‘US needs to mend its relations with Turkey’

In Davos to attend the World Economic Forum, Roy said in an interview with the Anatolia news agency that he considered the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) to be "the democratization of Islam," having reached the same level as the Christian Democrats in Europe.

Despite the fact that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan adhered to the Islamic ideology 20 years ago, the French expert does not share the views of the secularists in Turkey and believes that Erdogan has changed. He noted that this change on the part of the pro-Islamists can be attributed to the existence of democracy in Turkey, illustrating the success of democratic principles within the country.

Responsible for social research conducted at the Paris-based French Scientific Research Institute and a consultant to the French government since 1984, Roy has published three books to date in Turkey: "Globalization of Islam" "The Failure of Political Islam" and "Islam and Resistance in Afghanistan."

Responding to a question about the current U.S. policy towards the Islamic world and Turkey’s position within this policy, he stated that the United States is not pursuing a policy of attacking Islam. He says it wants to differentiate "good Muslims from bad" according to its understanding, and in this regard the United States needs Turkey. Washington wants to mend its relations with Ankara for two reasons, says Roy, and views Erdogan’s visit as a good opportunity to achieve its goals.

"The first reason is Turkey’s strategic position — its role in NATO, its position vis-a-vis Iran and its relations with Israel and the Caucasus. The United States needs Turkey because it wants to see the rise of moderate Islamic countries against fundamentalist Islamic countries," says Roy. Prime Minister Erdogan fits the American expectations quite well in that regard, says Roy, adding that in the past Bulent Ecevit and the secular nationalists best suited American interests, whereas today the Americans prefer that the moderate Islamists stay in power as an incentive to other Islamic peoples and countries. Indeed, notes Roy, there is a paradoxical situation here, because when Erdogan came to power there was a fear that he would be anti-West due to his Islamic roots; however, Washington now views his origins as an opportunity rather than a problem.

Responding to another question about a statement he made years ago on the failure and regression of political Islam, Roy stated that the AK Party represents the democratization of Islam, adding that it is today at the same level as the European Christian Democrats. "If we compare Erdogan with Bavarian Prime Minister Edmund Stoiber, we can see many similarities. Both of them are conservatives supporting liberal market economies and technology. They have a common view on religion and family values; they both demand separation of state and religion. Stoiber is in favor of not tampering with the practice of allowing Christian crucifixes in schools, and Erdogan favors allowing headscarves to be worn by female students if they so desire. They are very similar, although one is Christian and the other Muslim," said Roy.

Speaking to the suspicion held by certain secular circles that Erdogan has a secret agenda to establish an Islamic government, Roy says he does not believe it. He explains that France experienced similar problems with the Trotskyites, not with the Islamists, at a time when the Trotskyites were viewed with suspicion. Many young people in the French Socialist Party were Trotskyites, including former Prime Minister Lionel Jospin; however, they changed and have become true social democrats. People change, said Roy, particularly politicians because they are the ones who can closely observe the real changes in society and monitor its demands.

"I am of the opinion that the gap between the hard-line secularists and the former Islamists will decrease over time due to the existence of democracy in Turkey — this is the most important point. If there were no democracy in Turkey, Erdogan would not have been able to enter political life, and there would not have been any changes in his ideology. I believe that if the Islamists were allowed to participate in politics and elections in Egypt, they would have been transformed and would be democrats by now. That’s why having democracy is Turkey’s best advantage; this shows that democracy is stronger that Islamism in the country."