AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): A specialized panel discussion titled “The Impact of the Long-Term Rule of the Justice and Development Party on Political Islam and the Course of Religious Policymaking in Turkey” was held at the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, organized by ABNA News Agency in cooperation with the Zaviyeh Think Tank.
Dr. Mohammad Sadeghian, the session’s academic secretary, described the Justice and Development Party as the only government in Turkey over the past century to have maintained such long-term rule. He underlined the party’s significant influence across the Middle East and Asia.
Dr. Abbas Khamehyar, Advisor for International Affairs at the University of Religions and Denominations, identified the AKP’s endurance in a secular system and the shift of Islamism from mosques into state ministries as its most consequential achievement.
He stressed that Turkey’s transformation goes beyond politics, encompassing a reconfiguration of national identity through the gradual and calculated Islamization of state structures, the expansion of religious schools, the strengthening of Islamic media, and the spread of a distinctly urban Islamic lifestyle. This, he said, has produced a “new Turkish identity” blending strong nationalism, political Islam, and an assertive geopolitical outlook.
According to Khamehyar, this internal metamorphosis has also reshaped Turkish foreign policy, moving it from a NATO-dependent posture toward an independent regional power. In pursuit of reviving Ottoman soft-power leadership in the Islamic world, Turkey has become the main refuge for the Muslim Brotherhood and employs organizations such as TİKA as instruments of religious diplomacy.
However, he also pointed to several challenges: the nationalization of religion, shrinking democratic space, and worsening social divides.
Ultimately, Khamehyar predicted that Turkey’s future will neither return to strict secularism nor transition to absolute Islamism. Instead, the country is likely to witness the consolidation of a “religiously infused Turkish identity,” with ongoing competition between Islamists and secularists.
Dr. Zahra Kabiripour, lecturer and researcher of Alawite studies, then delivered her analysis on “The Impact of the AKP’s Long-Term Rule on the Issue System of the Alawite Community.”
Kabiripour discussed developments since 2022, noting that the Erdogan administration, recognizing the sensitivity and importance of the Alawite community, adopted a new approach. This period saw broad initiatives aimed at alleviating cultural deprivation among Alawites, highlighted by the establishment of a dedicated institution for Alawite literature and culture under the direct supervision of the Presidency. She described these measures as signaling a transition of the Alawite community from marginalization toward social engagement, generating renewed hope for resolving long-standing demands.
Dr. Mohammad Deen-Mohammadi, Head of Social Studies at the Governance Research Institute, spoke next on “The Impact of the AKP’s Long-Term Rule on the Issue System of Turkey’s Shiite Community.”
He emphasized that discussions about the AKP revolve around its two-decade endurance in power rather than the party itself. He noted that “political Islam” in this context refers to power-oriented Islamic actors who engage with state, nation, and governance.
Reviewing the rise and gradual decline of Erdogan and the AKP, Deen-Mohammadi presented voting statistics from various electoral cycles.
Addressing the role of Turkey’s Shiite community in political processes, he noted that the 2023 presidential election, held alongside parliamentary elections and taken to a second round for the first time, demonstrated the community’s significant influence.
In conclusion, he highlighted the central role of Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) in shaping political Islam. He pointed to its efforts to draw Shiite scholars closer, its management of Friday prayers and communal gatherings for Shiites, and the construction of more than 250 mosques under Erdogan’s governance as clear indications of this influence.
**************
End/ 345
