Religion Shouldn’t Become a Political Tool: Gul

Turkish President Abdullah Gül has warned against using Islam for political purposes in Arab Spring countries, suggesting that new political leaders focus their energy on addressing people’s expectations, Today’s Zaman reports.

“If someone comes up and declares, ‘I am religious,’ and then starts making mistakes, who will be harmed by this? Therefore, that person bears greater responsibility,” Gül said in an interview with Tunisia’s state broadcaster ahead of his visit last week to Tunisia, the first Arab country to see a successful transition of power following widespread anti-regime protests. Text of the interview was published on the presidency’s website on Wednesday.

“One should never forget: Political use of religion should be avoided,” said Gül. “If a party that professes to act on behalf of Islam fails, then this failure will harm religion, too. Therefore, we don’t have religious parties in Turkey.”

Gül is a former politician from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AK Party), which has roots in a now-defunct political Islamist party. However, AK Party leadership dismisses any religious agenda, describing itself as a socially conservative party that pushes liberal economic goals. Erdoğan was subject to criticism from Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood when he praised secularism during a visit to Cairo last autumn.

In his interview with Tunisian state television, Gül also called for religious freedoms, saying both religious and non-religious people should be free to live in accordance with their beliefs. “Religious freedoms are a fundamental human right; people should be able to exercise their beliefs freely. There also might be people who do not have strong religious feelings. They should face no pressure either,” Gül said. “This is a choice for individuals to make.”

“If religion becomes a political tool, this harms religion the most,” he added.

Gül also advised Muslim countries to adopt democracy, accountability and transparency, saying democracy and Islam do not contradict each other.