The Evolution of Political Islam in Turkey: Comparing Party Programs of 'Islamic' Parties in Government

Abstract

Political Islam is a concept that draws attention in international relations. Turkey is a unique model of the various usages of political Islam in a secular state. Moreover, unlike other Muslim countries, Turkey has a comparatively long history since the beginning of the Republic of Turkey. Therefore, the study will analyze three Turkish parties which are: Democrat, Welfare, and Justice and Development Parties to understand political Islam in Turkey. I ask if these parties had an Islamist agenda for political reasons. I will examine party programs and policy implications of the parties. Then, I will compare them and try to find evidence of uses of Islam in foreign, education, economic policies and religious/moral values. After analyzing the parties, I will categorize them using the classification of Daniel Brumberg. I expect that this study will show differences among parties and the evolution of political Islam in Turkey over the decades.