Politics and religion

By Nauman Asghar

April 18, 2008

This step taken by Erdogan has developed apprehensions among the secularists that the efforts to establish sharia law in the country are afoot. They are of the view that the government policies are aimed at severing the country from Ataturk's tradition. Chief Prosecutor Abdurrahman Yalcinkaya, has filed a 162-page indictment with the constitutional court that seeks to shut down the ruling party (AKP) for the crime of subverting the secular constitution and ban for at least five years. Surprisingly on March 31, the court has unanimously decided to hear the case. Thus this time the judiciary has come forward as the guardian of secular traditions.