The Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party of the prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has enacted a law giving mayors the power to issue drink licences and designate areas where alcohol can be consumed. Mr Erdogan insists he has shed his Islamic activist past and that his party, while conservative, respects Turkey's secular principles. But many suspect Justice and Development is secretly implementing an Islamic vision. "Let's not be fooled," Tufan Turenc, a political commentator, wrote in the mass-circulation newspaper Hurriyet. "[Mr Erdogan's party] is slowly wrapping the Islamic blanket around us." It's not just the alcohol-free zones that are troubling secular Turks. Last month, the state-run standards institute announced it would introduce "halal" certificates for food that meets Muslim religious dietary requirements. A new women-only gym and swimming pool run by Ankara council and plans for a mosque inside an Istanbul park that is already surrounded by mosques have also caused many Turks to suspect Islamic mores are creeping into official policy.
But Mr Erdogan's party rejects such charges. "Our programme aims to improve the welfare of all," Abdullatif Sener, the deputy prime minister, said. "Our party is not one which spreads ideology."
| Nothing to see here, move along. |