State, Law, Civil Society and Islam in Contemporary Turkey

28 Pages Posted: 5 Mar 2011 Last revised: 8 Mar 2011

Date Written: June 1, 2005

Abstract

Some scholars have asserted that the different perceptions of Islam throughout the world in various local contexts have led to different ‘Islams’ since “considerable disagreements are apparent over what the fundamentals of Islam are and how they should be interpreted.” As one writer strongly emphasizes, “there are as many Islams as there are situations that sustain it.” In the same vein, I argue in this article that there are different Islams in Turkey from a sociological perspective and put the spotlight on these different types of co-existing unofficial and official Islams in Turkey. This article looks briefly at the secularization of Turkey and argues that despite the rhetoric, there has always been an official version of Islam in Turkey that this study calls Lausannian Islam. Even though the Turkish state has always desired to have only the state version of Turkish Islam, unofficial Islam has persisted. This article will focus on two versions of the unofficial Islam: political Islam of the Milli Görüs movement and Anatolian Islam of the faith-based Fethullah Gülen movement.

Keywords: Turkey, Islam, Secularism, Lausannian Islam, Milli Gorus, Gulen Movement, Diyanet, Kemalism

JEL Classification: Z019

Suggested Citation

Yilmaz, Ihsan, State, Law, Civil Society and Islam in Contemporary Turkey (June 1, 2005). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1777222 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1777222

Ihsan Yilmaz (Contact Author)

Deakin University ( email )

75 Pigdons Road
Victoria, Victoria 3216
Australia

HOME PAGE: http://www.deakin.edu.au/about-deakin/people/ihsan-yilmaz

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