Turkey is bracing for biggest political upheavals in recent times. Turkey’s highest court, the Constitutional Court, will convene today to decide whether the ruling party, Justice and Development Party, popularly known as AKP is indulging in anti-secular activities. The government may be dissolved. The court ruling may even ban the senior party leaders which includes Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan from politics for next five years!
Turkey, though dominated by muslims, is a secular state. For 85 years Turkey’s judiciary and military have been guardians of secular pillars of the state. Political parties have been banned nearly 20 times in the past in order to protect the secular credentials of Turkey’s constitution.
AKP won elections last summer for its economic development agendas and not religious motives. AKP’s biggest mistake was its attempt to lift ban on headscarves at public universities. AKP has been accused by prosecutors of hiding an Islamist agenda which runs against Turkey’s secular constitution. If not banned, AKP might be heavily penalised for non-secular activities. On the other hand they may be cleared of all charges or let off with simple warnings.
Prime Minister Erdogan armed with his party’s five year record has denied charges. He has said that the charges are politically motivated. He recently told Hurriyet,
The 1.5-billion-strong Muslim world is watching us to see how we accommodate religion and secularism.
Accomodating religion and secularism is indeed a tough challenge in the current polarised world. The court’s verdict may be out by mid August. Till then Turkey’s hope of joining European Union looks grim.
Meanwhile the prelude of bomb blasts at Istanbul by suspected ultras and strong polarised secular and religious camps has already divided the opinion of the people of Turkey. Everyone is braced for the national courtroom drama where the ruling government will be tried in a court of law.
Source: LosAngelesTimes
