The Reflections of Kurdish Islamism and Everchanging Discourse of Kurdish Nationalists Toward Islam in Turkey (original) (raw)

The Islamist movement in Turkey has gained an exceptional character that is different from the other Islamist movements in the Middle East or other areas with Muslim majority since the modernization period of Ottoman Empire in the 19th century and the reformation era of Turkish Republic in between 1920s and 1950s. In this exceptional character, Nakshbandi order has played a crucial role within both political sphere and the society. By stating this point for Turkey, it is argued that Turkey has an exceptional Islamist movement called Turkish Islam which does not carry the radical views of the other Islamist movements around the world. Islam has also been an important element among Kurds of Turkish state. The Nakshbandi order, which has affected Turkish Islam mostly by Mevlana Khalid Baghdadi, a predecessor Kurdish sheikh of Nakshbandis, has been very effective in Kurdish regions as well. In this respect, I will argue, in this study, that by mostly sharing the same Islamic background ...