[Red Badger]

The Land of the Hittites will become the Land of the Shiites.....

[ClearCase_guy]

It is arguably unfair that graduates of state-sanctioned Islamic high schools cannot take college entrance tests. ... Some say that these schools can be as good as secular schools; secularists charge they are inferior and train people to follow authority rather than to function as democratic individuals.

I'm sure that the issue isn't quite this simple, but the above seems odd to me.

If the graduates of these schools cannot take college entrance tests, then what options do they have? Won't they be pretty much forced to shape their lives around religious authorities? Aren't they being squeezed out of participation in secular society?

Doesn't seem smart. But, as I say, there's probably a lot more to it.

[tarheelswamprat]

Part of the reason was the brilliance of the AK party’s leadership. They usually knew exactly how far to go so as not to alienate people. After all, only 7 to 12 percent of Turks want an Islamist state. The AK party convinced many others that it is not seeking such an outcome, successfully positioning itself as safely centrist.

I am not saying that this is all a con game.

I am