Abstract

Turkey has been ruled by an Islam-leaning government for two decades. Yet, Turkey has not developed into an ‘Islamic state' like those in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan during Taliban rule (1996–2001), or the large areas of Iraqi territory controlled by Islamic State between 2014 and 2018. Instead, the rule of the current AKP government is often noted for the ‘moderation' of its Islam-influenced government. It is an example of a Muslim-majority country that, its government claims, seeks to advance secularism, not to advance the position of one religious group over others while cementing a democratic political culture.