Turkey is in the midst of a national crisis over the future of its secularism. Moderate Islamists are gaining power and many fear for what this might mean for Turkey. Others don’t think we should worry.

The Washington Times worries that if Islamists take greater control of Turkey, the important international role of Turkey as a moderating Eastern force will be damaged.

The New York Times also worries about Turkey’s changing political culture. Secularism and democracy are threatened.

The Washington Post says that the threat to democracy in Turkey comes not from the Islamists, but from the secularist elites.

Stephen Schwartz thinks “the Sunday marchers in Istanbul got it right. Between militarist secularism and radical Islam, most Turkish citizens would likely continue to take their chances with the army. But the country will not move forward until it adopts three indispensable principles of a real democracy: a non-political military, religious pluralism, and full equality for all minorities.”

Simon Tisdall says that the Turkish military’s promise to protect the constitutional legacy of Ataturk carries the dark tones of past coups.

P. David Hornik chides the EU for criticizing the Turkish military: “Why does the EU sternly upbraid the Turkish military even in a situation where its power might be essential to saving the country from Islamism?”