The large scale rallies, very much the product of perfect “societal engineering” by the establishment, in the end adopted its own momentum and succeeded in making the headlines all over the globe. The last few months and particularly the presidential election process showed very clearly the existence of two Turkeys. One that is more provincial, devout and dynamic, but represents a new middle class with a different set of values and priorities. The other Turkey is made up of the urban middle class that has been brought up with the formation that the secular republic so well perfected. One values the right to wear the headscarf and the preservation of our cultural and traditional values; the other wants to maintain her right to wear the miniskirt, to party at her summerhouse and consume alcohol when desired. Under normal circumstances, this divide is not that troubling. After all, on the societal level these sorts of problems were already solved. The public has by and large learned the means to coexist or avoid each other in such ways that would not infringe on the rights of the other. It was and essentially is an elite issue. That said, the establishment forces have effectively deepened the divide by organizing the large scale rallies we saw in Turkey’s big cities in recent weeks. They have strengthened the dividing lines and have created an atmosphere of “us” and “them.” The “white Turks” in the square against the “black Turks” watching aghast on their TV screens. One must congratulate those who decided not to put the “black Turks” in the squares as well. At least one side showed some responsibility in not further polarizing this country’s otherwise peaceful atmosphere. What would have happened if 2 million Turks would have swarmed Tandogan and expressed their concerns as well?
Turkey’s political stability is fully dependent on finding a societal consensus on a number of issues. First is the headscarf issue. We must allow our university students to study at universities if they wish to do so with their headscarves. The state should not be telling its citizens what to wear. Equally, we should respect the limitations of a dress code of state employees. Here, the service provider vs. service receiver approach is most useful. Those who provide service, namely university teachers, lawyers, judges, etc., must obey a particular dress code and thus cannot wear a turban just as they cannot wear an inappropriate mini skirt. However, those who receive service from the state, the student, the taxpayer walking into a tax office or the citizen in a post office, can wear whatever they want.
A consensus on the imam-hatip (religious) schools can be found if we treat our national education system in its entirety. There is little doubt that our education system has pretty much been privatized and state schools offer dismal education. In such an environment the issue of the quality of our education is directly tied to the issue of the imam-hatip schools. The same logic goes for the Higher Education Council (YÖK). YÖK no longer fits a 21st century higher education model. It is too illiberal and tight. It must be reformed. The appointment of judges must be made on the basis of merit not partisanship. Honest and balanced judgment should precede the urge to win another front in a confrontational political climate.
Turkey’s societal consensus rests on these and a number of other issues. The guiding principles of a search for a consensus must be based on an understanding that neither side can enforce its wishes on the other. As much as the millions in the squares in recent weeks cannot demand that the right to higher education be denied because of a piece of cloth on a female student’s head, nor can we make any sense of the restriction of the sale of alcohol in certain cities. As much as it is absurd to oppose the presidency of Abdullah Gul on the basis of his wife’s headscarf, it is equally troubling to segregate men and women in public spaces.
If we truly desire a peaceful coexistence in this country we must understand that neither the “whites” nor the “blacks” can dictate the consensus we are so dearly searching. What must emerge is a “grey” Turkey. That Turkey would be a great country to live in.
