• Text size  | | |
• Email this document
• Printable version

Turkey: Situation of Muslims in the Turkish Armed Forces; whether there are restrictions on prayer and the performance of Namaz; whether there are provisions for the observance of Ramadan (January 2001-April 2005)

In 27 April 2005 correspondence sent to the Research Directorate, an immigration counsellor at the Embassy of Canada, in Ankara, provided the following information. During duty hours, military personnel are technically not permitted to pray. However, this is left at the discretion of the commanding officers, who usually respect prayer times. During Ramadan, duty hours are usually organized in a way that accomodates those who wish to pray. The counsellor added that fasting is not restricted in the Turkish military.

However, Country Reports 2004 cited several sources, including the Istanbul-based Organization of Human Rights and Solidarity for Oppressed People (MAZLUMDER), as indicating that the Turkish military "regularly dismisses religiously observant Muslims from military service" (28 Feb. 2005, Sec. 2.c). Members of the military who practiced certain activities such as daily prayers, who were married to women who wore headscarves, or who kept ties with organizations deemed by the military to be "Islamic fundamentalist organizations" risked being charged with "lack of discipline" and dismissed (Country Reports 2004 28 Feb. 2005, Sec. 2.c).

In November 2004, Agence France-Presse (AFP) quoted a report by Turkey's Human Rights Advisory Board as saying that "'... non-Muslim employees are nowhere to be found in the Turkish armed forces" (1 Nov. 2004), although this statement could not be corroborated by the Research Directorate.

Additional information on the situation of Muslims in the Turkish Armed Forces could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

February 28 Process

The so-called "February 28 process" refers to the implementation of the 18 National Security Council Recommendations on 28 February 1997 which were designed to stem the perceived growth of Islamism in Turkey (WINEP May 2001). According to one analysis, this "marked the beginning of an official anti-Islamist campaign ... primarily initiated and carried out by the military" (ibid.). While none of the recommendations specified changes for the military, article 8 did refer to persons "expelled from the military service because of fundamentalist activities" as prohibited from being employed by other public agencies (ibid.).

The Washington Institute for Near East Policy's Research Note on the subject stated in 2001 that "[s]ince the February 28 process began hundreds of members of the Turkish military have been dismissed for fundamentalist activities" (ibid.).

On 30 November 2001, an AFP dispatch reported on the expulsion of five officers from the Turkish military under a disciplinary clause that is often invoked when officers maintain ties with Kurdish or anti-secularist Islamic organizations. The article indicated that fifteen officers had been similarly dismissed in August 2001 (AFP 30 Nov. 2001).

In May 2003, The Guardian reported that the head of Turkey's armed forces, General Hilmi Ozkok, warned the Turkish government to cease its "meddling in internal military affairs concerning the expulsion from the army of those accused of Islamism" (27 May 2003).

More recent information on the February 28 process could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Agence France-Presse (AFP). 1 November 2004. "Report on Minority Rights Too Hot for Turkey." (Dialog)
_____. 30 November 2001. "Turkish Army Sacks Officers for Links to Islamic, Kurdish Groups." (NEXIS)

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2004. 28 February 2005. "Turkey." United States Department of State. Washington, DC. <http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41713.htm> [Accessed 21 Apr. 2005]

Embassy of Canada in Ankara. 27 April 2005. Correspondence from a counsellor.

The Guardian [London]. 27 May 2003. Jonny Dymond. "Turkey's Military Chief Warns Pro-Islamist Government of Possible Coup." <http://www.guardian.co.uk/turkey/story/0,12700,964020,00.html> [Accessed 21 Apr. 2005]

Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP). May 2001. Research Note 10. Niyazi Gunay. "Implementing the 'February 28' Recommendations: A Scorecard." <http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/junior/note10.htm> [Accessed 12 Sept. 2002]

Additional Sources Consulted

The Embassy of Turkey in Ottawa, and sociologists specializing in Turkish Islam at Bogazici University in Istanbul, Hampshire College in Amherst, Maine, and the Middle East Technical University in Ankara did not respond to requests for information within time constraints.

Internet sites, including: Amnesty International (AI), BBC, The Economist, European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), European Country of Origin Information Network (ECOI), Freedom House, Human Rights Watch (HRW), Organization of Human Rights and Solidarity for Oppressed People (MAZLUMDER), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), Turkish Daily News, Turkish Military Academy, World News Connection (WNC).