That night, the turbulence we have been experiencing for the last three years climbed to its peak. We have entered a period in which the consolidation of our democracy cannot be revoked

Turkish people on streets to guard democracy against Gülenist coup plotters

It was a surreal moment in history, not only for Turkey, but also for the world

It was a tragic night, it was a fateful night, it was a night that showed so many things about the Turkish people, their bravery, their dedication and commitment to democracy

Democratization in Turkey has been a long and challenging process. Today, after decades of tutelage, Turkey is about to enter an irreversible path toward a more democratic country.

In fact, the evidence suggests the contrary and that it is the Muslim democrats in the current government who initiated direct talks with the Kurds, the Alevis and the Roma people in Turkey for the first time in the Republic's history.

If being a majority will never give an edge and if the majority will not get any respect from the minority, as the liberal-leftist conception of democracy suggests, should we not start talking about the danger of “minority dictatorship” rather than “tyranny of the majority”?

Can the Turkish military be democratic? This is a crucial question for Turkish democracy and by extension for a number of chronic problems which have plagued Turkish society for decades

A recent survey claims that the number of women covering their heads in Turkey has increased “fourfold” over the last four years. While some interpret this as a natural result of Turkey’s democratization, others see it as a dangerous development for Turkish secularism. The choice of the words “fourfold increase” and “over the last four years” is no accident -- they imply that this is the Justice and Development Party’s (AK Party) fault. Turkey has been debating the headscarf issue for over two decades now.

The decision by the Turkish Constitutional Court to reject the closure case against the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) opens a new chapter in the history of Turkish democracy.

The deadlock created by the discussions on judicial independence and impartiality during the presidential election process and the extension of the discussions to the realm of fundamental rights and freedoms with a particular reference to the headscarf issue drew attention to what policy the AK Party would pursue to address these issues in the new term.  

Recent events have once again thrown into sharp focus the question of democracy and secularism in Turkey. The table talk topic is whether Turkey should be democratic or secular. The July 22 elections will be a battleground for the Turkish political system to decide if it can be both secular and democratic while remaining civilized.

The debate over Islam and democracy continues to gain momentum. As the state of democracy in Muslim countries has become a global debate, scores of people from academics, journalists and TV commentators to policy makers and NGOs are discussing the relationship between Islam and democratic values. Numerous meetings, panels, conferences, workshops are held to assess the state of democracy, civil society and human rights in the Muslim world

                                                 Uluslararası Konferans: VATANDAŞLIK, GÜVENLİK ve DEMOKRASİ  An International Conference on Citizenship, Security and Democracy 1-3 Eylül 2006 / 1st-3rd September, 2006 İSTANBUL www.csdconference.com