Islam and Modernity: the Case of Turkey and the Welfare Party
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OPEN ACCESS Research article Islam and modernity: The case of Turkey and the Welfare party Evren Altinkas* Bergama, Izmir/TURKEY *Email: [email protected] INTRODUCTION The term of modernity has always been a crucial and mostly misunderstood concept of the 20th century. There is another significant misunderstanding about the “clash” of religion and modernity. The last misunderstanding is the usage of Islam as an anti-modern term and lifestyle in the lives of Islamic societies. The fundamental goal of all developmental efforts in developing countries is to modernize their societies, and the image of modernity, insofar as it relates to material goods, is that of the more developed countries in the West. Harry Eckstein advocates a universal approach to development based on “abstract theories regardless of time, place and circumstance- theory that spans the whole of history, from primal origins to modernity.” We should not forget that it is the individuals of a society who determine its shape and direction. Binding with the term of modernity, there is an important discussion about the secularization and its anti-religious characteristics. Secularization is not a necessary condition for development and modernization. It is one thing to reject the power of any religious group or “class”, but quite another to also reject what the revealed religions have to offer. Looking from the other side of the medallion, Islam is not against modernity and development. Islamic societies have been static and have not developed in the manner they should, this is essentially due to the failure in understanding and application of the Qur’anic doctrine in its totality. Claims are made in the Muslim world by the ruling elites that their societies are Islamic, but when one critically scrutinizes these societies on the basis of the Qur’an, that is, its principles and guidelines, apart from noticing some rituals and traditions, one finds it extremely difficult to take the claims seriously. When we look to the case in Turkey, we can see the Islamic elite (so called elite) and their aim to politicize Islam on the basis of anti-Westernism, which has been a significant failure. The political Islam in Turkey had been criticizing the development (progress) model of Turkey as being Western. I will examine the Islamic movement in Turkey (and specifically the current case, Welfare Party etc.) using the above terms and their approach to modernity and Islam. MODERNıZATıON AND ISLAM http://dx.doi.org/ The concept of modernization 10.5339/connect.2014.14 Social change is key in the modernization process. For developing countries to become modern, the Submitted: 16 May 2013 rate, direction, and quality of social change is the deciding factor; in social change, multiple and Accepted: 1 April 2014 ª 2014 Altinkas, licensee interconnected factors are involved. Involved in the whole process of development is human creativity Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation and the exercise of human rationality. Journals. This is an open access In Islamic societies what appears to have happened in the last few centuries is the so-called article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons ‘religious leaders’, in an environment of autocratic rule, which shunned criticism and open debate and Attribution license CC BY 4.0, which discussion, mistook God’s statements in the Qur’an to the effect that nothing happens in the world permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any unless God wishes it, that He is all powerful and human beings are weak, to mean that humanity had medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Cite this article as: Altinkas E. Islam and modernity: The case of Turkey and the Welfare party, QScience Connect 2014:14 http://dx.doi.org/10.5339/connect.2014.14 Page 2 of 16 Altinkas. QScience Connect 2014:14 no control over its environment and that things will happen naturally or on their own.1 The point that emerges from the foregoing is that, in Islamic societies the erroneus belief grew, which is present even today, based on partial or faulty understanding of some Qur’anic verses, that God will do things for humans. So, there is a lack of enterprise in Islamic societies. In the process, human creativity and rationality have been relegated to an obscure corner. As David Apter states, “reason as applied to human affairs is the foundation of modernity.” For 19th century philosophers, the human species can be improved first, by new discoveries in the arts and sciences, and consequently the means of well-being and common prosperity, secondly by progress in the principles of conduct and moral practice and thirdly by the improvement of human faculty. According to William Connolly; “modernity has lost a great sensibility of morality, a rich tradition, environmental spaces and all these vacated places were filled by bureaucracy, hierarchy, totalitarian states, a consumer culture and probably a consumer state.” Moral questions are the bedrock on which human development stands and can prosper. The requirement of the good life and of a good society in the modern world is the idea of self-perfection. This entails psychological freedom, as well as economic and social changes that will permit the individual to become free in terms of the realization of self. This alone makes the case for an open or democratic society, which is also called political development. The civil institutions have value only when individuals can exercise their capacities of will and reason. The ultimate goal of the development process is to provide all people with the opportunity to live full lives. For this reason, normative values cannot be divorced from the pursuit of development and modernization. Tradition may be discarded, changed, stretched, or modified, but still great use can be made of the traditional elements in a society’s efforts to establish a consensual base to political authority and economic development.2 In the modernization process, an interplay occurs between differentiation (which is divisive of the existing social role of organization) and integration (which unites newly differentiated structures).3 The process of integration itself produces more differentiated structures, such as trade unions, associations, political groups and state institutions. Change in attitudes and values, at both the individual and societal level, is of crucial importance in the modernization of developing countries. For societies to become modern, the foremost requirement is to develop “attitudinal modernization”, better said, “the existence of modern individuals in a society.4” Modern individuals are those better educated, more urbanized, more engaged in industry and related non-traditional occupations, and more exposed to the newer media of mass communications. Their openness to new experiences and their willingness to change are important characteristics of the modern individuals. A modern person is highly independent and autonomous, with a high sense of personal efficacy, and is markedly independent of traditional sources of influence in personal affairs. A modern person rejects passivity, resignation and fatalism in the pursuits of life and, instead, takes control of life. The above sums up the key components of the modernity syndrome. In final analysis, the individuals who are more modern in attitudes and values are those who act “to support modern institutions and to facilitate the general modernization of society.” Thus, for societies to become modern, the transformation of individuals in psychological terms is a prerequisite, that is, transformation from traditionalism to individual modernity. There is no prior reason to assume that in becoming modern, the people of “traditional countries would lose whatever qualities had made them more friendly, humane, personal, warm, open, secure, or otherwise attractive and adjusted in their traditional mode. Modern people may be different, but they are not deculturated.” Individuals affected by economic conditions, in turn effect the functioning and development of the economic system and the economy itself. The whole process of development or modernization should be viewed as a triad relationship between the individual, the economic system or conditions, and the political system.5 In this triad the individual plays the preeminent role. Modernization means the transformation of political, social, economic, intellectual, religious, and psychological systems. Transformation does not always mean the destruction of the past. 1Javaid S. Islam and Modernization. A Comparative Analysis of Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey. New York. 1994, 12. 2Gu¨ngo¨rO¨. Siyasal˙ Islamda Bo¨lu¨nmeler. Istanbul. 1997. 3Javaid S. Islam and Modernization. A Comparative Analysis of Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey. New York. 1994, 126 4Merad A. C¸ag˘das¸I˙slam. Istanbul. 1996,54. 5Go¨le N.˙ Islam ve Modernlik U¨zerine Melez Desenler. Istanbul. 1999, 29. Page 3 of 16 Altinkas. QScience Connect 2014:14 Transformation is more subtle and complicated than the destruction of the past, and yet is no less radical. Modernization requires the willingness and ability of the elite to bring about the necessary changes. When we look to societies (e.g. Turkish society), we can say that in societies where governments encounter strong opposition and often fear the antagonism or religious functionaries, or other vested interests that do not tolerate disturbing the status quo, the prime need is not to isolate such groups, but to win their support.6 Those who benefit handsomely from the existing economic structure usually develop a vested interest in maintaining the system, which is neither efficient nor suitable for rapid future growth. To achieve this, they solidify their control of the political system by joining forces with powerful groups in the country, like landowners, religious leaders, and senior civil and military officers. Religion and modernization Historically, religion has played a major role in integrating societies; it has also been used to prevent change and to maintain the status quo.7 Considering the influence of religion in a society, it seems much would depend on what a particular religion advocates or is based on.