ABSTRACT
Introduction Turkey, with a dominant Muslim population, has applied to be a member of the European Union. A recent survey conducted in Turkey by IKV (Economic Development Foundation), together with the European Union General Secretary, showed that 94.5 per cent of the Turkish population was in favour of the country’s membership in the European Union, while 4.4 per cent was against it and 1.1 per cent had no opinion (Economy Service 2004). Being a member of the European Union means ‘an increase in the standards of democracy and human rights’ for 79.9 per cent of the Turkish population. The results of another survey (Çarkogˇlu and Toprak 2000) showed that the majority of Turkish people approved of neither the idea of religious involvement in public life nor the interference of state in religious life.
