EU Report Warned of Turkey's Religious Agenda; Critics Say It Came True

A European Parliament report from 2004 voiced significant concerns that the ruling AK Party in Turkey was actively promoting a "regressive moral agenda based on a religious approach" that starkly contrasted with the nation's secular foundations. The report indicated that this agenda was evident across various societal spheres, including legislation, political rhetoric, education, cultural life, and the media, leading to an erosion of secularism, pluralism, and fundamental freedoms.

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Turkey's Republic's constitutionally guaranteed secular foundations, a regressive moral agenda based on a religious approach is being instilled in all segments of society.

The article critically examines the historical context of the European Union's engagement with Turkey, particularly during the early years of the AKP's governance. It recalls how EU representatives engaged with figures who later supported the AKP, providing financial resources and promoting the party as democratic and progressive. This support, the author contends, was intertwined with the EU's own agenda, enabling the AKP to dismantle the "old Turkey" under the guise of democratization and human rights reforms.

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The situation leads to the erosion of secularism, pluralism, and fundamental freedoms!

Furthermore, the piece argues that these reforms, undertaken under the EU's supervision and often justified by the need to meet Copenhagen criteria, led to a fundamental restructuring of the Turkish state. Initiatives such as the reform of public administration, concessions in the Cyprus issue, changes to the National Security Council, the initiation of peace talks, restrictions on women, the purging of secular military cadres through cases like Ergenekon, a move away from scientific education, and the politicization of the judiciary were all part of this process. The article suggests these actions have steered Turkey towards becoming a "monarchical," "theocratic" country, aligned with regional power dynamics.

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The AKP's political religious agenda and the EU's exploitative impositions overlapped.

The author expresses strong disapproval of this trajectory, suggesting that the EU and the European Parliament should "light henna" – a Turkish idiom for expressing regret or acknowledging a failed outcome. The article concludes by contrasting this with the domestic political situation, referencing the ongoing arrests of CHP officials and criticizing Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu's stance on a recent court decision, framing it as a historical first that should be included in textbooks.

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Read the absolute nullity decision. It is not an ordinary decision. It will enter all textbooks. Because it is a first in our history. The general assembly of a political party...