Islam | Islam Presents an Obstacle to Democracy

Will the real political Islam stand up? In July 1996, the leader of Turkey’s Islamist Refah (Welfare) Party, Necmettin Erbakan, emerged as prime minister in a coalition government. Despite Erbakan’s past rhetoric, his government seemed to act cautiously, respecting the secular institutions of state, preserving Turkey’s NATO membership, and even maintaining relations with Israel. Was this not proof that Islamists could be trusted with power and its prerogatives?

Then in September 1996, the Taleban, another Islamist movement, overran the Afghan capital of Kabul. In a spasm of...

[The entire page is 2943 words long]

Join eNotes

The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the: