepts. The point to stress is that for Turkishpolitical leaders both islam and secularism have been important inserving the interests of Turkish society and state in that they uphold theprime goals of national unity and territorial integrity. islam can be usedto bridge betvveen different ethnic groups and denominations, vvhilesecularism serves the same purpose by lessening the value of religiousdifferences. islam is the obvious link betvveen Turks and Kurds. For themembers of the different Müslim denominations and sects both islam andsecularism are instrumental. In its broad lines islam is, after ali, shared byali of them, but if this is not enough, one has secularism to obliterate the12. Speech in Erzurum, 23 July 1981, quoted in SWB-Middle East, 25 July 1981.13. TRT TV, 30 June 1993, quoted in DR-WE, 2 July 1993.14. Metin Güven, President of Council of State, Dünya, 21 February 1994.202