The research was aimed at finding out about religious-conservative social pressure and discrimination directed at people who belong to various ethnic, religious and cultural minority groups. In its preamble, the research project states that since social pressures and discrimination directed towards the religiously devout in Turkey have been well researched and are known, and as complaints from that segment of society have significantly diminished during the rule of the pro-Islamic Justice and Development Party (AKP), the project will concern itself exclusively with looking at social pressures and the discrimination experienced by those with a secular identity and who practice secular lifestyles in Anatolian cities where religiosity and conservatism prevail.With this aim, Professor Toprak has, together with three research assistants, conducted in-depth interviews with a "biased sample" of 400 people in 12 Anatolian cities. The sample covers people affiliated with organizations such as the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), the Atatürkist Thought Association (ADD) and teachers unions, which often bring together secular fundamentalists. The report claims that since similar stories were recorded in all of the cities, problems that one might have expected to come from the "biased" character of the sample are negligible.
Going by the quality of her previous research, Professor Toprak is surely a distinguished, experienced and honest researcher. There is no doubt that at least the greater part of the accounts of those Kurds, Alevis, Roma, non-Muslims, secular-minded youth and women interviewed about the kind of pressures and discrimination they have been subjected to reflect real experiences. The report does provide a good idea about the kinds of pressures and discrimination experienced by people belonging to ethnic, religious and cultural minority groups in Anatolia, if not about the extent and sources of social pressures and discrimination experienced. There is no doubt that intolerance and prejudice in Turkey is a most serious problem that has to be dealt with.
If, however, the aim of the research as stated is to inform the authorities about the kind of problems that are being experienced and to advise them on the judicial and administrative measures necessary to fight back discrimination and consolidate a pluralist democracy, I believe the whole picture needs to be considered. Thus, all of the various sources of intolerance that feed into one another are inseparable. It has to be seen that intolerance in Turkey arises more from state policies than society, that it is nurtured not only by religion, conservatism and Islamism, but also by secularism and nationalistic bigotry and fanaticism.
This point was made crystal clear by statements made in the context of the other major debates of the past week. In reaction to the "apology to our Armenian brothers and sisters" petition, more than 120 or so retired ultra-secularist ambassadors issued a public statement accusing the petitioners of "treason." An ultra-secularist deputy of the CHP, by profession a doctor of medicine, did not hesitate to display her racism. When President Abdullah Gül, in response to questions concerning the petition, said Turkey is an open society where citizens can freely express their views, she put his attitude down to the fact that he had Armenian ancestors. When Gül denied this, she demanded DNA tests as proof. Her party leaders criticized her, but did not take any disciplinary action against her. Another ultra-secularist, an independent deputy angrily declared he felt like "shooting bullets into the heads" of government representatives who did not heed his criticism.
A Turkish proverb says "Fish begin to stink in the head." If Kurds, Alevis, Roma, non-Muslims and people with different political views and lifestyles are subjected to pressure and discrimination in Turkey, the major reason for this is the official secularist and identity politics pursued since the founding of the republic, which is only recently, reluctantly and partially being revised. Up until the 21st century and the beginning of the EU accession process, the policies applied by the state denied even the existence of Kurds and Alevis, and still continue to discriminate against non-Muslims and criminalize people for expressing non-violent views. In order to put an end to social pressures and discrimination against minority groups, the Turkish state has to radically alter its authoritarian secularist and identity policies, and in this context revise its educational system so that rather than aim for nationalistic indoctrination, it aims to serve a culture of tolerance and respect for difference.
