Turkish Islamist Welfare Party

Abstract

The contemporary Turkish secularism did not completely forget its society’s Islamic roots. Despite the attempts by Atatürk and his followers to erase Turkey’s Islamic identity, these efforts failed. New movements quickly emerged demanding adherence to Islam. This is where the importance of this study lies, as the Welfare Party, the focus of our research, did not rise to power without the arduous struggle faced by Islamic parties against secular political forces since the 1970s.

The reason I chose this topic is my curiosity and desire to learn more about the details of the greatest Islamic party in contemporary Turkey, the Welfare Party: how it reached power, what its political goals were, and whether it fulfilled the ambitions of its supporters. The researcher attempted to address these and other questions in the drafts of this study.

The research includes an introduction, a preamble, four chapters, and a conclusion. The preamble provides a general overview of the contemporary Islamic movement in Turkey and its early party foundations. The Islamic influence was reduced by Atatürk, to the extent that the law confirming Turkey as an Islamic state was repealed. Despite this, Islamic activity continued in secret. After World War II, Turkey entered the multi-party phase, which increased Islamic political activity. Following the 1971 coup, the stage was set for Islamic parties to form, such as the National Order Party and later the National Salvation Party, which ultimately led to the establishment of the Welfare Party (the subject of this research.

The first chapter studies the political program of the Welfare Party, which it used in its electoral battles with other parties. Among the key points of this program was the economic system, known as the “just system,” which followed a middle path between communism and capitalism. The second chapter discusses the Welfare Party’s rise to power and its role therein. The circumstances in Turkey at that time helped the party ascend to power in 1996, after it secured a high percentage of votes and formed an alliance with the Virtue Party. However, the party was later accused of conspiring against the secular system, which led to its dissolution.

The third chapter examines the outcomes of the party’s governance. Among the most notable were the increase in public employees’ salaries and attempts to improve Turkey’s economic situation. The party also offered partial solutions to the Kurdish issue through cooperation with neighboring countries, and succeeded in addressing problems in Turkish prisons, alleviating the injustice faced by prisoners. The final chapter explores criticisms directed at the party, including its contradictory positions before and after coming to power. For example, the party changed its stance toward Israel and the European Union, becoming closer to them, while paradoxically suppressing the military faction that adopted Islamic ideology.