I’ve suggested before that the idea of Turkey entering the EU is a farce. One could make the economic case that it is far too large and poor to be absorbed easily (unlike the Eastern European nations Turkey is nearly as populous as Germany). But there is a strong cultural case too. Turkey is a very religious nation in a European context. It is more Creationist than the United States. Though Turkey is secular for a Muslim nation, it is not secularfor a European nation. But many people seem to be intent on accusing Europeans of racism or discrimination based on their evident disinclination to let Turkey into the club. But I have a relatively anodyne tokenist solution. There is a society which which is culturally Muslim, Turkish, and likely just as secular as most European nations. Additionally it has 1/10th the population of Turkey.
Last year Gallup asked people in various nations, “Does religion occupy an important place in your life?” Below are the percentages who answered “no”:
Sweden 83%
Estonia 84%
Denmark 80%
Norway 78%
Azerbaijan 74%
Czech Republic 74%
France 73%
United Kingdom 71%
Finland 69%
Netherlands 66%
Belarus 65%
Russia 63%
Albania 62%
Bulgaria 62%
Latvia 62%
Belgium 61%
Hungary 59%
Slovenia 59%
Spain 59%
Germany 57%
Switzerland 56%
Ukraine 54%
Lithuania 52%
Slovakia 51%
Montenegro 48%
Serbia 45%
Kazakhstan 43%
Austria 42%
Ireland 42%
Moldova 31%
Croatia 30%
Greece 30%
Armenia 29%
Bosnia and 29% Herzegovina
Portugal 27%
Italy 26%
Kosovo 26%
Cyprus 24%
Poland 23%
Georgia 22%
Macedonia 20%
Romania 18%
Turkey 9%
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