Somer, Murat2010-11-242010-11-242007http://hdl.handle.net/10625/45248This is an extended and updated version of the papers presented at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association, Chicago, IL, August 30-September 2, 2007, and at the Annual Convention of the Association for the Study of Religion, Economics, and Culture (ASREC), November 2-4, 2007, Tampa, FLThe paper develops a series of theses regarding the relationship between Political Islam (PI) and secular democracy. Turkey is a crucial case because it could achieve liberal-democratic consolidation, even while under a government rooted in political Islamism, which would be unprecedented in societies where Islam is the culture of the majority. Political participation, economic participation, or secularist sanctions cannot by themselves lead to sustainable moderation of PI. The author makes a detailed examination of current causes and conditions, including those necessary for democratization.1 digital file (34 p. : ill.)application/pdfenMIDDLE EASTTURKEYISLAMSECULARISMDEMOCRATIZATIONRELIGIOUS BEHAVIOURPOLITICAL PARTICIPATIONPOLITICAL PARTIESRELIGIOUS GROUPSELECTORAL SYSTEMSMASS MEDIAPUBLIC OPINIONConference Paper