9 percent majority, also revealed the deep-rooted geographical split between urban
secularists and conservative rural Turks.
When it comes to the argument put forward by some hard-line
secularists who claim that GE-len is far more dangerous than Erdoy-an because he is out to Islamize society, I can only say that they are, perhaps because of their Islamophobic prejudices, blind to the fact that Turkey is sufficiently Muslim to not need further Islamization, and that GE-len represents the liberal trend of Sufi Islam, which is certainly a bulwark against religious fundamentalism and Islamism.
The threat of a coup is not far-fetched: the
secularist military staged three coups in Turkey between 1960 and 1980 and pushed the first Islamist-led government out of office in 1997.
So
secularists have ended up monopolising power by excluding and repressing Islamists.
atheists and all who share the goal of a secular government by gathering the political strength of
secularists nationwide.
That being the case, it is confirmed by everyone that this election is the most crucial election in the nation's history: The Islamists believe that the majority in the parliament is the last thing they need to cement their Islamist state, while the
secularists believe that if they didn't get significant votes this time, if not a majority, they will not be able to break the wave of Muslim Brotherhood authoritarian rule by peaceful means for a long time.
On the other hand,
secularists hold the view that Islamists have hijacked the revolution (that toppled Mubarak) and exploit religion and poverty to mobilise ordinary people against liberals as a whole.
Ennahda leaders may have been maneuvering to draw the Salafis into the process, while maintaining their political support, but it gave the
secularists another reason to doubt Ennahda's commitment to moderation.
As a
secularist and an atheist (again, not the same thing), I have no wish to take away anyone's freedom to follow their religion, as long as it does no harm to others - and as long as it is not forced on others.
The 'Arab Spring', or the 'Great Arab
Secularist Disappointment of 2011/2' With its light-hearted name and revolutionary spirit, the Arab Spring exploded onto the pages of history books.
The proposal is certain to inflame political tensions in Tunisia, where
secularists already fear that the Ennahda-led government will slowly Islamise Tunisian law and society.
Liberals,
secularists and former opposition parties define democracy as a peaceful means to assume power and end their decades-long frustration and obscure existence under Mubarak's rule.
