Latest Articles about Turkey

KURDISH MPs CALL FOR FREEDOM FOR THEIR BELIEFS

As Turkey’s ruling moderate Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP) continues to try to find a way to lift the ban that currently prevents women wearing headscarves from attending university, members of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DPT) have called on the government to show... MORE

AKP’S ISLAMISM ONE OF VALUES AND IDENTITY RATHER THAN SHARI’A

For long-term observers of Turkey, one of the country’s enduring fascinations is its turbulent mix of contrasts, paradoxes, and contradictions, Nowhere is this more true than in its attitudes toward the Christian West in general and Europe in particular. Europe is frequently regarded as being... MORE

BLOOD, OIL, AND HEADSCARVES: AL-BASHIR VISITS ANKARA

Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) literally rolled out the red carpet for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir on January 21, as he began a three-day official visit to Turkey. Despite being a pariah to most of the international community as the result of... MORE

ANKARA DOES NOT RULE OUT FURTHER ENERGY TIES WITH TEHRAN

Visiting Madrid on January 14, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that Ankara would proceed with fresh gas deals with neighboring Iran, although Tehran had once again halted gas exports to Ankara earlier this month. However, Turkish energy analysts told Jamestown that Turkey has... MORE

ERDOGAN INADVERTENTLY REIGNITES HEADSCARF DEBATE

An off-the-cuff response by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to a question by a journalist has unexpectedly reignited the long-running debate in Turkey over the Islamic headscarf by triggering a furious reaction from Turkish secularists. The headscarf has long been one of the main... MORE