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 Esposito's 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 women's

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ious leaders and organizations, despite constitutional reforms, to teach and preach a restricted role for non-Muslims" (194). Islam plays a vastly different role in societies from Turkey and Saudi Arabia to Iran and Iraq. Part of the reason its role is different in Turkey is because of that nation's cooperation with Israel and the West. During the Cold War Turkey played an important role as the southeast ally of NATO. Yet the end of the Cold War has produced a scenario in which Turkey's role has become even more vital to Israel and the West. Turkey's democracy cannot be compared to advanced democracies of the West, but more than any other nation in the Arab world its accomplishment are considerable. From women's rights to free elections, Turkey stands in stark contrast to traditional Arab world states. Theocracy denies in many Arab world states what Turkish democracy enables. The semi-democratic society of Turkey; therefore, shares no ties with the Arab world with respect to language or culture. Many argue that, in comparison, a country like Iraq more resembles a prison where people of different religions are forced to live together. We can see the stark inter-Arab world differences that exist if we recall Saddam Hussein'

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