Avrupa Birliği?nin dini özgürlüklere bakışı ışığında Türk medya ve kamuoyunda Avrupa kuşkuculuğu

In Turkey, the notion of occidentalization is considered as modernization and Europeanization. In this context, Turkey?s European Union (EU) membership process can be seen as the last step of Turkey?s modernization. Despite the desire for the EU membership, euroskepticism has been increased in a substantial proportion between the years 2004 and 2009 among Turkish public opinion. In this respect, the issue of expanding rights and freedoms of religious minorities which EU?s has requested from Turkey and the Turkish media?s approach and presentation of these issues are two of the essential factors increasing euroskepticism among Turkish public opinion. According to public opinion polls, newspaper is one of the fundamental agents informing Turkish public opinion about EU. It can also be seen that newspapers which institute varying ideologies, generally share common arguments with respect to reopening of Halki Seminary, acknowledgement of Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, amendment of the Endowments Law, accepting Alevis as a religious minority and abolishing compulsory religion lessons. These are opinions which increase euroskepticism in Turkey by forming a spiral of silence, approval and majority effect among Turkish public opinion.