Suchergebnisse

The Conseil d'Etat and secularism. The advice rendered on 27 november 1989
The 27 November 1989 advice of the French Conseil d'Etat on the problem concerning secularism raised by a few Muslim girls who came to school with their hair hidden by a scarf signifies a two-fold shift : concerning the expertise function of the Conseil d'Etat, and concerning the meaning of secularism. The author identifies their expressions and seeks to show the issues and the consequences brought up by this double shift.

There are today intense debates about Islam, secularism and democracy. The arguments raised by the various protagonists refer to implicit representations of the possible relationships between these three terms. They also refer to predetermined conceptions of the historical processes at work in contemporary Muslim societies. We might try to clarify the meaning given to each of these three terms and, consequently, take a new look at the concepts that are widely circulated in the contemporary debate. Adapted from the source document.

For non-European countries such as Turkey & Mexico, the move toward modernity has meant the adoption of the French model of secularism rather than the Anglo-Saxon process of secularization. Today, however, the emergence of public Islam, of Islam in the public space -- as exemplified by the debate about the veil in France as well as in Turkey -- represents a challenge for the Republic whose secular & mono-cultural foundation is questioned. The contemporary Turkish experience offers a good opportunity to analyze the complex & tensed relationship between Republican secularism & the Muslim presence & to stress the dangers of confusing the public space & the Republic. The Turkish candidacy to membership of the European Union has revived & amplified the debate: Does Europe want to be a system of boundaries aiming to protect her against what she considers as the "other," or does she want to show its political capacity to redraw these boundaries by projecting herself into the future? Adapted from the source document.

Examines difficulty of separating church and state in the EEC when many member countries have official religions.

Discusses survival of a democratic secular state in Turkey despite continuing problems of Kurdish insurgency, increasing involvement of Islamic groups in politics, and influence of the mafia in government and political circles. Summary in English p. 906.

Have we to insert God in the future European Constitution? The members of the European Convention rejected this possibility, after a very hard controversy driven by the Vatican and Christian "party". A reference to the "religious inheritances" was introduced without mentioning Christianity or any other confessions. Did the European Union throw back the principle of secularism so useful to live together the Europeans?

Turkey : Democracy or Death, by Semih Vaner
The Turkish political scene is dominated by three central issues : Kurdish separatism, participation by the political branch of Islam in the democratic process, and "affairs" whose disturbing proportions are being revealed by various scandals. To the background of this picture could be added the very marked regional and social disparities. While authoritarian temptations do exist, it also has to be acknowledged that Turkish democracy ― like secularism ― has made considerable progress .

Discusses the split between the orthodox coalition headed by President Netanyahu and those who support the idea of a secular state based on civil law, focusing on its effect on Israel's foreign policy, particularly with regard to the Middle East peace process. Summary in English p. 453.

Since the time of the 2000 elections in Senegal, debates over family rights have been transformed with the consolidation of a Muslim lobby seeking a reform of the family code that would entail the establishment of a code of personal status. Although the debates are highly polarized, they do not question the cohesion of either the various religious communities or Senegalese society. These deliberations have opened the way to a "liberating re-appropriation" of the concept of secularism (laicité), thus settling the colonial heritage and reauthorize the great founding myths of the Republic. (Polit afr/DÜI)

Mohamed VI, leader of the believers coming to the rescue of secularism ? Examining the similarities between the Moroccan reform of the Moudawana and the French law on headscarves is not without its merits. They are both attempts at warning shots : to show, on one hand, Moroccan Islamists that a new king has taken the reigns and that the Islam of the happy medium must be maintained and broadened, and, on the other, to show in France that the gradual erosion of the dominant way of life will not be tolerated. But these two barriers will only hold if modernist thinkers and debaters are put to the forefront, and only if the social separations cease to grow deeper.