Secularism, Islamism, and the Future of Turkey

Issue Date July 2025
Volume 36
Issue 3
Page Numbers 92–105
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In March 2025, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was jailed on corruption charges — the same day he was elected as the Turkish opposition’s presidential candidate by 15 million voters in an unprecedented primary. His candidacy poses a significant challenge to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s 22-year rule and redefines the Islamist-secularist divide by resonating with both religious and secular voters. As Erdoğan’s support declines amid economic turmoil, Turkey’s opposition offers a potential model for resisting authoritarian populism. This political shift carries broader implications for the future of secularism, Islamism, and democratic resilience — not only in Turkey but across the Muslim world and beyond.

About the Author

Ahmet T. Kuru is director of Center for Islamic and Arabic Studies and professor of political science at San Diego State University. He is the author of Islam, Authoritarianism, and Underdevelopment: A Global and Historical Comparison (2019).

View all work by Ahmet T. Kuru

Image Credit: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images