ABSTRACT
Introduction For the study of legal relations between the state and religion, Turkey constitutes an incomparable laboratory with its Ottoman past, its secularist-republican ideology heavily influenced by French political philosophy, and its devoutly Muslim population. The transformation of Turkish secularism throughout decades of republican history helps for a better understanding of the current situation in Turkey in terms of the relationship between politics and religion. Starting with a historical perspective, this chapter gives a survey of major constitutional and legislative provisions dealing with religion and the case law of high courts. Two specific salient issues have been chosen as emblematic of the complexity of the Turkish case: the headscarf controversy and the status of religious minorities.
