TALKING TO TURKS: WORDS AND PHRASES TO AVOID

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 005496 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR R, PA AND EUR/PPD E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/21/2025 TAGS: PA PGOV PINS PREL TU KISL SUBJECT: TALKING TO TURKS: WORDS AND PHRASES TO AVOID REF: A. ANKARA 4857 ¶B. ANKARA 2030 ¶C. ANKARA 1774 Classified By: CDA Nancy E. McEldowney, Reasons 1.4 (b,d) ¶1. (C) Summary: Some words and phrases Westerners commonly use to describe Turkish society and Turkish politics cause unintended controversy here. Turks are still debating fundamental aspects their politics, history, society, and religion, and by using certain words or phases Western commentators appear to be taking sides in ongoing internal debates. We recommend that visitors be aware of the sensitivity of these phrases and avoid using them when talking about Turkey with Turks or the press. They are "Turkey is a model" or "a Muslim country", "moderate Islam", "minority" and "secular". End Summary. -------------- TURKEY ISN,T A "MODEL" OR A "MUSLIM COUNTRY" -------------- ¶2. (C) Many Turks object vigorously to their country being called a "model" for other countries because many Turks themselves object to various aspects of their constitutional and political system. When Western commentators praise Turkey as a "model" or "example," many Turks interpret this as an endorsement of the status-quo and opposition to democratization, liberalization, demilitarization and other reforms (e.g., strengthening the rule of law, addressing the Kurdish issue, or increasing religious freedom (for Muslims and non-Muslims)) in Turkey. ¶3. (C) Many secular Turks also object to their country being called a "Muslim country" because they interpret this statement as an attack on the secular system or a suggestion that the secular system should be replaced with "moderate Islam." -------------- MODERATE ISLAM -------------- ¶4. (C) Turks of all persuasions view the phrase "moderate Islam" with great hostility. Although some Turks understand that the American phrase "moderate Islam" is intended as an endorsement of non-violent and tolerant strains of Islam, many Turks, particularly the Western-oriented elite, believe that "moderate Islam" is a code for a supposed USG attempt to undermine the Turkish secular system and replace it with an undemocratic, but pro-American, "moderate" Islamic government. A number of politicians and scholars, moreover, believe that "moderate Islam" is part of a long-term U.S. foreign policy objective of creating a "green belt" of pro-American Islamic states surrounding Russia. A leading Turkish foreign policy textbook claims that the U.S. has been pursuing this policy since the 1950s. ¶5. (C) Pious Turks object to the phrase "moderate Islam" for different reasons. First, they believe the phrase suggests that Islam is inherently violent, intemperate, and in need of reform. Secondly, the phrase is seen as an American invention and, therefore, as part of an unwanted, foreign, and un-Islamic attempt to influence the development of their religion. We do best by avoiding the phrase altogether. -------------- MINORITY -------------- ¶6. (C) Turkish historians, intellectuals, and politicians have repeatedly championed the notion that "minority" only refers to "non-Muslim minorities" and cannot refer to non-Turkish Muslim groups living in Turkey. The Turkish position is rooted in their interpretation of the 1923 Lausanne Treaty which, among other objectives, attempted to protect the rights of "non-Muslim minorities" in Turkey. ¶7. (C) Many Turks believe that European powers conspired for over 200 years to break up the Ottoman Empire. The Turkish perception is that European powers used claims of "minority rights" to intervene in struggles between the central Ottoman authorities and regional separatist groups. These interventions often resulted in the independence of former Ottoman territories, e.g. Greece, Rumania, Serbia, and Bulgaria. ¶8. (C) When Western commentators refer to Alevis, Kurds, or other groups as "minorities," Turks interpret these statements as political threats, not as apolitical demographic statements. Many Turks believe that anyone who claims these groups are "minorities" is pursuing a policy designed to dismember the country by encouraging factionalism and secessionist impulses. -------------- SECULAR AND SECULARISM -------------- ¶9. (C) The English word "secularism" is often translated into Turkish as "laiklik," but this can be very misleading. The hallmarks of the American "secular" political system are the separation of church and state and freedom of religion. The hallmarks of the Turkish secular system, in contrast, are state control of religion and a limited sphere of religious freedom (ref A). In Turkey, the state appoints all the Islamic officials (imams),monitors their activities, and pays their salaries. State funds are used to construct mosques, but the state spends no money on Alevi (heterodox Muslims) Cem houses, synagogues, or churches. All Muslim school age students are required to take classes in the Hanafi-Sunni tradition of Islam, regardless of their personal sectarian beliefs. Non-Muslim students are not required to take these courses, but alternative courses are not offered by the state. Private religious classes are illegal and proselytizing by non-Muslims, while not illegal, is viewed with great suspicion. Pious girls and women are officially not allowed to wear headscarves in schools and universities, or in state workplaces. As a result, when a foreigner praises "secularism" in Turkey, there is a risk that Turkish listeners will interpret his or her comments as an endorsement of state control of religion in Turkey. ¶10. (C) Comment: The U.S. government has promoted Turkish democratization and the anchoring of Turkey in Europe for nearly sixty years. U.S. officials must perform the delicate balancing act of promoting democracy in Turkey and promoting Turkey,s efforts to join the European Union without appearing to take sides in internal Turkish debates. We must avoid the unintentional use of controversial words and phrases that suggest the U.S. is taking sides on issues where the USG is actually neutral. End Comment. MCELDOWNEY