Get out the vote

Islam | Turkey’s upcoming election will be a test for democracy in the Muslim world | Jill Nelson

Erdogan (r) and Gull pose a threat to secularists.

When Osama bin Laden aired his grievances in a taped speech after 9/11, he confused many by his reference to an 80-year-old catastrophe. Historians knew he was talking about the end of the Muslim Ottoman Empire's reign and the beginning of Western dominance. It also marked the birth of the only Muslim nation in history with a secular government: Turkey.

Now the secular nature of this unique nation is in jeopardy, according to the millions of Turks who rallied in the cities of Ankara, Istanbul, and Izmir this past month. Brandishing giant posters of their secular icon, Ataturk, protesters cried out against what they believe to be an Islamic agenda by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Although the nation has prospered under the leadership of AKP during the past five years, an attempt by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to maneuver his man into the soon-to-be-vacant presidential seat ignited a storm of protest. Balance of power could be jeopardized with two devout Muslims running the country, opponents say. The military threatened to intervene and the secular-leaning Constitutional Court also weighed in, ruling that the parliament had not reached a quorum in the vote to affirm Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul because of a boycott by two parties. Gul was forced to drop his bid for the presidency.