Muslim, proletarian, opponent: Anti-Capitalist Muslims in Turkey

In this study, the discourse and the acts of the Anti-Capitalist Muslims, emerging as a new opposition group in Turkey and the reasons why they raised are discussed. The purpose of the study is to identify to what extent the existence of the Anti-Capitalist Muslims is related within the processes of the transformation of Islamism and revealwhat kind of a discourse this movement has developed. From this point of view, the advance and the transformation of Islamic movements and political Islamism after the second half of the 20th century are examined. In particular, the change in Turkey after the Justice and Development Party (AKP), which came to power in 2002, and the effects of the party's neo-liberal policies on the emergence of the Anti-Capitalist Muslims as an opposition group are discussed in the study. Moreover, the comparative analysisof Anti-Capitalist Muslims with the religious opposition movements in different countries has been included. Constructing their main discourse and practice on the criticism of the Islamic Capitalism, the movement of ''Anti-Capitalist Muslims'', are mentioned in four groups; three of them in Istanbul, and one in Tokat. Even if these fourgroups seem independent from each other, they rather present examples of transitivity at the level of intellectuality and actuality. All these 4 groups exhibit the Islamic opposition on the base of anti-capitalism. The most significant outcome of the study has concluded is that the movement of the Anti-Capitalist Muslims has emerged as a result of an ideological division based upon the class conflict. In this study, the data obtained through in-depth interviews with 25 people -five of whom were women- from the above mentioned four groups have been included as well. In the research, in-dept method based on semi-structured interview form has been applied. Key Words:Islamism, the transformation of Islamism, the Justice and Development Party (AKP), Anti-Capitalist Muslims, the relations of Islam and the Left.