Fazil Say, a Turkish pianist, was convicted this week of "denigrating religion" through comments on Twitter.
Erdag Goknar
Assistant professor of Turkish & Middle Eastern Studies, Duke University
Author of "Orhan Pamuk, Secularism and Blasphemy"
Quote:
"This trial is the latest example of Turkey's own estrangement from its long tradition of what might be termed 'Islamo-secularism.' Turkish history represents one of the few successful examples of the coexistence of a strong secular state tradition along with the cultures of Islam, one that extends back to Ottoman rule in the Balkans and the Middle East.
"This case and others are unfortunate show-trials, meant to champion just one aspect of a long-standing dual Turkish identity. If the prosecutors in these trials just looked into the mirror of their own history, they'd find an answer to Turkey's current identity crisis."