Turkish Education Minister Yusuf Tekin has said he filed a lawsuit against 168 public figures who recently signed a manifesto titled “We Defend Secularism Together,” escalating a dispute over secularism and religion in public life, Turkish Minute reported.
Speaking to reporters ahead of a ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) parliamentary group meeting on Wednesday, Tekin confirmed legal action against the signatories, who include writers, artists, academics, journalists, lawyers, educators and representatives of professional associations.
The manifesto was published on February 17, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Turkey’s adoption of its civil code, and was opened for public signature online.
It was signed by 168 prominent figures, including economist Korkut Boratav, historian Taner Timur, novelist Ayşe Kulin, actor Müjde Ar and journalist Timur Soykan.
“I have filed a lawsuit,” Tekin said. “No one in Turkey has a monopoly on interpreting the constitution. No one has the right to say, ‘You will interpret the constitution as we wish, and those who do not are reactionary or a radical minority.’ This is an insult.”
The manifesto claims that Turkey is facing what it describes as a “reactionary, pro-sharia siege” and says that recent policies are undermining secular education, the secular legal order and secular public life.
“Defending secularism is not a crime. … We will not surrender to darkness,” it adds.
Tekin said he took the step to defend the rights of students and parents who participated in school-related Ramadan activities, although the manifesto did not make any reference to the Muslim holy month, which began to be observed on February 19 in Turkey.
“We will see who is reactionary and bigoted,” he said.
It was not immediately clear under which specific allegations the lawsuit against the manifesto’s signatories was filed or how the judicial process would proceed.
On Wednesday President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan weighed in on the contoversy, accusing the authors of the manifesto of repeating “their worn-out song of ‘secularism is under threat’” and accusing them of double standards.
“They are not disturbed when Christmas decorations are put up,” he said.
“They are not bothered when all kinds of questionable nonsense are staged under the name of New Year’s or Halloween celebrations,” he added.
“But whenever, on the doorstep of Ramadan, our children are to be taught the national and spiritual values of these lands, that is when they immediately become uncomfortable.”
The lawsuit comes amid controversy over a recent circular sent to schools regarding Ramadan, which the minister has defended as consistent with the constitution and existing laws.
The circular instructed schools nationwide, from preschool to high school, to organize religious activities during the Muslim holy month, prompting criticism.
Critics accuse the government of attempting to Islamize the education system and undermine the separation of religion and state.
The dispute also comes amid longstanding tensions in Turkey over the role of religion in public life. Secularism became a constitutional principle in the early years of the republic, while successive governments have taken different approaches to the relationship between religion and the state.
Erdoğan’s AKP, in power since 2002, has often argued that earlier state policies restricted religious conservatives, while critics say AKP-era policies expanded the role of religion in schools and public institutions.
