During the 1990s Refah was the fastest-growing political party in Turkey; when it was closed down in 1998, the Fazilet party took its place. In 1983 the Refah (Welfare) party was founded and headed by the leader of political Islam in Turkey, Necmettin...

This article is part of the series: Politics and government...

Turkey's secular circles rocked the government by portraying its leaders as Islamists intent on imposing religion on society. But the ruling party, an advocate of European Union membership, has done more than most of its predecessors to introduce Western reforms to the country.So is there...