From an article at Asia News:
Turkey\’snewly elected President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, aided by his faithfulnew Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, begins his term of office with amajor overhaul of the country\’s education system.
Althoughadopted a year ago, the reform plan, which has largely goneunnoticed, begins this year and extends Islamic religious educationto all school grades. Only religious high schools (ImamHatip Lisesi)offered such an education as part of their training programme for thecountry\’s Muslim clergy. At the same time, the reform extendscompulsory schooling from Grade 8 to Grade 12.
Compulsory Islamic religious education for all. Wonderful.
Just a few short years ago, Turkey was a showcase of the Islamic world. A democracy of 90 or so years\’ duration, in which people – Muslims and non-muslims both – were free to be who they were.
But now? Under the Islamic fundamentalist recep tayyip erdogan, Turkey is rapidly descending in to a quasi – and, if things continue this way, soon to be not quasi at all – Islamic shari\’a law state.
Forcing every child to be instructed in religious indoctrination (you can call it “education” if you want, but I think we both know better), is by no means the first step erdogan has taken. And you can bet it is far from the last.
The most disheartening part of all this, other than the fact that it is happening per se, is that the people of Turkey elected, and then re-elected, erdogan as their head of state. Much though I wish to think otherwise, I cannot come to any conclusion other than that, despite its democratic history, this is what the Turkish people, in aggregate, prefer. They have democratically elected a leader who is clearly committed to taking them from democracy: what else can be concluded from that?
Maybe, at some point, they will recognize where they are going and do something about it. But with every day that passes, this looks less and less likely.
Too bad for Turkey.
