The €Œalternative†Citizenship Conception In Political Islamist Discourse In The Case Of Turban Question

This paper aims to analyze the “alternative†citizenship conception occured in political Islamist discourse within the framework of turban question. Kemalist citizenship conception which tried to deport individuals from their religious loyalties beside others (e.g. ethnic and class related) in order to make them citizens in the base of secularism is considered as the main obstacle of the turban and Islamist life styles which aim to be public. Due to the ban of the turban’s public appearence by Kemalism with reference to the principle of secularism, this conception is signed with the claims of “homogenizing†, “exclusive†and “discriminatory †in Islamist discourse. The main problematic of the study is whether the alternative conception of citizenship occured in Islamist discourse by critisim of Kemalist one can reconstruct the citizenship in a democratic way. The main argument of the study is that the alternative citizenship conception of Islamism fails in reconstructing the citizenship in a more democratic way. Within the framework of the turban question, the conception occured in Islamist discourse cannot get beyond reducing citizen to believer and community of citizens to the umma.