Our conversation with God

Once a bestselling novel about spiritualism, the title of this short article is now Turkey's search for religiosity vs. secularism and personal beliefs vs. political triumphs. But the reason is a sober one. Since the coup attempt of July 15, 2016, Turks from all walks of life have started questioning the role of religion in public and political life.

It is one thing to live with your beliefs and your morality. It is something completely different to impose them on public life. Abandoning the topic of Charles Darwin's evolution from school curricula would not make any student smarter or help them create the next Tesla or Apple. Obligating every high school to have a masjid and a wudu facility would not encourage teenagers to get closer to Islam overnight. Sadly, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) sees the current is completely in the opposite direction and is trying to reverse the tide in vain.

MAK Research is a polling company close to AK Party circles. Its recent poll about religious practices and Islamic life sheds a new light on how we see our belief systems. Now that we have completed the holy month of Ramadan, let us look at the results. Some 45 percent of the participants said they fasted every day of Ramadan. The ones who said they fasted "partially" are 25 percent, while those who said "I do not fast at all" are 20 percent. My humble observation showed me another trend. The ones who did not fast this year were more visible.

Fatma Barbarosoğlu, a conservative columnist for the Yeni Şafak newspaper, wrote that even the number of mosque-goers were less this year. "The number of men in mosques this Ramadan has decreased so much that I am afraid bringing children to mosques will be necessary in the future," Barbarosoğlu...