In the past week, several alarmist pieces, including Soner Cagaptay's "What's Really Behind Turkey's Coup Arrests?' and Daniel Pipes' "Crisis in Turkey," have warned of a mortal crisis that threatens Turkey's future and its relationship with Europe and the US. Both are particularly exasperated by the continued arrest and indictment of senior military for conspiring to commit acts of terrorism in a plot to overthrow the government and what they see as an alliance between the ruling AK party and Fetullah Gulen's movement. As Pipes puts it at his most alarming hyperbolic best: "The arrest and indictment of top military figures in Turkey last week precipitated potentially the most severe crisis since Atatürk founded the republic in 1923. The weeks ahead will probably indicate whether the country continues its slide toward Islamism or reverts to its traditional secularism. The denouement has major implications for Muslims everywhere." Not to be outdone, Soner Cagaptay warns: "All signs point to Fethullah Gülen, whose shadowy Islamist movement is rapidly extending its tentacles into all aspects of Turkish political life."
What of the two culprits: the ruling AK Party democratically elected two times and the Gulen Movement are denounced as the major culprits. Their influence, it is charged, signals the current titanic clash between secular and Islamist or religious forces. The legacy of Ataturk's secular state and society and its elites are under siege. What are the ominous signs that have brought Turkey to this precipice? Turkey's entrenched secular establishment, whose status, power and privilege have been challenged by a rising class of well-educated bumpkins from Anatolia, who have been democratically elected and dominate parliament. AK's founders are now prime minister and president. Members of AK and the Gulen movement, emerging alternative elites, have "penetrated" the military and police that, like many institutions of society, had excluded them. Moreover, the Gulen movement is now a significant presence through its impressive network of schools in Turkey and globally that emphasize modern scientific education and religion. They also run prominent media outlets and are a formidable force in the business community.
The old political parties and secular elites have proven impotent, incapable of organizing a broad-based, effective opposition with a popular message that speaks to the political and economic challenges that Turkey faces. In contrast, AK has affirmed the secular nature of the Turkish state, the separation of religion and the state. But, in contrast to its predecessors' hardline secular fundamentalism with its anti-religious bias, AK has insisted that secularism can include a public space for belief as well as non-belief. It has introduced important political and economic reforms, advanced Turkey's cause for membership in the European Union, addressed human rights issues and struggled with resolving the Kurdish and the Armenian "questions." The process has not been without its pitfalls and problems.
Sounding like a mouthpiece for hardline secular elites and the military, Pipes asserts that "Turkey's military has long been both the state's most trusted institution and the guarantor of Atatürk's legacy." So what does the record show? The military has "intervened" four times to "save the Turkish secular state. What Pipes describes as "intervened to repair a political process gone awry" is a clear endorsement of military coups. Both Pipes and Cagaptay conveniently gloss over facts established by Turkish judges that at least 3-4 major coup attempts have been attempted by the military since the AK party came to power in 2002.
Yes, there has been a departure from the legacy of the past with major implications for Turkey and Muslims everywhere. Turkey has become more democratic, with a more open political and social system, a more broad-based electorate and leadership, and a greater emphasis on rule of law that includes the accountability of all institutions, including the military. What we are seeing is not a showdown between secularists and so-called Islamists or the demise of the secular state, but a process of normalization and the maturing of Turkey's democracy, institutions and the rule of law.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/world/asia/04islam.html
http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/2008/07/amodernottoman/
http://rumiforum.org/about/honorary-president-fethullah-gulen.html
http://rumiforum.org/gulen-movement/
Thank you John L.Esposito for your nice article. It is great that somebody like you can stand up and show that the arguments by anti-islamist Pipes and coup-supporter Soner are false all article.
Mr Gulen is always on the side of democracy, peace, dialogue, tolerance and never support or even think about the illegal organizations.
That line applies to Esposito as much as anyone. His work comes across as on-going apologetic for Islam. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a major donor at Georgetown, that says it all.
There is also a possibility that the current regime decided to consolidate power by its own coup against the military elites.
One thing is for certain the author is not in a position to elucidate this subject with any degree of objectivity.
I would like to re-quote from Pipes and thank you for citing this part: "The arrest and indictment of top military figures in Turkey last week precipitated potentially the most severe crisis since Atatürk founded the republic in 1923. The weeks ahead will probably indicate whether the country continues its slide toward Islamism or reverts to its traditional secularism. The denouement has major implications for Muslims everywhere" Well, it is very clear that Pipes has not read enough about modern Turkish history. I strongly recommend him to read about Turkish history and apply more resources to understand fairly what is going on in Turkey. People who have hidden plans against the governor party of a country should not support by democratic people, and what court says is the military people, who are in jail now, have been planning to take the control of Turkey with a revolution. I believe Pipes misinformed about the process; otherwise, I assume he stands against democracy. Moreover, a few arrested military people should not be the most severe crisis for Turkey because Turkey had more severe ones such as May 27 1960, September 12 1980 revolutions. I have a dream of a country in which people see leaders whom they elect, and everyone does their own job.
i am wondering whom would they blame if gulen was not exist? the "intellectual"(!) people of the turkey do not want a person who is the prime minister and the religious person at the same time, they believe public is ignorant that is why you cant trust their choice, that is why they are trying to take the current government down, and that is why they always use the "danger for secular system", or "ataturk" terms to scare people and get the public on their side, but this time it is not working as you can see many unsuccessfull attacks or plans by the military such as sledgehammer, operation cage.
Mr Gulen is always on the side of democracy, peace, dialogue, tolerance and never support or even think about the illegal organizations. anyone who read or listened to him at least once can understand him, and you can find his opinion open to public, he does not hide anything.
First: This not true in any sense
Second: Two real military coups 1971 and 1981 were against the left and the trade unions
Third, 1981 coup prepared the ground for the Islamic resurgence in the following decades by attempting to use the religion against the lefts and Kurdish movements
The coup scare is just a scare. Military is in noi position to plot a coup. The people who are allgedly playing with the idea of coup should be best classsified as terrorists as they allegeldy aim to destabilise the country by various violent methodes. Coups in Turkey has always been with the apporval of NATO, USA, business community and were executed by the general staf with the participaition of the whole of the military structure. The moment of "intrernediary regimes" of colonels etc.. have long been passed... But the coup scare helps the governments to passify his oppenents. Simply becasue if you are arrested with a related charge you may remain in the prison until you are cleared by a judge and this may last at least 7 to 8 months. There are journalists in the prison waiting to be cleared for more tha a year...
I would be cautious to subscribe to one size fits all form of law and democracy. In most countries the military is will perform a coup to in order to stall a military dictatorship but Turkey has a history of a military that is more loyal to the state and its people than the political body.
The neocon preferred version of the Middle East & other adjacent lands is any number of Shah-like rulers, dictators or monarchies, backed by a narrow elite of citizens (whose payoffs entitle them to lead an extremely comfortable way of life if they keep their silence about lack of civil rights) & military control over huge populations. These peoples are not entitled to much of anything as a means to change their governments if they dislike them except, perhaps various forms of extremism. Of course, it goes without saying that many of the vested interests are quite comfortable with all the conflict, war & resistance that will result along with the profiteering that will accrue. It is really quite a perversion of what is supposed to be our ideals as a people, or our common humanity. I really congratulate the Turkish govt. for keeping the faith of the people who elected them to power.