Seeds of Democracy Cannot be Planted by Force
During the 7th meeting of the Abant Platform, held for the first time in Washington D.C., we discussed Turkey's experiences with secularism, democracy and Islam. The meeting, jointly organized by the Journalists and Writers Association of Turkey and John Hopkins University, received great interest.
Turks and Americans in the audience appreciated State Minister Mehmet Aydin's opening speech. He talked about the relations between religion and the state since the time of the Ottomans. He said that the Ottomans took religion very seriously but that the Ottomans had not been a religious state. The Ottoman sultan was a human being just like any other. Aydin pointed out that there was no chance for religious excess in the Ottoman system. He also acknowledged that Christians, Jews and Muslims lived together for centuries under the 'Ottoman peace' and that Ottoman approach has not been achieved since.
State Minister Aydin's message for the American administration, which plans to bring democracy to the region and the Islamic World via the 'Greater Middle East Project' after the Iraq operation, was very meaningful: "We cannot plant the seeds of democracy by force. Monopolist approaches on this issue should be left by the wayside. Democratic and humanitarian values are not just the domain of the Christian and the Jew. Convincing people is important in the internalization of democracy.'
The statements of Aydin during the question-answer section on the issue of 'Turkey serving as a model for the Islamic World' received applause from all of us:
"I did not use the word model. This is an arrogant approach. We need to be modest. Turkey is progressing, the AKP is successful; however, we cannot say, 'Look at us'. We can say 'You can share our experiences' without saying, 'Turkey is a model'."
Turkish Parliamentary Speaker Mr. Bulent Arinc, Journalists and Writers Association of Turkey Honorary President Mr. Fethullah Gülen and Fener Greek Patriarch Bartholomeos also sent messages to the Abant Platform's Washington meeting.
American participants -all of them experts on Turkey- underlined on the issue of Turkey's experience with democracy that "It is very important to understand and be reminded that modern Turks are Muslims." They jointly made a criticism: "religion in Turkey is subject to the state. This is not secularism as we mean it in the West. European secularism has never excluded Christianity. The U.S. never did this. However, Turkish secularism pushed religion out of a state area that itself does not have determined borders."
Interesting approaches came from American academics on the issue of the development of democracy in Islamic countries. Elizabeth S. Hurd from Northwestern University said: "In a sense, it is a problem that democracy has Western roots. How should secularism be considered in societies that have strong faiths? This issue should be taken up."
I take care in this approach, because Mr. Fethullah Gülen vehemently insists that democracy should take into account both people's worldly and spiritual sides because human is not only a MADDI VARLIK. I suppose this will be the issue that will be the main topic of discussion as democracy advances in the near future.
The Washington meeting undoubtedly has a historical significance, since it marks the first step in opening the Abant Platform to the West. When we organize at the Brussels meeting this autumn, it will be an important step for Turkey's European Union membership.
Jenny White from Boston University said, "The Abant meetings played a huge role in strengthening moderate people instead of the radicals in Turkey and therefore in helping Turkey embark on a 'middle road'." We hope the Abant Platform, which has opened itself to the outside world with Dialogue Eurasia and the Washington meetings, will also have a role in world's pursuing a 'middle road'.
As Abant Platform President Prof. Mete Tuncay acknowledged that the Abant meetings voiced this fact: 'We can meet at a point.'
ZAMAN
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