Turkey in Focus: "Who’s Afraid of a Head Scarf?"

Who’s Afraid of a Head Scarf?
Turkey's elite fear the AKP, an Islamist-inspired party that promotes economic reform and secularism

Mohammed Ayoob
YaleGlobal, 10 May 2007

Turkey is in political crisis, but the simple notion that the conflict is between secular and Islamic values is misleading. Instead, an old guard of Turkish politicians rejects political or economic reforms, prefers the status quo and fears any mingling with the EU that could deliver new regulations to Turkey. An entrenched elite, who control the military and reject any democratic movement that might decrease their power, are known as Kemalists. Ironically, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder and first president of the Turkish Republic, was an advocate for reform, secularism and modernization. International relations Professor Mohammed Ayoob points out that Turkey’s new reformers belong to the AKP, or the Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, a party with Islamic roots that supports economic reform, secularism and entry into the EU. Rather than focus on policies that could improve the lives of Turks, the elite point with alarm to a head scarf worn by the wife of one AKP leader. As Ayoob points out, democracy could be in a world of trouble if a head scarf matters more than policies of real reform. – YaleGlobal

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