Secularism.

Definition

Secularism in the Kemalist framework meant the separation of religious institutions from state governance. Derived from the French concept of laïcité, the principle held that law and policy should be based on reason and science, not religious doctrine. The aim was to make religion a matter of private conscience rather than public policy.

This was not, in principle, an anti-religious stance. It was a structural argument: the apparatus of the state and the institutions of religion must operate independently of each other. Citizens were free to practice their faith; the state was not free to impose it.

Historical context

The Ottoman sultan also held the title of caliph, the nominal leader of the global Muslim community. Religious law (sharia) governed family matters, inheritance, and personal status. The ulema (religious scholars) held significant political influence, and religious education was the primary form of schooling.

The caliphate had been the institutional link between political and religious authority in the Islamic world for centuries. Abolishing it was not merely a domestic reform, it was an act with repercussions across the Muslim world, and it remains one of the most consequential decisions of the early republic.

Key reforms

The caliphate was abolished in March 1924. Religious courts were replaced by secular courts. The Ministry of Sharia was dissolved. In its place, the Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı (Directorate of Religious Affairs) was established to manage religious affairs under state oversight, a model that placed religion under the state rather than fully separating them.

The Swiss Civil Code replaced Islamic family law in 1926, fundamentally changing rules around marriage, divorce, and inheritance. Polygamy was banned. Civil marriage became mandatory. The constitutional clause designating Islam as the state religion was removed in 1928. Religious orders and brotherhoods (tarikat) were closed in 1925.

Modern relevance

Secularism remains the most debated of the six principles. The rise of political Islam since the 1990s, the AKP's electoral dominance since 2002, and ongoing tensions between religious expression and state neutrality make laiklik a live political issue in contemporary Turkey.

The Diyanet's expanding role and budget have raised questions about the nature of Turkey's secular model. Some argue for a more liberal secularism that accommodates religious expression in public life; others defend the original Kemalist framework as essential to the republic's character. The debate is far from settled, and it touches fundamental questions about the relationship between faith, freedom, and governance.