Tag Archives: Turkey

The Abstract Caliphate: Modernism, Secularism and the Abolition of the Caliphate in Turkey

Published on March 3rd of 1924, this article in the Times of London begins by stating, “The motion for the abolition of the Caliphate was passed in the Grand National Assembly today after a stormy debate.” This momentous decision marked … Continue reading

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Relationships Between Young Nation-States and Established Religious Institutions

  During time from the end of WWI to the present day, many predominantly Muslim societies have had to face a similar set of challenges and questions surrounding their governing systems. Following the fall of the Ottoman empire after WWI, … Continue reading

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Islam and Modern Turkey

In his discussion of the impacts of modernity on religion, John Wilson aptly states that the changes observed in religions’ response to modernity “by no means run in one direction only”[1]. This is certainly the case for manifestations of Islam … Continue reading

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Tackling Muslim Fashion Within a Secular State

The typical American student, let’s call him Ryan, who might pay attention in his Social Studies class, would probably define Secularism as, ‘the separation of church and state.’ However, Secularism is not simply the act of separating two spheres, which … Continue reading

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Modern Turkey: Islams Stifled

Turkey is a bridge between Europe and Asia, but bridges are only necessary to patch divides and tears (Göl, 796), which are very prominent in Turkish society, as is made apparent by the difference between that which the Turkish people … Continue reading

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Veiling in Turkey not oppression but expression

  When I first saw women wearing headscarves (known as hijab) or veils (known as a niqab) I had no idea it was a Muslim custom. It was only after I heard Westerners talk about Islam and the “oppression” of … Continue reading

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Turkey: Can a Unique Democracy be Accepted?

According to Charles Kurzman secularism is a “concept in many Muslim communities, where it is associated with atheism and Western cultural imperialism” (Kurzman, 615). Kurzman summarizes the idea present amongst Muslims that secularism as a uniquely European ideology that has come … Continue reading

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Dear ‘the West’ – Stop Being Regina George, Sincerely Cady Heron

Kristen Smith REL195: Islam and Modernity Professor Morgenstein Fuerst When we think of ‘the west’ and ‘the east’ it is tempting to imagine them as singular, homogenous entities in opposition to each other. But, we know that this is wrong … Continue reading

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The Failure of the AKP

The question of whether or not religion and democracy can coexist on a secular plane without infringing on the natural rights of the public has been a main source of contention for the modern world. The AK Party (Adalet ve … Continue reading

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Muslim Women’s Fight for Equality

The media-driven view of Islam in the Western world is full of stereotypes, false information, and misunderstandings of the religion and what its practitioners believe. One of the most prevalent views is that all Muslim women are oppressed, and the … Continue reading

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