Credentials under cloud, Turkey ruling party says no to prayer rooms

The party was put under the spotlight when a draft law prepared by its deputy chairwoman Edibe Sozen was made public. It called for places of worship to be built in schools for students of all religions and for the introduction of tough rules on the purchase of pornographic publications.

The draft law has since been withdrawn. Financial markets are closely monitoring any signs of renewed tension in Turkey.

The draft was an individual study by Edibe Sozen. The content of the draft on the Protection of Youth Law is not in accordance with the party programme, and the draft is not accepted and not approved by authorised bodies of our party, the AKP said in statement late on Tuesday.

Opposition parties criticised the proposal as proof of the AK Party’s hidden Islamist agenda. The issue of places of worship in the education system is highly controversial in officially secular but predominantly Muslim Turkey.

The secularist establishment, including army generals, judges and university rectors, has long campaigned against the Government, saying it is trying to undermine the secular state.

The AKP, which has roots in political Islam, denies the accusations and points to its pro-Western, pro-business record in office since 2002. The timing of the draft law could not have been worse, as the party is trying to show a more moderate face after the court ruling. A harsher judgment could have plunged the European Union-applicant country into political chaos.

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan pledged after the verdict that he would try to avoid confrontation in an increasingly polarised society, especially divided over the role of religion. The statement suggests the party is taking the court verdict seriously, said William Hale, author of books on Turkish politics and teacher at Istanbul’s Sabanci University.

The AKP, which embraces nationalists, market liberals and centre-right politicians, will still need to take care not to alienate its large religious grass roots before key municipal elections in early 2009.