Religion and politics in Turkey
Re “Ruling party in Turkey wins big,” July 23
It appears that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party have taken a page from the playbook of George W. Bush. By blending religious fundamentalism and free-market capitalism, they manage to simultaneously erode, if slowly, secular freedom, while boosting their nation’s economy.
Where the two nations diverge is that the Turkish experiment has resulted in a burgeoning middle class, while the United States has seen the opposite.
Howard Prince
Garden Grove
The Islamist party’s amazing electoral victory in Turkey just about broke my heart. No matter how well the economy is performing, the AKP (the party’s initials in Turkish) has a far more religious agenda. Religion and politics should not mix. I say: What a price to pay.
Hulya Karaca
Carlsbad
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