The approach of Islamism to the Kurdish question in Turkey (1980-2002)

This dissertation discuss how the Kurdish question was evaluated from Islamist perspective and aims to demonstrate the approach of Islamism in Turkey to the Kurdish question in the period between 1980-2002. In this dissertation, a theoretical perspective has been adopted based on the forms of relationship between religion and nationalism, in order to analyze and determine how Islamism, an ideology based on religious doctrine, evaluates the Kurdish question as a national issue with an ethno-political content. In accordance with this theoretical perspective, the evaluations of Islamism on the Kurdish question covering the period between 1980-2002, have been examined correlating its forms of relationship with state in Turkey, Turkish nationalism and national identity. In this study, Islamism in Turkey has been categorized as mainstream Islamism and radical Islamism in terms of its forms of relationship with state in Turkey, Turkish nationalism and national identity and the evaluations of these two types of Islamism on the Kurdish question are analyzed comparatively. As a result of this analysis, it has been seen that mainstream and radical Islamism in Turkey handled the Kurdish question with their political and social thoughts, which shaped in accordance wtih their approaches to nation state, nationalism and national identity. Therefore, it has been observed that there are similarities as well as significant differences between their approaches to the issue. The main factor determining the differences between the approaches of mainstream and radical Islamism to the Kurdish question has been determined as; evaluating the issue, with a Turkey-centric perspective of the first and with an ummah-centric and universalistic perspective of second. In this dissertation, the similarities and differences between mainstream and radical Islamism are discussed through the evaluations of these two types of Islamism on the various topics that the Kurdish question includes. It has been observed that mainstream Islamism sees established order and official ideology in Turkey as the basic reason of Kurdish question; radical İslamism defines the Kurdish question as an ummah question and sees the existence of nationalism and nation state as the basic reason of it. It has been determined that mainstream Islamism, in accordance with a Turkey-centric perspective, wants the protection of integrity and unitary structure of Turkey unconditionally, but the revision of the established order, the change of the official ideology and the reintroduction of Islam in Turkey to be provided a final and permanent solution about the Kurdish question. On the other hand, it has been seen that this solution proposal is not enough for radical Islamism. From a radical Islamist perspective, a final solution of the Kurdish question would be possible with the solution of the ummah question. Accordingly, It has observed that from a radical Islamist perspective, the formula for a final and permanent solution of the Kurdish question is, instead of the existing system of nation states based on nationalism, in the long run, to fight with the consciousness of the ummah, in this way, to establish a union, that is to say ittihad-ı Islam, in which the identity of every nation of the ummah will be recognized and preserved.