Secularism in Turkey

Introduction:
Secularism in Turkey defines the relationship between religion and state in the country
of Turkey. Secularism was first introduced with the 1928 amendment of the Constitution
of 1924, which removed the provision declaring that the "Religion of the State is Islam".
Later reforms of Turkey's first president Mustafa Kemal Atatürk set the administrative
and political requirements to create a modern, democratic, secular state, aligned
with Kemalism.

Presidency of Religious Affairs:

Turkey's secularism calls for the separation of religion and the state and also describes
the state's stance as one of "active neutrality". Turkey's actions related with religion are
carefully analyzed and evaluated through the Presidency of Religious Affairs. The duties
of the Presidency of Religious Affairs are "to execute the works concerning the beliefs,
worship, and ethics of Islam, enlighten the public about their religion, and administer the
sacred worshipping places".

Constitutional Aspect:
The Constitution asserts that Turkey is supposed to be a secular and democratic republic,
deriving its sovereignty from the people. Moreover, Article 4 declares the immovability
the founding principles of the Republic defined in the first three Articles:

1. "secularism, social equality, equality before the law"

2. "the Republican form of government"
3. "the indivisibility of the Republic and of the Turkish Nation",
The Constitution bans any proposals for the modification of these articles because each
of these concepts which were distributed in the three articles of the constitution cannot
be achieved without the other two concepts.
Impacts on Society:
1. No Political Involvement:

The Turkish Constitution recognizes freedom of religion for individuals whereas

identified religious communities are placed under the protection of state, but the
constitution explicitly states that they cannot become involved in the political
process (by forming a religious party for instance) and no party can claim that it
represents a form of religious belief.
In recent history, two parties have been ordered to close (Welfare Party in 1998,
and Virtue Party in 2001) by the Constitutional Court for Islamist activities. Issues
relating to Turkey's secularism were discussed in the lead up to the 2007
presidential elections, in which the ruling party chose a candidate with Islamic
connections, Abdullah Gül, for the first time in its secular republic.

2. Religious Civil Servants:

The mainstream Hanafite school of Sunni Islam is entirely organized by the state,
through the Religious Affairs Directorate which supervises all mosques, educates
the imams who work in them, and approves all content for religious services and
prayers. It appoints imams, who are classified as civil servants. This
micromanagement of Sunni religious practices, at times, seems much more
sectarian than secular, as it violates the principle of state neutrality in religious
practice.

3. Greater Opportunities for Women:

The strict application of secularism in Turkey has been credited for enabling
women to have access to greater opportunities, compared to countries with a
greater influence of religion in public affairs, in matters of education, employment,
wealth as well as political, social and cultural freedoms.