The state has no religion. The state is obliged to stand at an equal distance to all its citizens. In Turkey, there is an institution established to carry out religious services: The Directorate of Religious Affairs. The budget of this institution is funded from the taxes collected by the state. In other words, not only Muslims, but all citizens living in this country contribute to that budget.
But this is precisely where the problem begins. Because when it comes to different faith groups who pay the same taxes and are citizens of the same country, the state's interest suddenly disappears. Churches, synagogues and other places of worship are left to survive on the means of their own communities. Everything from the salaries of the clergy to the maintenance of the places of worship is solved by the community's own means.
Yet these people are also citizens of this country. They pay their taxes, start businesses, provide employment, do their military service and carry the passport with the same pride. Everyone is equal when it comes to their civic duties.
But when it comes to religion, we often hear the same sentence:
“This is a country where .9% are Muslims.’
However, in a state of law, citizenship is not a matter of math. A belief group can be millions or one in a thousand. This does not mean that their rights are more or less. The state is not the state of the majority; the state is the state of everyone.
Therefore, it is not a question of being against any faith, but rather a reminder of the principle of equal citizenship. If taxes are collected from all citizens, the services provided by the state should also be inclusive of all citizens.
This is where true secularism begins:
Not with the power of the majority, but with the virtue of protecting the rights of the minority.