By Matt Thekkethala ’15, Staff Writer

Admit it. When you think of the Middle East, the connotations you associate with it are predominantly negative. You visualize a desert with robed, bearded fundamentalists. They preach to the people that America and democracy are the enemies and that all faithful Muslims must commit their lives to the precise words of the Koran. Though this image is accurate every once in a while, one cannot generalize when it comes to the politics of the Middle East.

The second speaker in the Newark Academy 2011-12 Global Speaker Series was Mustafa Akyol, a Turkish journalist and political analyst. His presentation encompassed Turkey, and how its government and history sets it apart from other Arab countries, especially those currently experiencing the “Arab Spring.”

Mustafa recounted that before Turkey was a democratic state, it was the Ottoman Empire, a powerful 600-year-old domain controlling parts of Southeast Europe, Northern Africa, and Northwestern Asia. It too had a democracy, as it tolerated different religions and cultures to be coexistent. “The Ottoman Empire was a relatively free place compared to the Middle Eastern countries we see today,” recalled Mustafa during his presentation.

Presently, there isn’t as much ethnic diversity in Turkey as there was during the days of the Ottoman Empire. The diversity is mainly religious. All over the Middle East, there is conflict over the “correct” interpretation of the Koran. Some views are fundamentalist, while others are much more relaxed. In Turkey, the fact that there is no correct way to interpret Islam allows diversity within one religion. Different beliefs and interpretations of Islam are encouraged in Turkey. Mustafa simplified this point, “Having all that diversity is what Turkey is about…Turkey is at peace with Islam and the democratic system.”

The residents of countries in the midst of the “Arab Spring” want both of these luxuries that Turkey supports: Islamic freedom and a democracy. Though the extremist groups that haunt the Middle East preach that the United States is a terrible place, Mustafa elucidated, “In all of those countries, the majority of the people want a democracy. They want to be like America.” In this way, Turkey can serve as an example for all Arab states that want reform.

During a breakout session with Mustafa, I asked him if Afghanistan was in any state to follow Turkey’s example as its government, economy, and people were devastated and in terrible condition, especially after the war with the United States. He responded that, “Afghanistan is a nation of several ethnicities, each with its own beliefs. The advantage that Turkey has is that 76% of the people are Turks, and agree with each other on several topics. Because Afghanistan is divided ethnically, the people can’t really unite with each other for reform.” Political reform in countries participating in the “Arab Spring” requires a unified resentment for the government.

Turkey is a very successful nation in that it has a democracy, and its people are somewhat content with the government and their own rights. However, there are certain conditions an aspiring Arab democracy must fulfill in order to have hope for reform, including ethnical similarity. For all those nations who do, Turkey serves as an excellent example.