The Infrastructural Politics of Lai̇kli̇k in the Writing of the 1961 Turkish Constitution

(Post-)Kemalist Secularism in Turkey

“…Following its ideology of 'ordering a disordered religious sphere' , the state made sure to provide an infrastructure for religious education that does not contradict secularism. 31 Accordingly, a series of laws formalized conditions for training prayer and preacher leaders, organizing Qur'an courses as well as teaching compulsory religious courses in primary and secondary education.…”

Laïcité and Laiklik: When Did the Comparability of Assertive Laicism in France and Turkey Dissolve?

“…"They [Policy Makers] build a coherent narrative of continuity by passing over what they see as a contradiction, namely that the 'modern arrangement' of separation of religion and state was mobilized by defenders of religion." [20] During recent periods where Laicism has been highly politicized, Laic-inspired legislature has received near unanimous support from proponents of both religious and republican paradigms in spite of the fact that one paradigm may only truly exist in the absence of the other. Being the first cross party coalition of this kind in French history, this situation prompts the observer to question: to which camp do contemporary French citizens generally belong?…”

“…Political rhetoric capitalized on the social progression of aggression as Laicism became an attribute of the 'modern arrangement' of national unity. [20] Society's level of investment shifted as "[t]he Veil Affair arose to intervene at a moment when Laicism was no longer needed to defend against Catholicism and was available to confront a new adversary." [1] Once elevated to a national value, Laicism became the principal abstract standing in the way of the private sphere, protecting the public space for civil society.…”

“…Other reforms enacted after the 1983 Parliamentary Elections expanded state-funded religious services, including the powers of The Directorate of Religious Affairs (known either by its acronym, DIYANET, or colloquially, the Diyanet). 20 In direct violation of the Laic principles Parla and Davison define as "the expulsion of religion from certain spheres of governance and social life, the reconstitution of education according to the presupposition and aims of the positive sciences, and the establishment of uniform, nonreligious laws of a centralized administration," [14] the Diyanet defends a particular version of Islam, Sunnism, and in 2015 expanded its employee base to include near 85,000 clerics within its ranks. [12] Legally, stances offered by the Diyanet carry no weight as they are, technically, a religious management institution not a source of law.…”

“…21 The institution's principle concern is staffing mosques and religious education, however in the last five years significant structural re-adjustments have been implemented in conjunction with relaxed regulations. For example they are now no longer co-managed by the Ministry of Education, 20 The Diyanet was created in 1924 by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey after the abolishment of the Ottoman caliphate. Its survival through the 1961 Constitutional rewrite and the three military coups since indicates that despite Turkey's former secular interventionist reputation, the government-initiated religious directorate is here to stay amidst a wave of other religion-friendly reforms.…”