"Turkey's 21st-century Ataturk?
Turkey's prime minister has a chance to move his country to a new era of religious tolerance.
Turkey is proving that Islam and democracy can coexist – so far. On July 22, elections that could have turned nasty, didn't. And Turkey's Islamic ruling party was returned to power in parliament with even greater support. Nonetheless, the issue of mosque and state still towers like a minaret.
Just this spring, it threatened to tear Turkey apart. The ruling party nominated a devout Muslim, the foreign minister, to be president, but street protests erupted over the fact that his wife wears a head scarf – which is forbidden in public buildings under the constitution. The military hinted at a coup."
More:Turkey's 21st-century Ataturk? | csmonitor.com
