Talking Turkey: She's a democracy - no qualifiers

http://www.meforum.org/article/624

In an article written by the controversial Michael Rubin of the American Enterprise Institute, discusses the dangers in supporting Erdugan's AKP and how the nationalists and secularists will react to America's new support of the "Muslim Democracy" as stated by Bush and Rice. According to Rubin, the nationalists reject the notion of qualifying Turkey's democracy with the term "Muslim" proceeding it. They ask, how would certain Americans feel by being labeled a "Christian Democracy"?

"Belief that Washington supports the AKP is widespread across Turkey, from parliamentarians in the national assembly to storekeepers in provincial towns to university students relaxing in cafes. One prominent AKP member told me, "We are a Muslim party and Powell called us a Muslim democracy. We know he chooses his words carefully""(Rubin 1).

Rubin describes America's support for the AKP as a betrayal of the sacrifice the Turkish secularists and military have made to America, whether it be in Korea, the Balkans, and Afghanistan. U.S. support for AKP in Rubin's eyes damages the "special relationship" between Ankara and Washington, furthermore, the AKP is what it is today because of the secularist-nationalist pressure to pull the Islamists towards the center. Therefore, the type of democracy that exists in Turkey today can not be thanks to either the nationalists or Islamists exclusively.

Rubin states, "The AKP is a product of Turkey's tradition of secularism, and should be treated as such. At the same time, Washington should approach the AKP warily, for it may still be a Trojan horse. The Western face of Erdogan and the strict, bearded Islamists found in the provinces are two sides of the same party. The Turks are carefully dealing with the balance, but platitudes from officials like Powell threaten to upset it. It is one thing for opposition parties to whine that Washington supports the AKP. It is quite another thing when the ruling party agrees. "

Edward Said would be ashamed of such an excerpt, and declare orientalism on the top of his lungs. Bolded and highlighted are the outright orientalist tones to Rubin's statement. Somehow, that AKP could be the disguise for the creation of a new Caliphate based in Ankara that Muslim organizations all around the world would swear allegiance to. That was the code in which Rubin was speaking in.

However, it is important to note such orientalists fears, as stated in Global Political Islam by Dr. Peter Mandaville, "Others harbor fear that the AKP is full of "crypto-Islamists" waiting to pounce once the populace has been lulled into complacency" (Mandaville 128).