From honourable to villainous: political competition and sectarianisation in Turkey

This contribution examines how political considerations influence the creation of religious discourses and interpretations among rival religious actors. It analyses how the religio-political discourses of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Gülen movement in Turkey shifted once they beca...

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Bibliographische Detailangaben
1. VerfasserIn: Kılınç, Ramazan 1977- (VerfasserIn)
Medienart: Elektronisch Aufsatz
Sprache:Englisch
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Veröffentlicht: Routledge 2021
In: Religion, state & society
Jahr: 2021, Band: 49, Heft: 2, Seiten: 93-108
normierte Schlagwort(-folgen):B Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi / Politische Auseinandersetzung / Gülen-Bewegung / Sekte
RelBib Classification:AD Religionssoziologie; Religionspolitik
BJ Islam
KBL Naher Osten; Nordafrika
weitere Schlagwörter:B the Gülen movement
B AKP-Gülen conflict
B the Justice and Development Party
B Sectarianisation in Turkey
B Islamism in Turkey
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Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:This contribution examines how political considerations influence the creation of religious discourses and interpretations among rival religious actors. It analyses how the religio-political discourses of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Gülen movement in Turkey shifted once they became political rivals in the 2010s. Building on the sectarianisation thesis, I show how the leaders in both movements employed religio-political rhetoric to delegitimise one another. The AKP leadership portrayed the Gülen movement as a heretical religious group used by foreigners. The leaders in the Gülen movement represented the AKP as a corrupt and authoritarian organisation, which deviated from religion and suppressed sincere Muslims. The sectarianisation thesis has frequently been used to explain the relationship between theologically distinct religious traditions. I use it to address the rivalry between theologically similar groups. In this case, the leaders need to engage in massive propaganda that simultaneously combines political and theological messaging. Through sectarianisation, leaders in the AKP and the Gülen movement consolidated the support among their ardent supporters. However, the sectarianisation in Turkey not only deepened the conflict between the AKP and the Gülen movement but also divided the opposition against the authoritarian state.
ISSN:1465-3974
Enthält:Enthalten in: Religion, state & society
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/09637494.2021.1890972