Turkey

With his triumphant tour of the countries of the Arab Spring this month, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has managed to set up Turkey on the international stage as a role model for a secular democracy in a Muslim country — as, in his words, “a secular state where all religions are equal.” The only trouble is that

The outcome of the Alevi initiative is unknown Sedat Ergin   Last Saturday was the 18th anniversary of the Madımak Massacre where 35 people were burned alive on July 2, 1993, and we came across a situation that we never saw before in the commemoration ceremonies of previous years. Since the first commemoration organized on

Cleric slams abuse of women in Turkey Thursday, July 21, 2011 ANKARA – Hürriyet Daily News   The Directorate of Religious Affairs sees the problems of all religious groups in Turkey as its own, its head Görmez (R) tells Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew. The mistreatment of women is the result of “excessive ignorance” about Islam,

Conservatism on the rise in Turkey July 21, 2011 ISTANBUL   A recent survey reflects little progress on the women’s issues in Turkey.Both conservative and democratic values are being more widely adopted by Turkish society, according to a recent poll conducted as part of the World Values Survey.“I do not have any findings that support