“THE US SEES TURKEY AS A ROLE MODEL FOR THE MUSLIM WORLD”

“In Morocco, Egypt, and Yemen, government leaders, opposition members, and civic activists joined in frank private and public workshops on such hot topics as human rights, women’s rights, and religious tolerance … Indicators of change are multiplying in the Arab world, with Morocco moving to genuine elections, Bahrain holding its first vote, and Qatar announcing a new constitution. In Saudi Arabia, professionals are pushing to modernize the political system. And Turkey is offering an intriguing example.” The CS Monitor also quoted Radwan Masmoudi, president of the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID), the US-based think tank that sponsored the meetings with local civic groups, as saying “[In Turkey a] party with Islamic roots has come to power, but it now says it believes in secularism and that it is compatible with Islam. Secular democrats in the countries involved insisted they never be called secularists, but liberals or nationalists. Turkey’s Justice and Development Party [AKP] could change that perception.” The US daily stated that the CSID had plans for further “Islam and democracy” meetings this year in Turkey as well as in Algeria, Jordan, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and perhaps Iraq.