ABSTRACT
The agitation around the election of the Turkish president in April–May 2007 indicated the persisting tension between the traditional secularist elite, who defends the legacy of Atatürk, and the Islamists. To try to understand this tension, the laicisation process of Turkey and its aftermath will be analyzed. In Belgium, there has also been a strong opposition between secularists and Catholics. The history of the laicisation of Belgium will be described in a second section. A conclusion will ask what we can learn from a comparison of these two countries.
