What is Political Islam? Is Political Islam Tragedy Today?

Furkan Foundation Incident:

Furkan foundation event is on the agenda. The violence used by a headscarved police against another headscarved demonstrator was photographed and caused controversy. We will make a general evaluation without going into the daily discussions of the event: From where to where?

Let's not be mistaken, this struggle did not start recently. Even before the Tanzimat, they opposed as many reformist sultans and grand viziers as there were. They could not stand the Constitutional Monarchy, they revolted on 31 March. Whoever made progressive and revolutionary breakthroughs in this country, they always stood against him. Sometimes they risked everything. They even cooperated with the occupation forces when the country was under occupation. In the National Struggle, they shot the national forces from within.

Resistance to Innovation:

Their real struggles started with the Republic. They could not digest the Anatolian revolution at all. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and the Republic; became the symbol of their hatred and vengeance. Interestingly, the Kemalist order they hated thought idealistic and saw them as their equal, Constitutional citizens. As we saw in the events of the Free Party and the Progressive Republican Party, they always dug in and kept their distance from the system. With the transition to multi-party life, they were integrated into the political system. This was a good opportunity for political Islam, they could have lost to the center right and found a legitimate place in the political spectrum, but they could not use this opportunity.

They became more involved with the West than those they accused of turning to the West within the Cold War paradigm. They were fighting the so-called common enemy communism. This gave them a chance. They always said that they could not explain themselves, that they were blocked. Thanks to the libertarian political movements of the 60s, they had the opportunity to express their "ideologies".

Age of Bliss Idealism:

What did they offer to the community? Age of Saadet idealism took the lead in discourses. They voiced ideas such as living their faith, social justice, peace, well-being, the path of knowledge, and a just order. Organization was their best talent. They were not content with just partying, because the dominant power was closing their parties one after another. Since the Menderes period in the 1950s, they opened dormitories, schools and courses. Thanks to their close sect relations, they grew up cell by cell and controlled the congregations.

First try:

Finally, the system they hated had given them a chance for power. They made their first trials with Erbakan and Milli Gorus. It was not bad especially during the coalition period with Ecevit. In the second period, in addition to being away from the seriousness of the state, the threatening and insane rhetoric of the radical elements disturbed the "state". The road was taken.

Second Trial:

They started their second big trial 25 years ago. Their successful actions, especially in municipalities, were based on the criticism of the old order: They don't steal, they serve. In this way, first the local governments took over the central government 19 years ago at the ballot box. Naturally, we also had an expectation, let's see, we said fair order.

what happened? The just setters changed their shirts and became Westerners for the second time after the cold war. In the first 10 years, we were also surprised. Integration with the West progressed very quickly, what could be seen from the political window was not the Age of Bliss or the just order, but everyone was happy. The last 10 years have been a period of complete disappointment for political Islam. The main contradiction was that the rhetoric they set out with and the messages they gave to the society did not match with what they did. There was no unity of discourse and action. We called it "takya" and we always doubted their sincerity, thank goodness they did not embarrass us either.

Great Eastern Youths Evolved, Prospered:

The youth of the Great East, who set out with high and sacred ideals, began to use corruption, oppression and silencing other segments of society as management tools. On top of that, the plans of their ideological friends, with whom they went to the range together, to unite with the international powers and seize the state, exploded in their hands like a bomb.

As of today, the ideals of respect for beliefs, social justice, peace, the path of science and a just order have turned to dust, instead we have been talking about issues such as jailed journalists, corruption, gender discrimination, intolerance of different ideas, a dishonored judiciary and a deepening injustice of income distribution. Now have you seen what a just order is? The truth was beginning to emerge like daylight. The political message of Islam was the best way to get votes from the citizens on the street, but when it came to work, only discourse was not enough.

Conclusion:

This article is not a criticism of AKP. It is about questioning the equivalence of discourse and action of an ideological view. They said that the President was all religious, they said my sister with a headscarf, they said that her forehead touched prostration, they shook the Qur'an in the rally squares, but in the end, they started to resemble the "state" that they had criticized from the Age of Saadet from the National Vision.

I find this last statement very funny…