Turkey Today: Emerging Ideological Scenario

While Turkey has an important place in its region, it does not seek to become a role model for the world or the Muslim countries for that matter. Justice and Development Party, the current ruling party in Turkey, gives primary importance to the aspirations and sentiments of its people; it wants to join EU but does not give out of proportion significance to this issue.

While Turkey has an important place in its region, it does not seek to become a role model for the world or the Muslim countries for that matter. Justice and Development Party, the current ruling party in Turkey, gives primary importance to the aspirations and sentiments of its people; it wants to join EU but does not give out of proportion significance to this issue.

These views were expressed by Dr. Gokhan Bacik, Associate professor of Political Science and International Relations at Zirve University, Turkey, at a roundtable held on January 27, 2011. He noted that Turkey believed in the policy of reconciliation and would not like to create enemies in its neighbors. Political dialogue was underway to resolve the Kurd issue and the concrete steps had been taken to improve the system of governance.

“Turkish people are moderate and they do not like extremism either in the form of communism/secularism or hard core religiosity,” Dr. Gokhan observed.

In his chairing remarks, Tanvir Ahmed Khan said that Pakistan should study Turkish model. He said that while Islam had always been the dominant reference in Turkey, the Islamic life was organized in various silsalahs (chains).

He opined that changing the Arabic script of Turkish language had virtually disconnected the new generation of Turkey from its past.

Chairman IPS Prof. Khurshid Ahmad commended contemporary Turkey for their efforts in rediscovering the role of Islam and traditions and their efforts as to how to adapt it to face the contemporary challenges. He said that the contemporary Turkey needed to be seen in continuation of their earlier efforts for Islamism, yet in a much more realistic manner, realizing the major constraints.

The deliberations of the roundtable have been published in Policy Perspectives, Volume 8, No. 1, January-

June 2011.