TY - JOUR
AU - Kayaoglu, Turan
AB - This is a welcome addition to the growing literature on Islam in Turkey in particular and on religion and politics in general. Russell Powell provides a complex account of the historical evolution of religion and politics in Turkey, beginning with the late Ottoman period. He then shows that the support for Shari’a among Turks is on the rise, that Turks attribute diverse meanings to Shari’a, and that the religious authority in Turkey is fragmented. As the introduction promises, the book does indeed provide “insights into the fractured meanings attributed to Shari’a in contemporary Turkey. Even for traditionalists in Turkey, Islamic jurisprudence is not generally conceived of in classical or medical terms. It has become a symbol of faith and piety for some and of oppression for others. But regardless of the meanings attributed to it, Shari’a impacts public discourse around law” (p. 6). Powell’s findings confirm and extend earlier studies. Four of the findings stand out: First, the support for Shari’a among Turks has been increasing since the Justice and Development Party’s accession to power in 2002. Now a quarter of Turks support Shari’a. Powell shows that the understanding of Shari’a held by most Turks has been influenced by modernist approaches to Islam. Shari’a-supporting Turks do not reject traditional fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) but they are uneasy about the application of Shari’a to issues such as gender relations, apostasy, alcohol consumption, or hadd punishments (criminal acts whose punishments are specified in the Quran)—some of the most controversial aspects of Shari’a. Second, education—particularly higher education—impacts understanding and support for Shari’a more than religiosity. For example, while self-identified religious Turks with higher education tend to have reservations about the implementation of Shari’a, less-educated non-religious Turks see Shari’a as beneficial for social justice, welfare, and equity. Thus, these individuals more readily accept Shari’a-informed rule. In addition to education, gender plays a significant role: women tend to be more hesitant than men about the implementation of Shari’a. Third, religious authority is fragmented in Turkey. Turks learn about religion, including Shari’a, from multiple sources: family, public schools, especially imam hatip schools (religious vocational schools), mosques, media, popular preachers, scholars, and politicians. Fourth, Turkish society has strong and polarized views about the Gülen movement and the governing Justice and Development Party. On one hand, most Turks support passive secularism with minimum religious interference from the state, government, politicians, and (once-) powerful groups such as the Gülen movement. On the other hand, Turks are generally accepting of politicians providing moral guidance, even if that means invoking religion in the public sphere and informing discourse about the law. This book helps the reader to see the possible pathways for religion in Turkey under the Justice and Development Party government. This understanding is especially important in the context of the country’s drift away from EU ideals, the government’s repressive actions toward the Gülen movement, and Erdoğan’s consolidation of power as an executive president. Powell uses quantitative and qualitative methods. While each strategy has its own methodological complications, Powell’s approach does not necessarily correct for these shortcomings. For example, all qualitative interviewees are recruited in Istanbul. While Istanbul may have people from very different backgrounds, its cosmopolitan nature attracts a particular type of person and further socializes these people via urban interactions. This makes it difficult to generalize their views to Turks in smaller towns or rural areas. The book would benefit from a thorough editing. The use of Turkish characters such as “ı” and “ğ” is inconsistent throughout the text. While minor and likely to be lost on many readers, these mistakes will bother and distract specialists on Turkey. The book would also benefit from examining Shari’a-based practices that are in conflict with the codified law in Turkey, such as polygamy, discriminatory inheritance norms toward daughters, and the underage marriage of girls. Such a study might reveal whether these practices have become more widespread under the Justice and Development Party government and how their spread is informed by and informs the attitudes toward Shari’a. © The Author(s) 2017/18. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the J. M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com
TI - Shari’a in the Secular State: Evolving Meanings of Islamic Jurisprudence in Turkey. By Russell Powell
JO - Journal of Church and State
DO - 10.1093/jcs/csx088
DA - 2017-12-08
UR - https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/oxford-university-press/shari-a-in-the-secular-state-evolving-meanings-of-islamic-IEQd479tyH
SP - 130
EP - 131
VL - 60
IS - 1
DP - DeepDyve
ER -