It is not strange how religion holds a sway over politics and this is very much evident in many Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia where religion is the very essence of politics. When a monarchy like Saudi Arabia offers more restrictions to its people especially women, there are other Muslim countries like Turkey which are much more tolerant. Turkey being a secular country offers more freedom to women considering that it is a Muslim country with Muslim majority. But why are the approaches of both these countries different towards religion? Is it because Turkey is a parliamentary democracy whereas Saudi Arabia is a monarchy? One common ground we could find between these two countries is that both are Muslim countries with different approach towards the realm of religion in politics. I was taken aback when I came to know that hijab and other kinds of religious clothing were banned in Turkey (the ban has been lifted). Considering the fact that Turkey is a Muslim country added to my surprise. The entire concept of Turkey as Muslim country made me think that they must be conservative like that of Saudi Arabia. Turkey which was once the centre of political power for Islamic world has changed drastically towards moderate and global Islam. How can a country which was once the centre of political power for Islamic world have a modern outlook on religion? Many people claim that it might be due to the non-Arab origin of the Turks or its stance towards Europe. Both Saudi Arabia and Turkey are good examples of how religion holds sway over politics. The purest form of politics is when it is not infiltrated by religion and other factors. The difference lies in the fact that Turkey is more tolerant and has a modern outlook towards religion and does not merge religion with politics whereas Saudi Arabia has a conservative outlook and has merged religion with politics. A rule can be called an actual rule only when religion is kept apart from politics and this is what Turkey has successfully done. This difference in the approaches of the two countries might also be dependent on the type of government .Saudi Arabia which comes under the reign of the royal family might have a conservative look on politics while Turkey which is a parliamentary democracy has a more secular outlook. To all those who say that religion has always had and will have sway over politics, I would suggest that politics is possible without religion. Religion being a different entity should be kept away from politics.
-Prinssa joby,20153036
Good post. You might also want to have a look this article "Kuru, Ahmet. 2007. Passive and Assertive Secularism: Historical Conditions, Ideological Struggles, and State Policies toward Religion, World Politics, Vol. 59, No. 4, pp. 568-594." available here http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/~akuru/docs/Kuru_WP.pdf, for greater insights.
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