July 2, 2012

Anthropologist: Turkish Muslimhood replacing Islamism

Yonca Poyraz Doğan

Jenny White (Photo: Today's Zaman)
According to Jenny White, an anthropologist specializing in Turkey, Turkey's national identity has been in a process of redefinition, and during this process the notion of Muslimhood has replaced Islamism.

“Muslimhood implies a different understanding of personhood. If you are a pious Muslim and you enter politics, the assumption is that you become an Islamist. But the theologians behind the Muslimhood model ask: ‘Why should that be so? Do Christian politicians become Christianists when they enter politics?'” she told Today's Zaman for Monday Talk.