Moving Backwards – Losing Secularism to Islam in Turkey
Morgan Elizabeth Romano
Saturday, May 23, 2015 9:55pm
Ateizm Dernegi (The Association of Atheism, Turkey) is dedicated to being the voice of Turkish citizens and residents struggling for a return to secularism that was once the greatness of the Turkish Republic. Since the rise in power of more religiously armed and conservative Justice and Development Party (AKP), the Republic of Turkey has experienced a hugely significant decline in secularism. The Association strives to raise the voices of the people wishing to live in a more free and relaxed Turkish society free from the pressures and deadly consequences of religious oppression that creeps throughout Turkey regularly. We refuse to be silent, we will be heard and we are not alone. Morgan Elizabeth Romano is the Vice President of Ateizm Dernegi (The Association of Atheism) and the Director of International Relations. She is native New Yorker living in Turkey and joined the association due to her strong beliefs that human rights issues are not nation specific but rather global issues that effect all nations and individuals regardless of citizenship.