Religious Aspect in Coups: the Case of the July 15

The aim of this study is to examine the chain of coups that marked the modern history of Turkey in terms of religious dimension in the example of the 15th July 2016 coup/invasion/civil war attempt. On the basis of this aim, the researcher seeks to understand and explain the coups’ own religious colors and their dimensions of being legitimized by religion, as well as the religious color of oppositions and resistances to the coups and their dimensions of being legitimized with religion. As well as the coups experienced in Turkey since 1960 is the application area of this work, especially 15 July coup attempt have been chosen as the main field of application of this research. In this work done with a sociological perspective, it is assumed that there is an open religious dimension both in terms of the coup attempters and in terms of the anti-coup people in the coup/civil war attempt that took place on July 15th. While there is a religious dimension originating from the Parallel Religious Structure in the case of coup attempters, there is a religious dimension which expresses the main religious structure in which various religious understandings and practices are socially involved in the case of the anti-coup people. As a method in the study, primarily in general the interactions of coups with the religion and in particular the intervention of the July 15 coup attempt with the religion are examined on the basis of documents and observations related to the event. The data obtained in this framework are analyzed and the findings of the study are presented. The July 15 coup attempt and the revolutionary resistance of people against this attempt have very serious sociological aspects in respect of having very important dimensions in terms of religion. At this point, the subject has quite interesting and important dimensions in terms of sociology of religion. It should be noted that the July 15 coup attempt must be scientifically handled, while still carrying great emotions with experiences lived in and with it. In this study, the writer strives to do this.

Keywords

Turkey, coup, July 15, parallel, resistance, religion