The unrest in Turkey continues, touched off by a May 31 clash between police forces and protesters opposed to the Turkish government's plan to redevelop Gezi Park in Istanbul. At the root of the unrest is the resistance by people who fear the government is retreating from the principle of secularism. They criticize Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan for trying to introduce Islamic-tinged policies in a highhanded manner.
Riot police stormed Taksim Square and Gezi Park in Istanbul on the night of June 15 and dispersed protesters using water cannons and tear gas. That clash followed a rally in Ankara the same day sponsored by Mr. Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP), in which some 100,000 supporters took part. A similar rally was held in Istanbul the next day. Five labor organizations, including a 240,000-member labor union of public servants, carried out strikes on June 17. The police started full-scale searches against suspected activists in Istanbul and other parts of Turkey on June 18.
The situation in Turkey raises the critical question of whether democracy and political Islam can coexist — an issue that other Muslim-majority countries around the world are struggling with.