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Why Turkey’s secular opposition now references Prophet Muhammad

The fact that the CHP now defends human rights with references to “our beloved prophet” is a remarkable new reality in Turkish politics.
Supporters of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu react during an election rally for Turkey's November 1 parliamentary elections in Ankara, Turkey, October 29, 2015. REUTERS/Umit Bektas  - RTX1TTUN

Since its founding by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in 1923, the People’s Republican Party (CHP) has been the staunch defender of Turkey’s French-style secularism. It always opposed using religious references in politics, arguing that it would amount to the “exploitation” of religion for political ends. It also opposed, for decades, “religious symbols in the public space,” such as the Islamic headscarf.

Yet the CHP has been changing lately, especially since Kemal Kilicdaroglu became its leader in 2010. First the CHP abandoned its intolerance for the headscarf, accepting hijab-wearing women’s right to go to college or get public jobs. Then it welcomed some conservative politicians with Islamic credentials to its ranks, such as Mehmet Bekaroglu. Moreover, Kilicdaroglu began to allude to Islamic values to support his arguments.

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