If the government changes its attitude to the protests, Turkey could become an exemplar state in the Muslim world
The contrasts that define modern Turkey were never more apparent than last weekend, when thousands of people gathered in Istanbul to support equal rights for gays, transsexuals and bisexuals. The protesters marched along Istiklal Avenue waving banners and rainbow flags, creating a scene that felt unique in today's Muslim world. The placards, written in Turkish, Kurdish, Armenian, Arabic and English, were imbued with mettle and humour. "Homosexuality is not a disease. But racism is," said one of them. "So what if I am a fag?" asked a banner. Another read: "We are the soldiers of Freddie Mercury."
If the Gay Pride parade, now in its 11th year, has been more crowded and flamboyant than ever, this is at least partly due to the so-called "Gezi spirit". After nationwide protests left more than 4,000 wounded and four people dead, the streets and squares have become an open space for politics. Citizens' meetings are organised in various areas, discussions are held about new forms of civic disobedience and there is a flurry of activity on social media.
What is particularly interesting about this new development is that it blurs religious and ideological boundaries. Suddenly gay rights activists are backing Kurdish rights activists; Kemalists are marching side by side with pro-EU liberals. People from different social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds are finding themselves chanting the same slogans, raising similar concerns. In a country where people have been divided into cultural ghettoes for too long, this is unprecedented.
Signs of this were first detected inside Gezi Park. During the weeks of protest, the camp hosted a wide range of activists, from leftists to mystics, from women in headscarves to socialist feminists. United in their criticism of the government, subjected to the same tear gas and pressurised water, they built up a new camaraderie. The AK party's minister of education, Nabi Avcı, acknowledged this situation when he said that the government had done what the opposition parties had not been able to achieve in many years – to unite people from all walks of life.
New exchanges are taking place among the cultural elite as well. Recently 81 artists and writers signed a common petition called "We are concerned". Among us were people with very different views. What brought us together was a collective concern about the continuing polarisation and a criticism of the government's attitude towards artists – pointing the finger at individuals and accusing them of being behind the protests.
In another campaign, hundreds of female academics, writers and journalists, many of them liberals, leftists and secularists, have signed a petition to stop discrimination in the public space against headscarved women. In Turkey a woman who wears a headscarf cannot become a lawyer or a teacher, or perform public service. The petitioners are asking for equality for all women, regardless of dress codes.
Meanwhile, the Kurds are expecting the government not to slow down the peace process and to carry out reforms. The pro-Kurdish BDP has called for marches in major cities. The reaction was triggered by an incident in the district of Lice, which left one man dead and several others wounded after security forces fired on protesters.
Young and dynamic, Turkey's civil society is anything but silent. A new form of engaged citizenship is developing, which may, in the long run, strengthen the country's pluralistic democracy. However, Turkey remains a polarised society. AK party officials, instead of trying to bridge the gap, have been fanning the flames with incendiary rhetoric. So far they have accused American lobbies, Jewish lobbies, Israel, BBC, CNN and some artists and young protesters.
This is a crossroads for the country. If the government realises that it represents those who have not voted for it just as much as those who have; and celebrate diversity through more democracy, freedom of speech and human rights, Turkey could become an exemplar state throughout the Muslim world. If the government takes the other path, however, and uses today's tensions as convenient propaganda material for the forthcoming elections, not only will Turkish democracy be badly bruised, but the entire region will also be affected.