Violence in Turkey Calls for Reaffirmation of Democracy
7 June 2006

The New York Times reports that this month in Turkey, a man shot five judges in a courthouse, killing one. It was initially believed that the shooting was in response to the judges’ decision to uphold Turkey's ban on wearing head scarves in public buildings. While the reasons for the attack have become increasingly unclear, it has fueled the debate over religion in public life. Turkey’s Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is a conservative Muslim but he has also upheld democratic and pro-Western reforms. The report notes that the international community will be watching to determine if the Prime Minister restates the importance of democracy for resolving this polarizing issue. Another issue, according to the report, is whether Washington conveys a zero-tolerance policy on military interference to the Turkish generals.