Mark's Notebook

Some Hard-Liners in Turkey See Diversity as Divisive

New York Times

By Susan Sachs

Under pressure from the European Union and civil rights advocates, Turkey has started to reassess the way it has treated religious minorities.

Prime Minister Recip Tayyip Erdogan's government has prepared legislation that would give Christian and Jewish foundations more freedom to manage their own assets and elect their board members. Parliament is expected to vote on the bill before Dec. 17, when European Union leaders are to decide whether to open accession talks with Turkey.

For many Turks, even a discussion of religious or ethnic minorities raises fears of separatism. Some have argued that lifting government controls on religious institutions, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, would undermine Turkey's secular foundations. And Turkey's president, Ahmet Necdet Sezer, recently warned that drawing attention to Turkey's sectarian or cultural diversity harmed the state.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/21/international/europe/21turkey.html?th

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Last updated Tuesday 13 May 2008