Back to the Future: Moderate Islam vs Offical Secularism in Turkey.

Abstract: Islam has been on the rise as a source of political tension since the AKP came to power in 2002 and then reclaimed its victory in 2007 in Turkey. The secular establishment fear that the political changes under the AKP government will transform Turkey into 'a second Iran' or 'another Malaysia' within the next ten years. Based on the methodology of comparative historical analysis, this article aims to answer one of the key questions, which is relevant to the future development of secular democracy in the Muslim context: is the AKP government transforming Turkey from a secular (laic) back to a theocratic state that will embody the experimental model of 'moderate Islam' in the Middle East? This paper ontologically explores the rise of Islamism in Turkey by engaging with social and historical analysis of secularisation and democratisation and, thus, challenges three myths that do not systematically explain 'contextualised comparisons' in international relations. Nevertheless, at issue for the post-9/11 West is the complex of interrelationships between Islam, secularism, and liberal democracy: Can Turkey make the transition to being a 'Muslim democracy' - with all its significance for the future of the Middle East and the West in the 21st Century? ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]