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Islam Turkey & The Arab World

There are more than a billion followers of the Islamic faith worldwide. Turkey is one Middle-Eastern country that has adopted many democratic and Western values since the time of its liberal and Western-leaning ruler Ataturk. Unlike other Arab nations in the Middle-East, Turkey enjoys a history of cooperation with Israel, Europe, and the U.S. This reality creates conflict both outside and within the Arab world of the Middle East. Inside the Arab world Turkey is often experiences conflict with its neighbors, especially Iraq and other extremist Arab states. In John EspositoÆs Islam: The Straight Path, we see that the modern Arab world is a product of decades of conflict in Arab states between modernists and traditionalists. Modernists argue that traditional practices are no longer relevant to modern times, seeking the right and necessity to create new practices that help Islam adapt to the changing conditions of modern society. Traditionalists continue to support the special status of the ulama, or religious scholars. The traditionalists oppose reform. Turkey is definitely an Islamic state that ascribes to the former view, while many other Arab nations like Iraq staunchly adhere to a traditionalist view. Esposito (1998) argues that different interpretations of Islam and the need to modernize create conflict in the Arab world that need resolved before greater unity is had. For example, Turkey is much more liberal with respect to womenÆs rights, a pattern that originated with Ataturk who supported liberalization in this regard. Other Arab world states continue to enforce traditional laws and maintain traditional values with respect to women. As Esposito (1998) writes: ôThe question of womenÆs status, the tendency to legislate from above, without adequately addressing traditional ideals and values that remain a part of faith and religious history, creates a dichotomy between modern practices and traditional ideals that must...

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Islam Turkey & The Arab World. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 14:42, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1709679.html