ANKARA — Turkey has been employing thousands of Islamic
fundamentalists in violation of its secular constitution.
An opposition parliamentary faction has accused Prime Minister Recep
Erdogan of enabling the employment of thousands of Muslims who oppose Turkey
as a secular state. The faction said the Islamic fundamentalists have
entered all areas of government, including the Education Ministry.
"We can say that thousands of anti-secularists have been employed by the
state in accordance with the government's wishes," Ali Topuz, deputy chief
of the opposition Republican People's Party, said.
Erdogan has supported the relaxation of rules that had prevented so-called
anti-secularists from entering government, Middle East Newsline reported.
At a news conference on April 11, Topuz cited Omer Dincer, the
undersecretary of the Prime Minister's office. Topuz said Dincer has called
for the toppling of the secular Turkish republic.
"No one can say he is not anti-secularist, because he himself wrote that
the principles of the republic needed to be replaced," Topuz said.
Opposition parliamentarians said the military has been concerned over
the infiltration of Islamic fundamentalists into civil service. They said
Erdogan has also supported the right of women to wear Islamic headdress
in civil service. He has also advocated the right of Muslim seminary
students to enter universities based on credits obtained from religion
classes.